Born: 19 January 1807 · Died: 12 October 1870 · Age: 63
Confederate general who led the Army of Northern Virginia
Did you know?During his four years at West Point military academy, he did not receive a single demerit point.
Quick facts
Date of birth19 January 1807
Date of death12 October 1870
Age at death63
Cause of deathPneumonia
NationalityAmerican
BirthplaceStratford Hall, Virginia, United States
Occupationmilitary officer, military personnel, army officer
Editor's Take:
Robert E. Lee was a gifted commander who fought to preserve slavery. He resigned from the US Army when Virginia left the Union. His daring victories prolonged a war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. After the war, admirers built a 'Lost Cause' myth that portrayed him as a noble hero. Historians have since highlighted that he owned enslaved people. Many of his monuments were removed after 2017. His legacy remains bitterly contested.
Key Milestones
1859: Leads troops at Harpers Ferry
1862: Takes command of the Army of Northern Virginia
1863: Defeated at Gettysburg
1865: Surrenders at Appomattox
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general whose early actions in the American Civil War led to his appointment as the overall commander of the Confederate States Army near the end of the war.
