Robert E. Lee
Born in 1807, Robert E. Lee attended West Point Military Academy and graduated second in his class in 1829. Lee went on to serve in the Mexican-American War, where he gained a lofty reputation for his skill in reconnaissance and troop movement. The Mexican-American War was also Lee's first encounter with Ulysses S. Grant, and though they fought side by side at Vera Cruz and Mexico City, Grant would eventually become Lee's most formidable opponent during the Civil War. At the end of the Mexican War, Lee had been promoted to the rank of colonel. He later was responsible for the apprehension of John Brown at Harper's Ferry. In 1861 after the secession of Virginia, Lee made the choice to join the Confederate Army rather than the Union. While his tactics and skill were unquestionable, his decision for Southern loyalty may have been what led to his downfall. Even though he lost major battles like Gettysburg and eventually surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in 1865, Lee is still widely held to be the greatest general of the American Civil War.
"It is good that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it" - Robert E. Lee
"It is good that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it" - Robert E. Lee