Robert E. Lee
At the start of the Civil War, President Lincoln offered Robert E. Lee command of the Union forces. His loyalty to Virginia compelled him to decline and he went on to become the beloved leader of the Confederate army. Because of Robert E. Lee's reputation in his early life, his strategies in wartime, and his loyalty to Virginia, he became an important figure in American History. Robert E. Lee was born January 19,1807 at his family plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was descended from an old and honored family that had played a distinguished role in Virginia's history. He was the fourth son of his father, Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, who was a cavalry officer during the American Revolution and a very close friend of George Washington. In most of his early years, his mother mainly raised him. She taught him patience, control, and discipline from her. By the time he was thirteen, he was at the Alexandria Academy. There he studied Latin, Greek and Mathematics. Due to a lack of funds, Lee got into the military academy known as West Point in New York. Because of his father, Lee got in with the help of five senators, three congressmen, and even some help came from meeting the future President, Andrew Jackson. After man
In March of 1862, Lee became the advisor of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. Davis chose Robert E. Lee for his advisor because of his outstanding strategies in wartime. In May of 1862, Lee was made commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. One of his first important battles was in June of 1862. He used his great strength as a leader and drove the Unionists away from the capital of the Confederate States of America, Richmond, Virginia. This showed a lot of Union officers that he was not someone to be taken lightly. Robert E. Lee was the hero of the South. With dignity, and without bitterness, he accepted defeat and preached to his people the necessity of peace and National Unity. Offered many jobs, he accepted the Presidency of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. Later, it became known as Washington and Lee University. In 1852, Robert E. Lee became the Superintendent at West Point. This was made possible because of his outstanding record as a cadet at the academy. Lee would have preferred duty in the field instead of a desk job, but his honor and respect forced him to take his post without question. Over the next three years, Robert E. Lee would improve some of the buildings on the campus and change for the better a lot of the courses. During his time there, he also spent a great deal of time helping the cadets get better grades and making their experiences at the academy more memorable. Jeb Stuart was a cadet at West Point that later served as one of Robert E. Lee's best Cavalry officers during the civil war. Lee had a very good reputation at the academy as a very kind and fair superintendent. His efforts to make West Point a better place for Cadets changed the academy forever. Most of his alterations to the academy still remain there today. The cadets that graduated from West Point during! 1959 Golden Press Inc. U.S.A. vol. 9 page 790 In the many months to come, he would be the victor in many important battles for the South. In August of 1862, Robert E. lee defeated the Union Army in the second battle of Bull Run (second Mannassas). In the battle of Antietam, Lee fought a good, but drawn battle with the Federals. After that,
Some common words found in the essay are:
Robert Lee, Robert Lee's, Washington DC, robert lee, Lee University, Superintendent West, Confederate Army, Lieutenant Lee, County Virginia, Lee's Cavalry, Mexicans Veracruz, robert lee's, confederate army, washington dc, mexican war, war lee, union army, american history, loyalty virginia, civil war, virginia compelled decline, loyalty virginia compelled, mexican war lee, robert lee faced, figure american history,
Approximate Word count = 1493
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|