The Man

Robert E. Lee embarked on a new career as a college president at the age of 58. His family ties, temperament, educational background, and a lifetime of military experience made him a capable administrator and insightful educator.

Childhood

The youngest son of “Light-Horse Harry” Lee and his second wife, Ann Hill Carter of Shirley Plantation, Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807, at his family’s home, Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, Virginia.

The Lee and Carter families had been leaders in Virginia’s colonial government. Robert’s grandfathers both signed the Declaration of Independence. His father had fought under General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and the Lee and Washington families were friends after independence. Harry Lee served three terms as governor of the state of Virginia. As a boy, Robert attended Alexandria Academy, a school that had been established with George Washington’s financial support.

West Point [1825-1829] and Marriage

Lee received an appointment in 1825 to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. There, he consistently ranked second in his class and graduated with no demerits. He was commissioned as a brevet second lieutenant in the elite Corps of Engineers in 1829.

In 1831, Second Lieutenant Robert E. Lee married Mary Custis, the great-granddaughter of Martha Custis Washington, at her family’s estate, Arlington.
With his marriage, Lee became part of the family of George Washington.

U.S. Military Career [1829-1861]

Most of Lee’s early assignments were to design and build East Coast fortifications. Between 1837 and 1840, his skill saved the port of St. Louis, opening the northern Mississippi River to navigation. During the Mexican War (1846–1848), Lee excelled as a tactical advisor to General Winfield Scott, who called him “the very best soldier I ever saw in the field.” In 1852, Lee reluctantly became superintendent of West Point, where he revised the disciplinary system. He requested a transfer from the Corps of Engineers in 1855. As lieutenant colonel of the new Second Cavalry, he defended the interests of Texas settlers.

When called to defend the Harpers Ferry federal armory in October 1859, Lee and a detachment of marines put down a raid led by the abolitionist John Brown. Less than two years later, the day after Virginia seceded, Lee declined command of the U.S. Army in the belief that he must stand with his family, neighbors, and state.

The Civil War [1861-1865]

On April 23, 1861, Robert E. Lee assumed command of the military and naval forces of Virginia: “I devote myself to my native State, in whose behalf alone will I ever again draw my sword.” After serving as Jefferson Davis’s senior advisor, Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia in June 1862. He launched an ambitious counterattack that embodied the essence of his generalship, seizing the strategic and tactical initiative. But nearly two years after defeat at Gettysburg, Lee’s forces were driven from Richmond and entrenched at Petersburg in 1865.

Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, citing “overwhelming numbers and resources.” Grant’s generous terms reflected Abraham Lincoln’s desire to begin a gentle process of Reconstruction, but Lee and his troops faced devastation at home. On April 15, he returned to Richmond and an uncertain future.

Return to Civilian Life

While privately wary of Reconstruction and the enfranchisement of freedmen, Lee was conscious that he must set an example. He announced it was “the duty of everyone to unite in the restoration of the country.” In June 1865, he formally applied for amnesty and a pardon.

In August, Lee hesitantly accepted the presidency of Washington College.
There, he acted publicly and prominently on his own advice, by encouraging former soldiers—many of whom followed him to Washington College—to seek new livelihoods through education and help rebuild the nation.

Love of Family

In his private correspondence, Lee revealed himself as a devoted husband and father—a man whose understated humor, love of animals, and affectionate personal advice endeared him to his family and friends.

The Lees had three sons and four daughters: George Washington Custis (who succeeded his father as president of Washington College), William H. Fitzhugh “Rooney,” Robert Edward Jr., Mary Custis, Anne Carter, Eleanor Agnes, and Mildred Childe.

A demanding but caring father to his boys, Lee doted on his girls. He loved children and animals, aspired to be a farmer, and wrote proudly about his garden. Lee’s playful sense of humor was well known to his family but was often misunderstood by others, who looked to him more as a hero than a living figure.

Lee’s Death

On the morning of October 12, 1870, Robert E. Lee died of pneumonia following a stroke two weeks earlier. The campus of Washington College was draped in mourning, and the chapel overflowed at the funeral service three days later. In his honor, the trustees immediately renamed the college he had transformed—Washington and Lee University.

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