Robert Edward LeeRobert Edward Lee was born of two distinguished Virginia families. Hewas a devoted son, an outstanding Westpoint cadet, and an United States armyofficer for thirty two years. He graduated second in his class.
Lee started his impressive Military career as a Lieutenant in the Corpsof Engineers. His first assignment was to work on the construction of FortPulaski in 1830 near Savannah, Georgia. Then in 1831 he was transferred to FortMonroe, Virginia where he worked on harbor defenses. In 1834 he moved to Washington, D. C. as an assistant to the chief ofengineers.
In 1835 he was assigned to resolve the Ohio-Michigan boarderconflict. In 1837 he went to Saint Louis to work on stabalizing the Mississippiriver channel. He was promoted to captain in 1838. Being sucessful in SaintLouis he was assigned to Fort Hamilton in 1841 to work on the New York Harborfortifications. When war broke out with Mexico in 1840 Lee was sent to Mexico for twoyears as an engieneering officer. There he was praised for his galantry andgood conduct.
In the war with Mexico he was wounded in the Storming ofChapultepec in 1847. The Mexican war was suposed to be the help that Lee neededin the experance of commanding troops. After the Mexican war Lee was assigned to Baltimore in 1848, he was tosupervise the construction of Fort Carrol for nearly four years. In 1852 the United States military academy at West Point became Leeshome when he was appointed superintendent.
During his three year stint heraised acidemic standards, lengthened the program from four to five years, andimproved facilities. In 1859 in Arlington, Texas Lee was given command of Federal forceswhich were there to make sure Mexicans did not invade Texas. Then Lee was sentto capture the abolitionist, John Brown at Harpers Ferry. Then when war seemed impossible to avoid, President Abraham Lincionsummond Lee and asked him to lead the Union army, but Lee declined.
On April 23he became commander and chief of the military forces in Virgnia, just three daysafter he resigned from the U. S. Army. In February 1865 Lee was made commander and chief of all confederateforces. His great battles of the Civil wars include Antietam, Chancellorsville,Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg.
He won many, many battles in the Civil war. Finally on April 9, 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Uylesses S. Grant at the Appomattox courthouse. He had a knack for anticipating the actions of his opponents and forcomprehending their weaknesses. Many of Lees tactics were not fully understooduntil the twentyth century.
After the war Lee accepted the Presidency of Washington College, nowWashington and Lee University in the fall of 1865. He died there on October 12,1870. Lee is arguably the greatest General in American Warfare history. He hasbeen called a hero by many Americans. He was a great soldier and commander onthe battlefield.
The Robert Lee memorial is now a national memorial.
