Biography of Robert E. Lee

            Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807, and died October 12, 1870. He was born on the Stratford Estate in Westmoreland County, Virginia to Henry "Light-Horse" Harry" Lee, a political leader and soldier, and Ann Hill Carter. His father had fought in the Revolutionary War. Robert E. Lee went to the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated second in his class in 1829. After graduating, Robert E. Lee started out in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He got married to Mary Anna Custis Lee on 1831, who was the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington, the first First Lady. During the Mexican-American war, Robert E. Lee served as a Captain under General Winfield Scott. The General thought Robert E. Lee was the best soldier he had ever seen on the field.
             Robert E. Lee was a General for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln offered Robert E. Lee the command of the Union Forces in 1861. However, he rejected the offer and resigned from the army after Virginia seceded. Robert E. Lee loved his state, Virginia, and he couldn't fight against his homeland. He served as military advisor to President Jefferson Davis until he assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia. He immediately made offensive moves with the army which made the Union Army retreat outside Richmond in the Seven Days Battles. Robert E. Lee had been successful in saving the Confederate Capital. However, he wanted a successful victory in the North. He led his army into Maryland in September, 1862 with the hope to drive away the focus in Virginia. However, the plan was discovered by General George McClellan, and the two armies began to fight at the Battle of Antietam. Lee managed to hold on for a day, then there were too many casualties and he retreated. Robert E. Lee went on defense and won the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville. Lee gained great confidence after the successful victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville.