Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)

Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807. During the American Civil War, he was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces. On April 18, 1861, on the eve of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee command of the United States Army. However, his loyalty to Virginia led him to join the Confederacy. He also entertained no special sympathy for slavery.

At the outbreak of war, he was first appointed to command all of Virginia's forces. He eventually commanded all Confederate armies as general-in-chief and his victories won him fame as an astute military commander. Lee's greatest victory was the Battle of Chancellors Ville in May of 1863. Lee was faced with a larger army led by Joe Hooker. Lee and his most trusted lieutenant, General Stonewall Jackson, divided their forces and defeated the union yet again. This victory led Lee and Davis to consider a second invasion of the North. With desperate hopes, Lee and Davis crossed the river and invaded Pennsylvania.

The "greatest land battle in the western hemisphere" was fought at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 1, 2, & 3. The Army of Northern Virginia led by Lee and the Army of the Potomac led by General George Meade, hammered each other. Thousands died, many more were wounded. On the 3rd day of battle, General Lee, hoping to end the war, ordered the great frontal assault popularly known as Pickett's Charge. After the failure of the attack, General Lee blamed only himself, but Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia fought on for 2 more years.

His boldness and grasp of strategy made him more than a match for every General President Lincoln sent against him. General Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. This effectively brought the American Civil War to an end as other Confederate field commanders followed Lee's example.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee#Commander.2C_Army_of_Northern_Virginia

www.let.rug.nl/usa/B/relee/relee.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/3055/netscape/people/lee.html

http://americancivilwar.com/south/lee.html