A former superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, Robert E. Lee is perhaps the most famous general officer of the Civil War. A Virginian, Lee was offered command of all Union forces at the outbreak of the war but refused and resigned his commission in the U.S. Army, unable to raise his hand against his native state, which had seceded. As the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, Lee became a legend, taking great risks and winning several major battles due to his audacity and the battlefield competence of lieutenants such as Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson and James Longstreet. However, modern historians have criticized his performance at the Battle of Gettysburg. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, on April 9, 1865. After the Civil War, Lee became president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. He died in 1870 at the age of 63, and the college was renamed Washington & Lee in his honor.
•December 9, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered his army to make a costly frontal attack against Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s wall of artillery. More »
•December 8, 2018 • 1 Comment
Entrenched Federals at Gaines’ Mill on the outskirts of Richmond on June 27, 1862, repulsed repeated Confederate assaults until the final attack of the day. More »
•December 8, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
After crossing the North Anna River, Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces headed toward Cold Harbor. More »
•December 7, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
At the battle of Brandy Station, the Union cavalry proved their mettle against the Confederates in the largest cavalry clash in North America. More »
•November 29, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
With the confederacy crumbling, swift and daring blockade-runners such as Banshee II and Owl made desperate runs. More »
•November 28, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
While Union commander Phil Sheridan was in Washington, Confederate soldiers crept over the Massanuteen Mountain to fall on his army at Cedar Creek. More »
•November 23, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
While Confederate defenders at Petersburg manned their lines in the predawn hours of July 30, 1864, a long fuse sputtered in the earth beneath them. More »
•November 18, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
When the sun rose on the morning of August 29, 1862, it ended a particularly hellish night for Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell. More »
•November 18, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
Against his better judgement union General Ambrose attacked Robert E. Lee’s entrenched confederates at Fredericksburg. More »
•November 17, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
This gun-howitzer became a mainstay of the Union artillery during the Civil War, proving its worth at Gettysburg. More »
