What do you think of Confederate General Robert E. Lee?

Question

I am looking for answers in any of three categories of Lee's characteristics.
1) His generalship. How good was he as a military leader and planner?
2) His character as a human being. Would you consider him a good man?
3) His patriotism. Was he a good American? How would you have handled the dilemna he faced when his state (Virginia) seceded from the Union?

This is not a homework question. I have my opinions. I am looking for yours.

Answer 1

1) Lee was an outstanding leader -- he inspired his men to do far more than they would have been capable of under other leaders. He was a bold and brilliant tactician, and did an amazing job against the Union with consistently inferior (smaller units, not lower quality) forces. Without Lee and his lieutenants, the Army of Northern Virginia would not have been nearly so successful nor lasted as long as it did.

2) As others have said, Lee was a gentleman. He was honest, modest, and true to himself, his family, and those he held dearest, especially his home state.

3) I think he was a good Virginian -- remember that at the time, loyalty to one's home state was far more important than loyalty to the Federal Government or the United States. When he was in the U.S. Army, he fought loyally and valiantly against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and it was only when the nation was fractured by secession that he ran into his conflict. After the war, he returned his loyalty to the United States -- now once again united.

Even though my great-great grandfather fought against the Confederacy (104th NY Volunteers - Wadsworth's Guards, from Antietam [the Cornfield] to Gettysburg to the siege of Petersburg [wounded at Cold Harbor] to the surrender at Appomatox), and I am a born-and-bred "Yankee", I still have a huge amount of respect for General Lee and what he was able to accomplish. For that matter, I respect most of the Generals on both sides for what they accomplished under horrific conditions. Had the South had any capacity to match the industrial and manpower advantages of the North, I think the Civil War may have ended very differently.

Answer 2

1) He was good at organization, administration, recognizing good fighting generals, making the Army happen. Fair at both strategy and tactics. Not so good at pressing the advantage, keeping secrets, or listening to subordinates' advice. And then there's that whole let God decide who wins fiasco in Gettysburg.

2) For his time and place in history, he was as outstanding and admirable as a man could be. (I don't judge the past by present standards.) The highest aspirations of character and conviction.

3) The Custis-Lee Mansion in Arlington Cemetery, Lee's home, contains some of the most powerful and well-thought writings I've ever read on the subject of union vs. secession. His one page letter of resignation from the US Army to stay faithful to his home state of Virginia is very moving and speaks volumes about his character, his struggle with the issue, and his love of home.
I was raised in the South; I wish the issue of secession had not been over slavery, because I think the issue of state's rights still has legitimate reasons for debate.

Answer 3

Lee as a General was possibly one of the best Military minds in American history. He was also blessed with Jackson and Longstreet, who in their own right were superb tacticians. He also made some great blunders, such as Pickett's charge, that show the human side. He believed his troops could take any position, and any Union soldiers. Longstreet tried to tell him that they could not cross that field and take Reynolds Corp. He did not realize being as humble as he was that it was not the superiority of his men that had won so much at that point, but the superiority of the Southern Generals and their tactics. That also should give your answer to his character. He gave the credit to his men, not himself. He was also against slavery.
As for his Patriotism, yes he was. He lived in a day where the State meant as much or more than he Central Government did. He also fought for America in the Mexican war. He did not want the US to split and was against secession, but he could not fight against Virginia. He had to pick what he thought was the lesser of two evils.

Answer 4

R.E. Lee is one of those figures you wished had joined the right side. His generalship was excellent his record speaks for itself. He was a honorable man and good for the most part I don't know if he owned slaves or not. I suspect not as he really lived in Washington D.C. at Arlington his estate makes up the cemetery. His patriotism was poor as he swore an oath to uphold and defend the constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. He also should of known the south had no chance as the south had very little industry in comparison to the north. These last factors will always damn him in my eyes forever could be I'm just biased as I live in the north and despise the south to this very day as they try to glorify the confederacy as their culture. That's the same as a German becoming a NAZI because it was part of his heritage and culture. We should dig a ditch around the old confederacy tow it out to sea and sink it and save this country a lot of problems and embarrassment!

Answer 5

initially, Mike, you want to get your historic past information immediately. You sound like a communist, wanting to "string" human beings up for wanting to break freed from a dictatorship. And ok, you're from NJ, you're a Yankee through all ability, regardless of the indisputable fact that the conflict has been over for over one hundred and forty years now...get over it!! The South needed to break loose from the Union because countless the Northern States were attempting to regulate the Southerners and tell them a thanks to run their states. It became not over slavery, through how. Slavery became an noticeably small portion of it, yet maximum Southerners were too undesirable to really have a lot land or any slaves. It became because the Southern States had gotten drained of the condescending attitudes of the Northerners. it truly is not treason! it truly is basically wanting the liberty to do issues your own way. And once you've a difficulty with the few who nonetheless fly a accomplice flag, basically close your eyes so that you do not might want to work out it. possibly they fly a flag because they are proud of their historic past. i'm proud to say that i'm a right away descendent of Jefferson Davis. i'm also very proud to say that i'm a descendent of grandfathers and uncles who fought and died for the Confederacy. and that i take large offense at you calling them traitors and being so disrespectful. They were not terrible adult men. They were battling for something they believed in. you're of route very stupid and ignorant at the same time as it includes the genuine which technique of the civil conflict. and really, that's been one hundred and forty years. Why are you nonetheless so offended? Haha, you're probable an a** to each and each and every Southern man or woman who crosses your route. improve up.

Answer 6

1) He was the one and only officer to graduate for west point w/o a single demerit
2)He was the epitome of a gentlemen
3)He was very patriotic. He believed in what he was fighting for.

Answer 7

1)the best at the time. better at tactics than grant with limited resources
2) southern gentleman..perhaps this would depend on if he was a racist.
3)no, as an officer his allegiance should have been to the gov't
4) he had a nice beard.

Answer 8

Do your own homework, you can google it just as good as we can. You can even print it out.