Happy Birthday Gen. Robert E. Lee
General Robert Edward Lee
(January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870)
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career United States Army officer, an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history. Lee was the son of Major General Henry Lee III “Light Horse Harry” (1756–1818), Governor of Virginia, and his second wife, Anne Hill Carter (1773–1829). He was also related to Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809).[1]
A top graduate of West Point, Lee distinguished himself as an exceptional soldier in the U.S. Army for thirty-two years. He is best known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War.
In early 1861, President Abraham Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the entire Union Army. Lee declined because his home state of Virginia was seceding from the Union, despite Lee’s wishes. When Virginia seceded from the Union in April 1861, Lee chose to follow his home state. Lee’s eventual role in the newly established Confederacy was to serve as a senior military adviser to President Jefferson Davis. Lee’s first field command for the Confederate States came in June 1862 when he took command of the Confederate forces in the East (which Lee himself renamed the “Army of Northern Virginia”).
Lee’s greatest victories were the Seven Days Battles, the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, and the Battle of Cold Harbor but both of his campaigns to invade the North ended in failure. Barely escaping defeat at the Battle of Antietam in 1862, Lee was forced to return to the South. In early July 1863, Lee was decisively defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. However, due to ineffectual pursuit by the commander of Union forces, Major General George Meade, Lee escaped again to Virginia.
You can read the FULL STORY of Gen. Lee HERE.
Fred, you’re gonna be deemed a……RACIST!!!!!!!!! LOL
(how ANYBODY can get racism out of a flag is only known to a “true racist”)
The sons a bitches won’t be getting a *cherry*… 😈
Way to go, Fred!
I’m a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I’m USED to being called a racist!
America desperately needs men with the character of Robert E. Lee. If we had them, we would not be in the mess we’re in today.
Alas, we have socialists/communists instead. And we have a country in death throes.
JDL
I worked yesterday, but I’m taking off work today. My ex-wife started dooing this years ago when all the blacks took off for MLK day…so we take of REL Day.
Not a racist….just proud of my Southern Heritage.
YeeeHaaa !!
Happy Birthday Robert E. Lee!! One of the most touching things I have ever read were Lee’s words in accepting command of the Northern Virginia Army. He was a true man and those are hard to come by these days!
Angry White Dude
Like I said yesterday, Lee was a great man. Watched a show last night on Pickett’s Charge that was very interesting. Would have worked I think had Lee been a little more hands on. Left a fence in place along the Emmetsburg Rd which slowed movement and caused the formations to become disorganized. His generals also let him down with their lack of leadership and courage. But for a fence, who knows?
Now there’s a man that should be honored with a national holiday…Happy B-Day sir.
I once had the honor to visit Lee’s tomb in Virginia, I was very young and remember little, mostly things my mother told be in later years. My mother’s grandmother was a Lee and had a remote connect to the Lee’s of Virginia, a fact my mother never let me forgot.
I’ve only had one occasion to meet an alumni of West Point, the school where Lee graduated and later served as President before the War for Southern Independence. Strangely that person was a woman and a hard core liberal, and much to my surprise, did NOT know that Lee had been president their at one time. I wasn’t impressed. Forgot to mention she was a Dyke!!
That image of Lee is one of my favorites> My sister has a large oil painting she did years ago of that very one hanging in her living room.
Not feeling well today but waiting for the election returns. Thanks for the post on Lee, he was the best and a true gentleman, he just didn’t have enough men or supplies to win! Hell if the south had won we would have annexed Mexico and Cuba for sure! No wetbacks and no Castro!!!
My Grandmother always used to say:
Save your Confederate money as the “South Shall Rise Again”.
His generals also let him down with their lack of leadership and courage. But for a fence, who knows?
Lee’s generals never lacked courage, Lee was left in a position where the Union had the high ground and were the defenders. I think if there was blame to go out it would definitely be General Stuart that let him down chasing after his ego strokes and leaving Lee blind in enemy territory. Up to that point the South had always had the advantage of choosing ground and being on the defensive and they kicked butt. I also think if General Ewell had took Lee’s orders and acted on Day 2, Pickett’s Charge would not have been, as they would have been defending the high ground instead. Ewell “assumed” that Lee sent a suggestion rather than an order. Lee should have never “asked him to take that hill if practical”, as it left him to determine that it “wasn’t practical”. I think General Ewell returned to service too soon after losing his leg, because his behavior at Gettysburg was documented as somewhat bazaar. Nope minuteman, I would not say the South’s generals ever lacked courage. Lee was operating blind without his cavalry and that is what screwed him.
I have been to Virginia many times to visit with my step-children. My favorite place to stay is Lexington where General Lee settled after the war and was President of Washington College (Now Washington and Lee University). It is an awesome town. VMI, W&L Univ, Lee’s museum and burial site, Lee chapel, Stonewall Jackson cemetery… and just a beautiful location.
HAM - Have to disagree with you. IMHO both Longstreet and Pickett shall we say didn’t give Lee all that they had during that particular engagement at Gettysburg.
Longstreet had reconnoiter done the night before and knew that the charge was suicidal. There was nothing that he could have done to make it work. Pickett was chosen to lead it against overwhelming fortification… he could not have done better either, IMHO. General Pendleton and Co. tried to blame Longstreet after the war, mostly because he became a Republican after the war… I don’t think Longstreet was to blame, and I certainly don’t think he lacked courage under any circumstances. There are historians who believe that Lee had a mild heart attack during the time frame that Gettysburg took place. He had lost Jackson a few months before so there were many things that came into play. I think the whole loss could be chalked up to Stuart not doing his job, which was to be the eyes and ears for the Army of Northern Virginia. I imagine we could have several hours of fun discussion on this over a few brewskies. 🙂 Robert E. Lee was a phenomenal soldier and gentleman. The only man to graduate from West Point without a single demerit. Along with Nathan Bedford Forrest, he is one of my favorite historical figures.
General Lee broke the law of SUN TZU, who wrote the ” The Art of War” in the 6th Century BC.
And that is “you never charge uphill” into an enemy !!!
That was exactly what Lee did, and the Confederate armies paid the price.
ThE “Art of War” bu Sun Tzu, has been required reading at West Point, and Texas A&M, VMI, The Citadel, Virginia Tech, and ALL US Military career Officer Courses and Colleges.
I took this course at A&M, and again at Ft. Benning.
This charge UPHILL, into a superior force embedded in fortified earthworks, was a suicidal measure, and has been studied by all senior commanders, even back to the Revolutionary War, circa 1776, and before in Europe.
I wish Lee had won, but the deck was totally stacked against him.
That is why Lee said afterwards, that it was all his fault.
I see that Mr. Chuck is a student of tactics and strategy as well!!
Sun Tzu was NEVER wrong… Lee screwed the pooch at Gettysburg, that’s a fact, Pickett led a valiant suicide charge, that’s all there is too it…
But, Pickett did as he was ordered… And yes, Lee accepted responsibility, but that didn’t change the fact that Lee made a terrible decision…
General Lee was one of the great generals in American history. I like to read about the Civil War, and I sometimes wonder if it would have lasted so long if Lee had accepted the offer and had been in command of the entire Union army.
People - In Vietnam our troops routinely made assaults up hill. One of the most well known of these being Hamburger Hill. There were casualties but no disasters. Lee’s biggest problems were that he didn’t rid the advance of obstacles and coordinate the charge with his artillary support. Probably could have used a few more good men also. A lot of Picketts men got to that fence line and stopped or left the battlefield. The Union had that fence line zeroed in and shot the shit out of anyone trying to cross it. It was an optimal killing zone.
Lee didn’t have air support… And Pickett’s Charge was a tactical nightmare… Little Round Top wasn’t too damned bright either… Again, up hill, in to the breech!
If guts could have won, the Confederacy would have been victorious…
God bless the memory of general Lee!
Amen to that Patrick.
Revisionist history (taught today) IF anything at all is taught about Gen Lee-“he was an evil slave-owner…” NOT true! Gen Lee was opposed to slavery whereas the Gen Grant (of the Union) who “won” the war was pro-slavery…BUT the PCers won’t allow the truth to be known!
God Bless Gen. R.E.L.!
And ya know, there’s ALWAYS an occasional moonbat that swears the war was ALL about slavery…
Sad…
One of my favorite US history topics was the Civil War era and the common misconception was that the war was all about slavery. In fact, it had much more to do with states rights than slavery. Lincoln did free the slaves, but that was not his main priority. He was concerned with preserving the Union.
As for General Lee, I have always admired the man. From what I can understand about him and the war, he was a master tactician. He may have lost the war, but it was not because he was outsmarted. He simply ran out of men and supplies.
Great article.
Freeing the slaves was more about being a political maneuver that a planned event. After two years of the Union troops getting their arses kicked, Lincoln was merely taking political advantage of the victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. If the south had maintained the butt kicking, we would have never seen the EP. You only understand that if you have studied the real history such was researched and written by scholars like Shelby Foote.
I have always thought that the loss of General Jackson was the straw that broke the camels back at Gettysburg. Lee was first on the ground and could have taken all the heights but for some reason or another failed to do so. I believe Jackson would have changed that. The loss of the calvary was a tremendous loss also but I suppose that Lee had pickets out, that, in that day, were like a combat patrol is today.
General Robert E. Lee was a gentlemen in every respect of the word. He understood, and lived by, the concept of honor. I don’t recall reading that he ever blamed anyone for failures in battle and always took full responsibility even when it wasn’t due.
From all accounts his soldiers revered him as they did their fathers and grandfathers.
I fly the 3rd National Flag every 19th - 22nd of January at my home in honor of both Generals Lee and Jackson. Had Jackson survived the war we could be living in the Confederate States of America today. Oh well, coulda, shoulda, woulda.
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