How Did Robert E Lee Contribute To The Civil War

Robert E. Lee During the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee commanded, and won six major battles (“Robert E. Lee” Ducksters). Yes, he won a lot, but he also made many bad decisions that added up to costing the Confederates the war. Lee’s life before and after the war, made him who he was, even if they weren’t the best of things. Though Lee lost the war, he contributed to the South and is one of the most influential generals of all time. When Robert E. Lee was preparing for college, he realized he didn’t have enough money for a university, so he went to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York (“Robert E. Lee in”). He graduated second in his class with no demerits while being a cadet. Before the Civil War and after the Mexican War,

He declined the offer though, because he was from Virginia, which was in the South (“Robert E. Lee Biography.”). Lee’s very first role was commander of the South (“Biography:”). He took command of forces in Virginia in 1861. In 1862, he became the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia (“Robert E. Lee” History Learning). While fighting in the war, Joseph E. Johnston was wounded, so Lee took over as the commander of the Confederate forces. When he commanded, many people called him “Granny Lee”, because they thought he was too old to be a general (Holzer). Lee thought that he should concentrate troops and weapons where invasions could occur to prepare for future battles (Biography:”). He also ran into some trouble, because the Union General, Ulysses S. Grant, had a lot more supplies than his troops (“Robert E. Lee” History Learning). Lee commanded in the following battles: The Seven Days Battle, the Battle of Antietam, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Cold Harbor, and the Battle of Appomattox (“Robert E. Lee”

While Lee was preparing for the Battle of Antietam, a copy of his plan was discovered by Union commander, Major General George B. McClellan. Since his plan was discovered, he was attacked head-on and had to flee while suffering around ten thousand casualties (“Battle of Antietam.”). During this battle, fourteen thousand of his men were killed when trying to cross the Potomac River (“Robert E. Lee Biography.”). In the Battle of Chancellorsville, he faced an army two times bigger, so he split his army in two for the element of surprise (“Battle of Chancellorsville”). Yes, he might have made an excellent move, but he also lost one of his corps commanders, “Stonewall” Jackson (“Robert E. Lee” History Learning). After, at the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee divided his troops and caused a disaster at Pickett’s Charge (“Role”). It devastated his army and gave the Union power (‘Robert E. Lee Biography.”). The South never recovered from this battle, but Lee kept fighting (“Role”). Though he made crucial mistakes, no one really ever questioned the tactics he used (Holzer). Lee was very respected even though he failed to win the war for the South (“Robert E. Lee.” History.