Menu Close

Was Robert E Lee ever commandant of West Point?

Was Robert E Lee ever commandant of West Point?

Robert E. Lee served as a military officer in the U.S. Army, a West Point commandant and the legendary general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. In June 1861, Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia, which he would lead for the rest of the war.

Was Robert E Lee offered the command of the Union Army?

In March and April 1861, Lee was offered command of the principal Union Army. Later that year, Lee accepted the presidency of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia, a position he retained until his death on October 12, 1870.

What was General Robert E Lee known for?

Robert E. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia, the most successful of the Southern armies during the American Civil War, and ultimately commanded all the Confederate armies. As the military leader of the defeated Confederacy, Lee became a symbol of the American South.

Who was Robert E.Lee and what did he do?

Robert E. Lee, in full Robert Edward Lee, (born January 19, 1807, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland county, Virginia, U.S.—died October 12, 1870, Lexington, Virginia), U.S. Army officer (1829–61), Confederate general (1861–65), college president (1865–70), and central figure in contending memory traditions of the American Civil War.

When did Robert E.Lee get his citizenship back?

Lee accepted “the extinction of slavery” provided for by the Thirteenth Amendment, but publicly opposed racial equality and granting African Americans the right to vote and other political rights. Lee died in 1870. In 1975, the U.S. Congress posthumously restored Lee’s citizenship effective June 13, 1865.

When did Robert E.Lee resign from the Army?

Lee submitted his letter of resignation from the U.S. Army on April 20 (after five days of processing in the War Department, it became official on April 25) and on April 22 accepted appointment as major general of Virginia’s state forces.

How tall was Robert E.Lee when he graduated?

Lee entered the United States Military Academy in 1825 and graduated second in the class of 1829. Fellow cadets referred to him as the “Marble Model”—a nickname that reflected envy as well as admiration. Just under six feet (1.8 metres) tall, with black hair and brown eyes, Lee cut a striking figure.