Robert E. Lee, the Confederacy's most powerful general, was born in 1807 at Stratford Hall on the northern neck of Virginia. He attended West Point, graduating second in his class, and went on to become a skilled engineer, specializing in coastal fortification. Lee's frustration with the slow pace of Army promotion led him to accept a commission as Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Cavalry in Texas, where he chased Comanches and outlaws. However, it was in 1861 that Lee's life took a dramatic turn, as he was recalled to Washington and eventually became the commander of the Confederate Army, leading the Peninsula Campaign and fighting at Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg.
[... more]
