Robert E Lee

Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19th, 1807 in Stratford, Virginia. Robert's father was thrown in debtors jail many times for not paying on time. He was introduced to war early in his life; his brother Sydney had shown him a cannon ball and told him about the revolution. Mrs. Lee's stepson was old enough to claim the mansion where they lived that his dead mother had gave to him in his will. The Lee's left to live in Alexandria. Lee was brought up in a Christian family.

When Lee was 18, he went to West Point. There were only 6,000 other men in the entire army. Later that year, Lee said goodbye to his mother and took a stagecoach from Virginia to New York. At the end of his first year at West Point, he was appointed Staff Sergeant. When he was twenty-two, he took his money that he earned; $103.58 in cash and he started a home.

On July 26, 1829, Lee's mother died. Robert was at her bed when she died. Then on June 30, 1831 Lee married Mary Curtis. On September 16, 1832, Mary gave birth to George Washington Curtis Lee. Then in 1835 they had their second child, Mary Curtis. Mrs. Lee was put on bed-rest for many months due to illness. They had five more children: William Henry Fitzgerald, Annie, Agnes, Robert and last Mildred. When he was home, they all attended episcopal Church where he was raised.

On May 13, 1846 the United States declared was on their southern neighbor. When Lee was 39, he headed for Mexico. Lee's will said that he was worth about $38,750 with few depts. He only had few slaves: Nancy and her children. And they were to be freed "soon as it can be done to their advantage and that of others. On Christmas, Lee wrote to his wife that he hoped this woul.d be the last time he would be away from her. While they were at war, even though is was hard, he attended church. He returned on June 29, 1843. On September 1, 1852 he was appointed to superintenent of the military acadamy where he had graduated. In 1853, a distressing message reached Lee: Mrs. Curtis had died unexpectedly. The death made him do something he had never thought of doing. He wanted to be confined to the church.

It was gunners at Charlestown Harbor who forced Robert E. Lee to make the tough decisions in his life. On April 12, the United States, as the union fired upon by Confederate gunners. The civil war began with the first cannon roar at Fort Sumpter.

The north had more of an advantage because they have all of the military supplies and factories. The south was a land of farmers without military supplies and hardly any money to buy them. Then one day when Lee was in hid hotel, he had a visitor. He read a report of the supplies coming into Richmond. 60,00 small arms, and 54,00 flintlocks. I July 21, 1861 they received a telegram that the south had won the first major battle of the Civil War. One evening Lee looked up to see a soldier salute. "Major Rooney Lee was fired upon by Union pickets, Sir, near Cheat Mountain. His companion, Colonel Washington, died instantly. Union pickets put three Minie ball through his body." Then Lee's face lost it's color. "Your son's mount was shot from under him. Major Lee escaped on Washington's horse, sir." Lee sighed in relief. Washington's death hit Lee. He was a good friend of the family. Lee had been involved in the war for the whole time that it was going on. He had many battles, and he was fighting very bravely and strong until the war ended. He lived a happy life after the war was over.

Bibliography

• Robert E. Lee, Lamonte, Lamid. 1988.
• Grossmunt & Dumount Robert Lee's Life. 1989.
• Excerpt from Robert Lee's Life, Readers Digest. September 1989