Robert E. Lee

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Robert E. Lee summary

Robert E. Lee

Q: What was Robert E. Lee’s family like?

On both sides, Robert E. Lee’s family had produced many of the dominant figures in the ruling class of Virginia . His father, Col. Henry (“Light-Horse Harry”) Lee , had been a cavalry leader during the American Revolution , a post-Revolution governor of Virginia, and the author of a popular congressional memorial eulogy to his friend George Washington .

Q: What was Robert E. Lee’s childhood like?

Robert E. Lee’s father’s financial mismanagement left Lee, his mother, and his siblings in circumstances that rendered them less wealthy than the plantation owners in his extended family.

Q: Why is Robert E. Lee significant?

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.

Q: What was Robert E. Lee’s occupation after leaving the military?

Robert E. Lee spent several months recuperating from the Civil War and then, in 1865, became the president of Washington College (later Washington and Lee University ) in Lexington, Virginia. He died in 1870.

Q: Should statues of Robert E. Lee be taken down?

Whether statues of Robert E. Lee or other controversial people should be taken down is widely debated. Some argue the statues misrepresent history and are a painful reminder of the past, while other statues would better represent the county. Others argue the statues are part of the country's history that do not cause racism but could educate people, and removal of one statue is a slippery slope to taking down any statue anyone disagrees with. For more on the debate on historical statue removal, visit ProCon.org .

Confederate general

Also known as: Robert Edward Lee

Written by Gary W. Gallagher

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Oct 8, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

In full:: Robert Edward Lee

Born:: January 19, 1807, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland county, Virginia, U.S.

Died:: October 12, 1870, Lexington, Virginia

Also Known As:: Robert Edward Lee

Awards And Honors:: Hall of Fame (1900)

What was Robert E. Lee’s family like?

What was Robert E. Lee’s childhood like?

Why is Robert E. Lee significant?

What was Robert E. Lee’s occupation after leaving the military?

Should statues of Robert E. Lee be taken down?

Robert E. Lee (born January 19, 1807, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland county, Virginia, U.S.—died October 12, 1870, Lexington, Virginia) was a U.S. Army officer (1829–61), Confederate general (1861–65), college president (1865–70), and central figure in contending memory traditions of the American Civil War.