Robert e lee civil war fun facts

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It shows Lee asleep on the battlefield, sculpted by Edward Valentine. A few days later, he accepted command of all Virginia forces.

At first, Lee did not lead soldiers in battle. He declined, stating that he felt it was wrong to fight against his home state of Virginia.

Indeed, though he felt that slavery in principle was a bad thing, he blamed the ongoing conflict on abolitionists, and accepted the pro-slavery policies of the Confederacy.

His education at West Point laid the foundation for his future military career, as he honed skills in engineering and artillery that would serve him well during the Civil War.

2. Lee began as an engineer in the army and moved up through different ranks.

Before the Civil War, Lee was an officer in the Mexican–American War.

He also served as the head of West Point, a famous military school. As a colonel, he led a group of marines to stop a rebellion at Harpers Ferry Armory. New York: WW. Norton & Company, 1999 ISBN 0-393-04778-4

 

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3.

He called slavery an "evil" for both black people and white people. Under his command, the army achieved significant victories, including the Seven Days Battles and the Second Battle of Bull Run, which bolstered Southern morale and solidified Lee’s reputation as a military tactician.

3. However, the two were wed a few years later, and went on to have a 39-year marriage that bore three sons and four daughters.

4.

They lived at Arlington House and had seven children together.

Military Career Before the Civil War

Lee fought in the Mexican–American War as a captain under General Winfield Scott. At the Battle of Gettysburg, he tried to invade the Union to end the war, but his army was defeated and had to go back to Virginia.

In 1864 and 1865, Lee fought Union general Ulysses S.

Grant in Virginia. Lee never explicitly spoke out against slavery

Though Lee is often remembered as being anti-slavery, he never explicitly spoke out against it, unlike other white southerners. His military strategies, leadership qualities, and post-war efforts reveal a multifaceted figure whose legacy continues to provoke discussions about honor, duty, and the ethical dimensions of history.

Lee later attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, a top military school.

robert e lee civil war fun facts

He served as president of the college until his death in 1870.

Facts about General Robert E Lee During the Civil War

  • At the outbreak of the American Civil War, in 1861, Abraham Lincoln actually offered Robert E Lee command of the Union Army. He won many battles, even though the Union army often had more soldiers and weapons.

    Lee’s Legacy Remains Controversial and Complex Today

    Robert E. Lee’s legacy is a topic of ongoing debate and examination. This is the only from-life photograph of Lee with his Generals in existence, during or after the war.

  • So-called "Recumbent Statue" of Robert E.

    Lee in Lee Chapel in Lexington, Virginia.