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.
•January 18, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
The largest cavalry battle of the American Civil War took place at Brandy Station, Virginia, where J.E.B. Stuart’s Confederates and Alfred Pleasonton’s Federals clashed, swords flashing and pistols blazing. More »
•January 15, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
George B. McClellan forced the Confederates in northwestern Virginia to retreat into the Alleghenies in 1861. It fell to Robert E. Lee to bring stability to the situation. More »
•January 6, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
A generous donation from President Donald Trump will go toward maintaining the site of the Civil War’s greatest turning point. More »
•January 3, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
On July 13, 1861, Confederate General Robert S. Garnett fell to Yankee bullets in the Alleghenies. More »
•January 2, 2019 • Read Comments (7)
During the American Civil War, there were nearly 900 officers in non-militia service who were appointed to become generals. Here, William Welsh shares his list of the worst Civil War generals and commanders. More »
•January 1, 2019 • Be the First to Comment
After Union General Franz Sigel moved into the Shenandoah valley in 1864, Confederate forces fell back and then attacked. More »
•December 28, 2018 • 1 Comment
In October 1859, Robert E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart of the U.S. Army helped take back the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry from notorious terrorist John Brown. More »
•December 28, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
Robert E. Lee’s Confederate cavalry prepared a last desperate charge on the Union lines at Gettysburg. More »
•December 26, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
Pressured to pry General Joseph E. Johnston from Kennesaw Mountain in June 1864, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman suffered a bloody repulse. More »
•December 24, 2018 • Be the First to Comment
Ulysses S. Grant sent feisty General Philip Sheridan to wrest control of the Shenandoah Valley from the Confederates. More »
