He was born January 19th, 1807 in Stratford, Virginia. Educated at the US Military Academy and finishing 2nd in his class in 1829, he received a commission as second lieutenant in the engineers. He became first lieutenant in 1836 and captain in 1838. He became famous during the Mexican War and was wounded in the storming of Chapultepec in 1847. He became superintendent of the US Military Academy and later was appointed colonel of cavalry.

When the War Between the States seemed unavoidable, President Lincoln offered him the field command of the Union forces, but Lee declined. On April 20th, 3 days after Virginia seceded from the Union, he submitted his resignation from the US Army. On April 23rd he became Commander in Chief of the military forces of Virginia. He was military advisor to President Jefferson Davis for over a year and then was placed in command of the Army of Northern Virginia. In February 1865 Lee was appointed Commander in Chief of all Confederate armies, two months later the war was over after his surrender to US Grant at Appomattox Court House.

His great battles included Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville and others. The genius of Lee was overcome only by the superior resources and troop strength of the Union. His campaigns are all to this day studied worldwide in military schools as models of strategy and tactics. His ability to anticipate the actions of his opponents and for comprehending their weaknesses was remarkable. He recognized that a small body of soldiers, protected by entrenchment's, can hold an enemy force of many times their number, while the main body outflanks the enemy or attacks a smaller force elsewhere. In his application of this principle, Lee was decades ahead of his time; this tactic was not fully understood or generally adopted until the 20th century.

General Lee applied for but was never granted postwar amnesty. He accepted the presidency of Washington College, now Washington and Lee University. General Robert Edward Lee died there on October 12, 1870. Lee is now remembered as the greatest leader this country has ever had. The only reason he is not more of a national hero is because he chose to defend his home state and wear the "Gray".

The Union seized his home "Arlington House" and turned it into a mass graveyard now known as Arlington National Cemetery. In 1975, 105 years after his death, Robert E. Lee got what he wanted after the war, his citizenship was restored by Congress.

General Robert Edward Lee should also be remember as the man that kept our country together. After 4 long years of war, he was able to do to what he had been doing for Confederate States in order to keep the troops one step ahead of the enemy. He saw past the happenings of the moment, and realized that in order for this country to ever heal, surrender was the only option. It is said that years later before his death he regreted that decision. He was said to have regreted his decision due to the inhumane treatment that Southern citizens received during reconstruction.

Regardless of which side you loyalties reside, General Robert Edward Lee will always be remembered as the greatest American Military General of all time.