Robert+E.+Lee


 * Robert E. Lee**

//Robert E. Lee was known for a lot of things. From research, you probably know him as one of the greatest generals for the Civil War. Maybe you know him as a great leader and officer. There is a lot more about him that you probably didn't know. Check out this page to find out more!//

__**EARLY LIFE:**__

Robert Edward Lee was born in Stratford Hall, Virginia on January 19, 1807. He was the son of another major general: Henry Lee. His father was also the Governor of Virginia for a while. Also, he was the descendant of royalty.

Robert was very smart and was very committed to his school work. In fact, he was one of the smartest in his class. He attended West Point College and graduated top of his class. After college ended, he entered the United States Military Academy in 1825. When he graduated from the Military Academy, he was the first cadet to take on the rank of sergeant. He later became the 2nd lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers and he served as assistant of the Chief Engineer's office in Washington D.C.
 * __Marriage and Family:__**

Robert married Mary Anna Randolph Custis on June 30, 1831. They were married at the Arlington House, which still stands in Arlington, Virginia today. They had 7 children and their names were Robert Jr., George, Mary, William, Anne, Eleanor, and Mildred.


 * __Lee and the Early Civil War:__**

When the Civil War began, President Lincoln requested Lee as Commander of the Union. Lee was torn between serving as Commander of Lincoln's army, or serving for the Confederacy. Eventually, Lee turned down Lincoln's offer and went to serve as Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. Actually, he commanded all of Virginia's forces. Some of the battles he served in ended in failure, and he was blamed for a lot. After a lot of failures in battle, he became military advisor to Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. A lot of the wars he fought in ended in many casualties. To his success, Lee's forces defeated the Union in the Second Battle of Bull Run. When the Battle of Antietam was in effect, Lee got ahold of General McClellan's plans for the Union and understood his advantage. He fought his heart out at this battle. He then went on to win the Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.


 * __The Battle of Gettysburg:__**

During the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee had really high hopes of defeating the North, so he could gain some recognition from Europe. He had a disadvantage during this battle, however, because many of his soldiers died and a lot of the soldiers were new and inexperienced. On the third day, Lee wanted to take a chance and attack the center of the Union Line. This invasion was called Pickett's Charge, and resulted in a **lot** of Confederate casualties. Lee was really disappointed in the defeat and he eventually sent a letter of resignation to President Davis, but it was denied.
 * __Additional Facts about Lee:__**
 * Lee became General-in-Chief for the Confederate army in January of 1865.
 * Pretty soon afterwards, he decided to go home and spend some more time with his wife and children.
 * When he arrived home, he had found his plantation seized from Union forces.
 * Eventually, he retired from being a General.
 * On September 28, 1870, Robert suffered a stroke, causing him loss of speech.
 * Two weeks later, Robert E. Lee died from pneumonia.

//**There are many memorials in honor of Robert Edward Lee, perhaps one of the best major generals in American history. Many of them can be seen in Arlington, Virginia to this day. He is buried in Lexington, Virginia.**//

//This page has been designed by Alison McAvoy//. //I hope you enjoyed it!//