Robert Edward Lee was born at Stratford Westmoreland County, Virginia, on January 19, 1807. Lee was the fourth of five children (the third son) of Ann Hill Carter Lee and Henry ("Light-Horse Harry") Lee. Two children of Henry Lee's first marriage also lived with the family (Thomas 916). Henry Lee had been a hero during the Revolutionary War and served as the governor of Virginia and a member of Congress. By the time Robert was born, his father's fortune and estates were

During this time his contemporaries almost always regarded Lee in a positive manner. He was very handsome and made friends easily with both sexes. People often used the adjective 'noble' to describe him. He never smoked, only drank an occasional glass of wine and always kept his temper. He was a good son to his mother, who he personally nursed through her final illness, a good husband to his, often selfish, wife and a good father to his children. "He was quiet and dignified in manner, of cheerful disposition, always a gentleman (Earle 28)."

It was irony enough that Lee could on this day have been the victor instead of the vanquished (Flood 7). Like Lee, Grant had been at West Point but was forced to resign due to habitual drunkenness. "The war had given Grant the opportunity to re-enter his profession and the demonstrate a courage and resolve that strengthened with every crisis. Like Lee, he never lost sight of his objectives; unlike Lee, he had the resources to attain them (Flood 7)."

Lee married Mary Custis in July of 1831. Mary Custis was the daughter of Mary Fitzhugh Custis and George Washington Custis, who was the adopted son of George Washington. Lee became the heir to Washington although the marriage did not bring Lee any financial benefits until Mary's father died in 1857. Until then, he had to support his wife and 7 children almost solely on his army officer's salary.

Lee served on the staff of his West Point friend Winfield Scott during the Vera Cruz campaign to Mexico City during the war with Mexico in 1847. Lee's ability and talent earned him notoriety with Scott who gave Lee the rank of Colonel. The time Lee spent in Scott's staff during the Mexican War was the only real combat experience Lee had before he entered into the civil war.

in shambles. Henry Lee was never very good at managing his estates and in 1809, was forced into prison due to the severity of his debts. Three years later, freed from jail, he was involved in a political brawl in Baltimore where he was beaten and disfigured for life. In an attempt to flee from debtors and reconsolidate his money, Henry Lee fled to Barbados. He died in 1818, never having seen his family again. Robert E. Lee's older half-brother Henry Lee Jr., further dishonored the family in 1820 when it was discovered that he had seduced and impregnated his wife's nine-teen year old sister.

After the Confederacy's initial year of Success, the Union army began a slow yet steady advance on the South. The Confederate army, under supplied and starving, could not hold out against the vastly larger and well-supplied North, now lead by Ulysses S. Grant. The final showdown occurred in Richmond where Lee was trapped in a war of attrition. Eventually, on April 1 1865, Lee's lines became too thin and too short; he had to evacuate his troops and the city of Richmond on April 2.

Even as Le

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Approximate Word count = 1941
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)