How Did Robert E Lee Contribute To The Civil War
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee was a general leader for the Confederacy who led the South's attempt at secession from the North during the Civil War. He challenged Union forces during some of the war's bloodiest battles, such as Antietam and Gettysburg, before surrendering to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. His surrender marked the end of a devastating conflict that could have split the United States. Lee was born January 19, 1807, into a famous and wealthy family in Stratford Hall, a plantation in Virginia. His mother, Anne Hill Carter, also grew up on a plantation, and his father, Colonel Henry Lee, was descended from colonists. Another name for his father was “Light Horse Harry” and he became a Revolutionary War leader …show more content…
When Lee refused Lincoln's offer to lead Union troops, he claimed it was not because he supported slavery, but because Virginia was part of the Confederacy and wanted to stay faithful to his hometown. What Lee dreaded most was the disruption caused by the sudden and total emancipation of all the enslaved people. Lee, however, addressed enlisting enslaved individuals to President Davis in September 1864. The Confederacy was largely outnumbered by the Union, and Lee was aware of this. Lee believed that allowing enslaved individuals to enlist would better their chances of winning the war. Lee suggested “giving immediate freedom to all who enlist, and freedom at the end of the war to the families of those who discharge their duties faithfully”. Lee’s plan for this, though, was too late, and he was forced to evacuate Richmond and surrender to the Union a week later. After the war, when Lee took up the presidency of the struggling Washington College, he stopped poorly behaved students (many of whom were Confederate army veterans) from harassing African American schools and churches. Lee personally expelled a student involved in a harassment incident. In short, Lee’s relationship with slavery
Robert E. Lee was a general leader for the Confederacy who led the South's attempt at secession from the North during the Civil War. He challenged Union forces during some of the war's bloodiest battles, such as Antietam and Gettysburg, before surrendering to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. His surrender marked the end of a devastating conflict that could have split the United States. Lee was born January 19, 1807, into a famous and wealthy family in Stratford Hall, a plantation in Virginia. His mother, Anne Hill Carter, also grew up on a plantation, and his father, Colonel Henry Lee, was descended from colonists. Another name for his father was “Light Horse Harry” and he became a Revolutionary War leader …show more content…
When Lee refused Lincoln's offer to lead Union troops, he claimed it was not because he supported slavery, but because Virginia was part of the Confederacy and wanted to stay faithful to his hometown. What Lee dreaded most was the disruption caused by the sudden and total emancipation of all the enslaved people. Lee, however, addressed enlisting enslaved individuals to President Davis in September 1864. The Confederacy was largely outnumbered by the Union, and Lee was aware of this. Lee believed that allowing enslaved individuals to enlist would better their chances of winning the war. Lee suggested “giving immediate freedom to all who enlist, and freedom at the end of the war to the families of those who discharge their duties faithfully”. Lee’s plan for this, though, was too late, and he was forced to evacuate Richmond and surrender to the Union a week later. After the war, when Lee took up the presidency of the struggling Washington College, he stopped poorly behaved students (many of whom were Confederate army veterans) from harassing African American schools and churches. Lee personally expelled a student involved in a harassment incident. In short, Lee’s relationship with slavery