Lee: ‘The noblest American who ever lived’
If the United States had adapted the institution of knighthood,
one of the most appropriate candidates for it would have been
Robert E. Lee.
Lee: ‘The noblest American who ever lived’
If the United States had adapted the institution of knighthood, one of the most appropriate candidates for it would have been Robert E. Lee.
Born two centuries ago on Jan. 19, 1807, Lee exemplified the perfect picture of what we see in a knight: valor, duty and compassion. From 1825 when he entered West Point until he resigned from the Army to go with his native state of Virginia as the Civil War was about to break on the nation, Lee was the perfect soldier.
He graduated second in his class with the distinction of never having got a demerit in his four years.
General Winfield Scott called him “the best soldier I’ve ever seen” but Lee’s strict commitment to duty allowed no less than his best. He was the son of Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, a brilliant cavalry commander in the Revolutionary War, and the husband of Martha Washington’s great-granddaughter. Lee sought no preference because of his background and carried out any assignment given him.
He won distinction for courage during the Mexican-American War, a conflict that gave many junior officers the combat experience that they employed as Civil War generals, whether for the United States or the Confederate States of America.
As war clouds began to darken on the horizon in the 1850s, Lee told colleagues that Southern secession from the Union “would be the worst imaginable disaster to befall our country.”
Ironically, he was home on furlough from Texas in October of 1859, and as senior officer in the area was directed to quell John Brown’s attempt to free the slaves, an event that quickened the coming conflict.
In April of 1861, with civil war imminent, Abraham Lincoln offered Lee command of the Union forces. Lee resigned his commission two days later so he would not have to oppose his native state.
Lee had several assignments for the next 14 months before given command of the Army of Northern Virginia. He became the Union’s greatest opponent. Time and again he bested superior forces, and when he lost battles managed to escape with most of his force intact.
But with an army devastated through casualties and desertions, he finally surrendered in April 1865, effectively ending the war.
Many Southerners approached him for endorsement of a guerilla force that would hamper reconstruction for years but Lee firmly declined. “Let your sons be raised as Americans,” he said. Such was his example that many followed it. He became president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) and served until his death on Oct. 12, 1870. Many Northern newspapers joined in eulogies to him.
Eight Southern states have counties named for Lee and his birthday is a holiday in some states. Future generals at West Point study his tactics in two wars, and his honor and dedication to duty are woven into the fabric of our history.
Winston Churchill characterized him for posterity: “Robert E. Lee was the noblest American who ever lived.”
