What did Robert E Lee do in his early life?
He entered the West Point Military Academy at the age of 18 and graduated in 1829 near the top of his class. After graduating, he joined the Army Corps of Engineers where he would help build forts and bridges for the army. In 1831 Robert married Mary Custis.
What did Robert E Lee do before the war?
Robert had a remarkable record as a West Point cadet, finishing second in his class, with no demerits in four years, and then pursued a career as an engineer in the U.S. Army.
What was Robert E Lee’s family life?
After graduating from West Point, Lee married Mary Custis, the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington (from her first marriage, prior to meeting George Washington) in 1831. Together, they had seven children: three sons (Custis, Rooney and Rob) and four daughters (Mary, Annie, Agnes and Mildred).
What did Robert E Lee accomplish?
Robert E. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia, the most successful of the Southern armies during the American Civil War, and ultimately commanded all the Confederate armies. As the military leader of the defeated Confederacy, Lee became a symbol of the American South.
What is General Robert E Lee famous for?
Robert E. Lee was a Confederate general who led the South’s attempt at secession during the Civil War. He challenged Union forces during the war’s bloodiest battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg, before surrendering to Union General Ulysses S.
When did General Lee become general?
After Virginia joined the Confederacy on May 7, Lee was commissioned a brigadier general in the Confederate army on May 14 and promoted to full general on August 31 as the rebellious slaveholding republic’s third-highest ranking officer.
What happened to Lee after the Civil War?
After Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox courthouse on April 9, 1865, the general was pardoned by President Lincoln. Lee and his family instead moved to Lexington, Virginia, where he became the president of Washington College. …