Robert E Lee biography

It's not often that a man who in one sense has fought against his country - and lost - is still considered a national hero. But Robert E. Lee is admired not just in the South but throughout the nation. His fame rests on achievements made in the face of overwhelming odds, and on his outstanding personal character, which won the adoration of his army, and the respect of his enemies. During the long aftermath of the war, when North and south alike struggled to rebuild and move forward, he was a constant example of fortitude and forgiveness.

Lee was a man of many deep loyalties, all of which had to be measured against each other - his loyalty to state, to country, to family, to northern and southern friends, to the memory of George Washington and the Declaration of Independence, and last, but not least, to his own convictions and ideals. It was evident from the start he could not serve them all and he could not serve one without betraying another. Reaching a decision about what course to take, was a process that caused him much anguish and pain. His wife Mary said that as he labored over his choices, "he wept tears of blood."  In the end, the choice he made was based not on personal ambition or pride, but on his highest understanding of duty.