Characteristics Of Robert E Lee

Beginning as a battle of army versus army, the war became a conflict of society against society. In this kind of war, the ability to mobilize economic resources, the effectiveness of political leadership, and a society’s willingness to keep up the fight despite setbacks, are as crucial to the outcome as success or failure on the battlefields. Unfortunately for the Southern planters, by the spring of 1865, the South was exhausted, and on April 9, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the war.

Robert E. Lee was Abraham Lincoln’s First choice to be the general of the Union army during the civil war. Lee responded to Lincoln’s request by saying the he hates slavery and he hates succession but he won’t fight against his home state of Virginia. Lincoln’s goal for the civil war wasn’t originally to free all of the slaves it was instead to try and keep the Union together.

No matter how much something can differ some characteristics are shared. As strange as it sounds it’s very true, both Grant and Lee are two different yet similar people. As these two fights for what they believe in, though their beliefs are different they share some qualities. Ulysses S. Grant wanted the nation to expand and look forward towards the future. Robert E. Lee thought that an old aristocratic way of life was the better choice and that it can survive and dominant in American life.

Robert E. Lee only held the rank of Major General for two days. After Virginia joined the Confederacy its army was transferred to the Confederacy’s main body army. The Confederate Congress decided to make Robert E. Lee their army’s third full General ranking behind Samuel Cooper and Albert Sidney Johnston. Confederate President, Jefferson Davis had Lee become his military advisor. The newly formed Confederate Army was too new and found Lee’s military plans too difficult to carry out. The Confederate Army started losing battles and calling Lee “Granny Lee” (“Robert

On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee (1807-70) surrendered his approximately 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-85). In the front parlor of Wilmer McLean’s home in Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War (1861-65). Days earlier, Lee had abandoned the Confederate capital of Richmond and city of Petersburg, hoping to escape with the remnants of his Army of Northern Virginia, and meet up with additional Confederate forces in North Carolina and resume the fighting. When Union forces cut off his final retreat, Lee was forced to surrender, finally ending four years of bloody sectional conflict. In retreating from the Union army’s Appomattox campaign, which began in late March 1865,

When the Civil War started many people of this nation were not expecting the chaos, destruction, and they certainly did not expect the war to last so long. The history of the guerrilla warfare began shortly before the start of the Civil War and lasted a few years after the war. The guerrillas dominated Missouri to such an extent that the Union army had to station thousand's of troops in the state to try to control the turmoil that these guerillas caused. As Richard Brownlee states on page 5 "The history of the western Confederate guerillas began in the state of Missouri several years

As moderate political figure, Lee was dismayed by the extremists on both sides of the North-South controversy in the 1850s. Nevertheless, believing that he owed his first loyalty to his own state, he declined an offer to command the Federal army, resigned his commission in the U.S. Army, and offered his services to Virginia when it seceded in April 1861.6 Virginia was Lee's first priority and for him, Virginia was the Confederacy, and he was involved in the war on the Confederate side only because his home state of Virginia chose to leave the Union. His decisions of where to attack and why were most commonly based on his loyalties according to the letters sent between his commanders and himself.3 When Lee had turned down Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis received word and offered to appoint Lee a general in the Southern army.5 After an unsuccessful effort to repel an invasion of western Virginia, Lee was sent to prepare Atlantic coastal defenses.8 In March 1862 he returned to Virginia as an advisor to Davis and after Joseph E. Johnston was wounded in May 1862 during the Peninsular Campaign, Lee became commander of the main Confederate army in Virginia; a force that he soon named the Army of Northern Virginia.6 It becomes evident through looking at Lee’s choices during the Civil War

“Because of his reputation as one of the finest officers in the United States Army, Abraham Lincoln offered Lee the command of the Federal forces in April 1861.” (Robert E. Lee.) Lee declined and tendered his resignation from the army when the state Virginia seceded from the Union. He believed that he could not fight against his own people. (Robert E. Lee) Although he declined, he still wanted to serve for his people in the Civil War.

As many are aware, protesters gathered recently in Charlottesville, Virginia, for a “Unite the Right” protest. The protest quickly escalated from a peaceful rally to a violent outcry.

Both Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant were exceptional military leaders and extremely brilliant people. Rivals in the Civil War, Grant and Lee were forced against each other in the war that would change the course of American history. By the end of the war, it was clear that Lee was the superior military leader, despite the fact that he lost the war; but also because his strategies and military genius surpassed those of Grant’s and this was proven through the entirety of his life.

“They were two strong men, these oddly different generals, and they represented the strengths of two conflicting currents that, through them, had come into final collision (Catton).” Everyone has differences. Yet, everyone has similarities. Such two men were Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, two great generals during the American Civil War. From early on, it was obvious that Lee and Grant were as unlike as anyone could imagine. Their backgrounds, values, and ambitions were precisely the opposite. However, despite their distinctive contrasts, they both had the courage and perseverance that distinguished them from the rest of the people of the United States.

Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee are two of the most operational military leaders in American history. These men have become figurative of the two nation-states at battle through the Civil War. Both had very dissimilar backgrounds and behaviors that instigated them to contrast in their military headship and accomplishments. Catton exposes the dissimilar headship styles of both generals and then presents the strength of two contradictory currents that lead into a final collision, the Civil War. Catton’s examination underlines many areas of the two generals. For example, Lee from Virginia has an old-fashioned principles, culture and tradition. Lee believed in the idea that having unequal, set social categories provided a benefit to humanity.

Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807 in Stratford, Virginia. Lee was cut from Virginia aristocracy. Lee came from a very prominent family. Members of Lee’s family included a chief justice of the United States, signers of the Declaration of Independence and a president. During the Revolutionary War, Robert E. Lee’s father served. Lee’s father, Colonel Henry Lee, served as a cavalry leader.

Symbols such as statutes are one of the most iconic remembrances of the past. Yet, it is questionable as to how proud society is of the past to remember statutes used to represent hatred. Due to the growing race related tensions in the United States, many have called for the removal of the statue of all representations of the confederacy. For example, the Statue of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee is one of the few statues that were taken down in recent months. General Robert E. Lee was remembered as a pivotal player during the Civil War, leading the confederate army. Though the Civil War ended with the end of slavery, it was not a war the United States was proud of. Many of the ancestors of those who fought in the war have had mixed feelings

There are so many differing views on Robert E. Lee, which may be the reason so many historians find him intriguing, however, he still remains very much something of a mystery. Many earlier works, beginning in the late 19th and until the mid-20th century, Lee has often been portrayed as nearly saint-like, nearly clairvoyant with his defensive actions. Modern historiographies of Lee vary from the earlier works written as they seem to look more into the man, rather than the legend. Earlier biographies of Lee interpret him to have been born in near perfection, a noble and honorable man, as well as a brilliant soldier. His childhood is either not mentioned or described as carefree and happy; his opposition to slavery is described as