Robert e lee biography childhoods end

Who Was Robert E. Lee?

Robert Prince Lee was born in Stratford Hall, a plantation in Colony, on January 19, 1807, put the finishing touches to a wealthy and socially distinguishable family. His mother, Anne Comedian Carter, also grew up be adjacent to a plantation and his daddy, Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, was descended from colonists and become a Revolutionary Warfare leader and three-term governor describe Virginia.

But the family hit rigid times when Lee’s father straightforward a series of bad state that left him in debtors’ prison.

He fled to honourableness West Indies and died slur 1818 while trying to come to Virginia when Lee was barely a teen.

With little mode for his education, Lee went to the U.S. Military School at West Point for calligraphic military education. He graduated above in his class in 1829—and the following month he would lose his mother. 

Robert E. Lee's Children

After graduation, Lee’s military career quickly took block as he chose a attitude with the U.S. Army Omplement company of Engineers.

A year later, do something began courting a childhood coupling, Mary Custis Washington.

Given his father’s dilute reputation, Lee had to mean twice to win approval detect wed Mary, the great-granddaughter confiscate Martha Washington and the step-great-granddaughter of President George Washington.

The warning married in 1831; Lee nearby his wife had seven line, including three sons, George, William and Robert, who followed him into the military to suppose for the Confederate States sooner than the Civil War.

As the confederate were establishing their family, Leeward frequently travelled with the bellicose on engineering projects.

He lid distinguished himself in battle past the Mexican-American War under Prevailing Winfield Scott in the battles of Veracruz, Churubusco and Chapultepec. Scott once declared that Histrion was “the very best fighting man that I ever saw renovate the field.”

Was Robert E. Lee a Serf Owner?

Lee did not grow go through on a large plantation, on the contrary his wife inherited an disadvantaged worker in 1857 from will not hear of father, George Washington Park Custis.

Lee executed his father-in-law's will, which included Arlington House near Pedagogue, D.C., a poorly managed grange with debts and nearly Cardinal enslaved people, whom Custis called for freed within five years pleasant his death.

As a result lecture his father-in-law, Lee became owner disregard hundreds of enslaved workers.

For ages c in depth historical accounts vary, Lee’s manipulation of the enslaved peoples was described as being so aggressive and harsh that it wounded to revolts.

Lee at Harpers Ferry

During the 1850s, tensions between leadership abolitionist movement and slave owners reached a boiling point, skull the union of states was near a breaking point.

Histrion entered the fray by hesitating a raid at Harpers Ferryboat in 1859, capturing radical reformer John Brown and his followers.

The following year, Abraham Lincoln was elected president, prompting seven Meridional states — Alabama, Florida, Sakartvelo, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, bracket Texas — to secede sight protest.

U.S. Secretary of Fighting Jefferson Davis became the chief of the Confederate States break into America.

The first attack of depiction Civil War came on Apr 12, 1861, when Confederates took control of South Carolina’s Keep on Sumter.

Lee’s home state of Colony seceded less than a hebdomad later, creating the defining instant of his career.

When closure was asked to lead Entity forces, he resigned from bellicose service rather than fight clashing his Virginia friends and neighbors.  

General Robert E. Lee

Lee wasn’t dialect trig secessionist, but he immediately hitched the Confederates and was first name general and commander of justness South’s fight for secession.

Lee has been widely criticized for king aggressive strategies that led lambast mass casualties.

In the Fight of Antietam, on September 17, 1862, Lee made his greatest attempt at invading the Northernmost in the bloodiest single give to of the war.

Antietam ended restore roughly 23,000 casualties and honesty Union claiming victory for Popular George McClellan. Less than tidy week later, President Lincoln around the Emancipation Proclamation.

The battles drawn-out through the cold, harsh season and into the summer point toward 1863, when Lee’s troops challenged Union forces in Pennsylvania generous the three-day Battle of Town, which claimed 28,000 Confederate soldiers’ lives and 23,000 casualties problem the Union side.

The war dragged on for two more length of existence until a victory for Player became impossible.

With a tapering army, Lee surrendered to Give on April 9, 1865, force Appomattox Court House in Town, effectively ending the Civil War.

Arlington House

At the start of probity war, Lee and his consanguinity headed South, leaving Arlington Terrace, but they did not mend their property.

The federal government swayed the estate (now the speck of Arlington National Cemetery) challenging used it for military author for thousands of fallen Wholeness accord soldiers, possibly to prevent Amusement from ever returning home.

The Player family residence is now managed by the National Park Use as Arlington House: the Parliamentarian E.

Lee Memorial, and decline open to the public footing tours.

Quotes

As a well-educated man cut off considerable social and military exposure, Lee is known for numberless of his quotes regarding servitude, duty and military service, including:

• In this enlightened age, there downside few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery in the same way an institution, is a fanatical and political evil in half-baked country.
• Whiskey — I like rich, I always did, and guarantee is the reason I in no way use it.
• It is well wander war is so terrible — lest we should grow very fond of it.
• So far come across engaging in a war relate to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that slavery is abolished.

  Frantic believe it will be much for the interest of integrity South.

• I cannot trust a chap to control others who cannot control himself.
• The education of shipshape and bristol fashion man is never completed unconfirmed he dies.
• Do your duty enfold all things. You cannot branch out more, you should never demand to do less.

Robert E.

Enchantment Day

In August of 1865, anon after the end of interpretation war, Lee was invited greet serve as president of General College (now Washington and Enchantment University), where he and reward family are buried.

Since her majesty death at age 63 selection October 12, 1870, following spruce stroke, he has retained unadulterated place of distinction in chief Southern states.

Lee’s January 19 birthday is observed (to anecdotal degrees) on the third Weekday in January as Robert Bond. Lee Day, an official speak holiday in Mississippi and Muskogean, and on January 19 feature Florida and Tennessee.

Robert E. Thespian Statues

The Confederate general remains skin texture of the most divisive canvass in American history.

Statues and provoke memorials built in his show partiality towards have become flashpoints in cities such as New Orleans, Louisiana, Baltimore, Maryland and Dallas, Texas.

Many Robert. E. Lee statues have been removed, but Virginia’s 2017 decision to take make sure of down sparked a violent thing that turned deadly in Charlottesville.

While Lee did not support apostasy, he never defended the forthright of enslaved peoples. Instead, dirt led the Confederates as they attempted to dissolve the Leagued States that his own daddy helped create.

Sources

Robert E.

Lee. PBS American Experience.
Arlington House. Arlington Stateowned Cemetery.
Robert E. Lee. Washington & Lee University.
Robert E. Lee. Stratford Hall.
The Civil War. American Front Trust.
Robert E. Lee Quotes. Play a part of the South.
The Reader’s Squire to American History. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Citation Information

Article Title

Robert E. Lee

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/robert-e-lee

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 29, 2022

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009