Robert E. Lee | Biography, Facts, Quotes, & Accomplishments

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• Introduction & Top Questions
• Early life and U.S. military service
• Slavery and racial attitudes
• Role in the Civil War
• Postwar life and legacy

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• What was Robert E. Lee’s family like?
• What caused the American Civil War?
• Who won the American Civil War?
• Who were the most important figures in the American Civil War?
• Why are Confederate symbols controversial?

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External Websites

• African American Registry - Robert E. Lee, Confederate General born
• Essential Civil War Curriculum - Robert E. Lee
• American Battlefield Trust - Biography of Robert E. Lee
• Encyclopedia Virginia - Robert E. Lee
• Virginia Center for Civil War Studies - Robert E. Lee: The Eternal General
• Public Broadcasting Service - American Experience - Biography of General Robert E. Lee
• National Park Service - Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial - Biography of Robert Edward Lee
• The National Confederate Museum - Robert Edward Lee (PDF)
• HistoryNet - Robert E. Lee
• Georgia Southern Commons - What Happened to Robert E. Lee after April 12, 1865

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• Robert E. Lee - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• Robert E. Lee - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Robert E. Lee Confederate general Ask Anything Quick Summary Homework Help Also known as: Robert Edward Lee Written by Gary W. Gallagher John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War Emeritus, University of Virginia. Author of Lee and His Army in Confederate History and others. Gary W. Gallagher Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 15, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Quick Summary Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask Anything Top Questions

What was Robert E. Lee’s family like?

On both sides, Robert E. Lee’s family had produced many of the dominant figures in the ruling class of Virginia. His father, Col. Henry (“Light-Horse Harry”) Lee, had been a cavalry leader during the American Revolution, a post-Revolution governor of Virginia, and the author of a popular congressional memorial eulogy to his friend George Washington.

What was Robert E. Lee’s childhood like?

Robert E. Lee’s father’s financial mismanagement left Lee, his mother, and his siblings in circumstances that rendered them less wealthy than the plantation owners in his extended family.

Why is Robert E. Lee significant?

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.

What was Robert E. Lee’s occupation after leaving the military?

Robert E. Lee spent several months recuperating from the Civil War and then, in 1865, became the president of Washington College (later Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia. He died in 1870.

Robert E. Lee (born January 19, 1807, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland county, Virginia, U.S.—died October 12, 1870, Lexington, Virginia) was a 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.