A portrait of
Confederate Army General
Robert E. Lee in April 1865, shortly after his surrender to
Ulysses S. Grant at the
Appomattox Courthouse. The most celebrated general of the
Confederate forces, Lee initially denounced secession as "revolution" and a betrayal of the efforts of the
Founders. However, Lee's loyalty was to his home state of
Virginia and when it became clear that Virginia would
secede, Lee became commander of the Virginia state forces. His victories against superior
Union forces won him fame as a crafty and daring battlefield tactician. After the war, Lee discouraged a guerrilla campaign to continue the war, and encouraged reconciliation between the North and South.
Photo credit: Mathew Brady