GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE

Born January 19th 1807 in Stratford Virginia, he was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Lee who had served as the Governor of Virginia and had earned the respect and friendship of President George Washington as an outstanding cavalry commander during the American Revolution.

Lee graduated from West Point in 1840 second in his class. Commissioned a second Lieutenant in the engineers, he served with distinction during the Mexican war of 1846 - 48, being promoted to the rank of full Colonel. 

After the war he spent the next six years commanding the 2nd cavalry regiment in Texas. While on furlough back home in Virginia, Lee took command of a detachment of U.S. Marines which put down and captured John Brown after he seized the arsenal at Harper's Ferry in a failed attempt to insight a slave rebellion in October 1859. 

Lee was recalled to Washington when Texas seceded from the union in February 1861. Lee was offered command of the federal army but declined for his home state of Virginia had also seceded, he then resigned his comision and joined the Confederacy.

Lee assumed command of the army of Northern Virginia in June 1862 after General Joseph E. Johnston was severally wounded during the battle of seven pines which ended in a draw for both the Confederacy and the Union.

In the seven days battles of June 25th to July 1st, Lee defeated Union Major General George B. McClellan in a series of bloody encounters at Oak Grove June 25th, Mechanicsville the 26th, Gaines Mill the 27th, the Peach Orchard and Savages Station the 29th and Fraysers Farm on June 30th, inflicting 16,000 casualties upon them. 

Lee then defeated a Union army under General John Pope at the battle of second Manassass August 28th - 30, inflicting 15,000 casualties upon the Federals and preventing the capture of the Confederate capital of Richmond.

In early September the 30,000 strong army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River into Maryland to be confronted by General McClellan's 55,000 men at the battle of Antietam on the 17th.

Although the battle was closely contested, Lee suffered 11,000 casualties and was compelled to withdrawal back across the Potomac back into Virginia.

President Lincoln now replaced McClellan with Major General Ambrose Burnside with orders to pursue Lee back to Richmond. However Lee won a brilliant victory at the battle of Fredericksburg  December 11th - 15, inflicting 13,000 casualties upon the Union forces.

Then Lee's 60,000 strong Army of Northern Virginia being outnumbered more than two to one, won a series of stunning victory's against the Army of the Potomac under Major General Joseph Hooker during the Chancellorsville campaign April 30th - May 6, 1863. Inflicting 17,000 casualties upon the Federals.

Following this string of Confederate victory's, Lee moved north into Pennsylvania with 75,000 men but was soundly defeated by Union Major General George Meade at the battle of Gettysburg, July 1st - 4, suffering 32,000 casualties.

Lee then fought Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant to a draw at the battle of Battle of the Wilderness Virginia despite being outnumbered two to one, May 5th - 7, 1864.

Then in a brilliant defensive campaign, Lee defeated Grant at the battle of Cold Harbor near Mechanicsville Virginia May 31st - June 12th, inflicting 13,000 casualties upon the Army of the Potomac against 5,000 of his own.

Lee was then charged with the defense of Petersburg and Richmond, which developed into a campaign consisting of nine months of trench warfare lasting from June 9th 1864 to March 25th 1865. 

In early March 1865, Union forces commanded by Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant finally succeeded in cutting off the Richmond to Petersburg railroad effectively cutting of both cities from contact and further supply.

With supplies of food, medicine and ammunition running out, Lee finally gave in to the pressure and abandoned both cities on March 25th. The nine month siege had cost the Union 42,000 casualties in comparison to Confederate losses of 28,000 men and 25,000 by desertions.

Lee now retreated west, hoping to join his army with the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Lieutenant General Alexander P. Stewart in North Carolina. However two cavalry corps under General Philip Sheridan cut off the Confederate retreat near Appomattox Court House Virginia. 

Lee launched a last ditch attack to break through the Union forces but failed suffering heavy losses. Lee now knew he was only delaying the inevitable and surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant later that evening.

After the war Lee returned to Virginia a paroled prisoner and became president of Washington College until his death on October 12th 1870.

Because of his command of Confederate forces during the war, Lee had been stripped of his citizenship. However it was fully restored by the United States Congress in 1975.