Robert E Lee's Decisions

Superior Essays
Show More
Robert E. Lee was a famous military Leader known best for his time serving during the Civil War. Lee was the general of the Confederates from 1861 to 1865 and was previously involved in the U.S. Army (Pryor). Although Lee was highly esteemed for his service, his actions during battle invoked various consequences. Robert E. Lee 's decision to side with the Confederacy during the Civil War was strongly influenced by his military background with family and friends; his decision caused a great controversy to arise. Lee was born on January 19, 1807, to his parents Henry Lee III and Ann Hill Carter in Westmoreland County (Pryor). Likewise, Henry Lee strongly influenced Robert 's Military career. Henry fought in the Revolutionary War and was highly commended for it (McNeese 12). Furthermore, Henry also fought alongside Nathaniel Greene and George Washington during the American Revolution and was given the title “Light-Horse Harry” for his service in the light partisan unit. Unfortunately, while Robert was still a baby, his father was arrested for Debt. As a result, Henry Fled …show more content…
Meade 's army. Between July 1-3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln appointed Meade to lead the Potomac Army and to cut off Lee 's plan to invade Pennsylvania. Lee was not aware of Meade 's army 's location, so he moved north of Gettysburg in the hopes of catching them there; however, Meade 's army was actually just south of Lee and his men. Lee discovered this and decided to strike, but he encountered Federal Calvary and instead retreated. Following this, General James Longstreet pleaded Lee to return south and find a way to reach Meade instead of blindly attacking; however, Lee denied and continued to attack. Consequently, Lee 's defiance resulted in Meade 's army surrounding the Confederates during the night. As a result, Lee was proven wrong and allowed Meade to gain the upper hand

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Robert E Lee Research Paper
    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Robert E Lee Research Paper

    General Robert E. Lee was born in January 19, 1807 in Stratford hall Virginia and he died on October 12, 1870. He went to school at Alexandria academy. His fathers name was henry lee the third. His father was a tobacco planter. He suffered severe financial reverses from failed investments.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    American Pageant Chapter 13 Summary
    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages

    American Pageant Chapter 13 Summary

    But Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson were able to defeat anybody who Abraham Lincoln sent to defend the Union. The war's nature and direction changed after 1862, but Lee attacked Maryland and was defeated at Antietam. After numerous attempts to capture and defeat Lee, Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation undermine southern efforts and unify northerners. The Union turned the tables by defeating Lee's army in Gettysburg and taking Vicksburg to gain full control of Mississippi. Abraham Lincoln got reelected, while the common people suffered from hunger, disease, and lawlessness.…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Why Did Grant Contribute To The Civil War
    • 2230 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Why Did Grant Contribute To The Civil War

    If they were lucky, they would vanquish the North after the North’s defeats at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Confederates planned to capture Harrisburg, and then move on to Philadelphia and New York unless the North would propose peace. On the other side, Lincoln sent Union forces under the command of General George C. Meade to obstruct Lee’s path. Lee and Meade’s forces clashed abruptly at Gettysburg. During the first two days, the Confederates pushed the Union forces with great strength.…

    • 2230 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Roger Sherman's Contribution To The Continental Congress
    • 188 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Roger Sherman's Contribution To The Continental Congress

    Roger Sherman was born on A[til 19, 1721. He was born at Newton, Mass. He was admitted to bar in new Milford Connecticut in 1754. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1774. Sherman was a very acted and much respected Delegate to the Congress.…

    • 188 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Ma James Longstreet: The Battle Of The Wilderness
    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ma James Longstreet: The Battle Of The Wilderness

    The Confederates shot from the Wilderness at the Union soldiers. The trees and underbrush made moving hard because of the difficulty the troops faced to move in an orderly fashion and was extremely rough on the cavalry and artillery. Right after 5 am the Union second corps, led by Winfield Scott Hancock, drove back the Confederates nearly a mile. James Longstreet arrived to aid the Confederates helping the fighting to be even more intense than the first day of the battle. Unfortunately for James and many others, the smoke from the canons and guns along with the early morning fog, made it almost impossible to see.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Clara Barton's Role In The Civil War
    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Clara Barton's Role In The Civil War

    He is interesting to study because of his sudden escalation in power after the many failures he came across. Robert E. Lee Who? Robert Edward Lee was the son of the Revolutionary War hero Harry Lee, known as “Light Horse.”…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Who Was Longstreet To Blame For The Confederate Defeat At Gettysburg?
    • 2025 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Who Was Longstreet To Blame For The Confederate Defeat At Gettysburg?

    However, as it turned out, Meade was able to move his forces around because Ewell was late. It took two hours for his attack to commence and by then the weakened forces in position on the right had been sufficiently reinforced and were ready to fight. The Union line at Gettysburg was a much tighter line and had twenty thousand more soldiers in it than did the Confederate line.…

    • 2025 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Thomas Jackson Research Paper
    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Thomas Jackson Research Paper

    Being one of Robert E. Lee’s most favored generals, Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson was a crucial part of the Civil War. He was a highly praised and respected man throughout the Confederacy. Leading the Northern Virginian army, he won many battles for the Confederate side, destroying the Union with his advanced battle tactics. Serving in battles like the Battle of Bull Run, the Seven Day Battles, and the Battle of Fredericksburg, he gained lots of attention. Thomas Jackson was the third child of eight and was born on January 21, 1824.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Fort Hall Dbq
    • 1278 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Fort Hall Dbq

    General Lee marched his army into Pennsylvania in late June 1863. On July 1st confederates attacked the union army commanded by general Meade at the town of Gettysburg and as the days went on the fighting got heavier and heavier and the confederates attacked the union from the left and right side. July 3rd Lee commanded less than 15,000 troops to charge the center of the enemy at Cemetery Ridge. This move was known as Pickett’s Charge it did go through the union line but the failed after a little while and cost thousands of lives on the confederate’s side. General Lee was forced to draw back his hurt army toward Virginia on the fourth of July.…

    • 1278 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Gettysburg Dbq
    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Gettysburg Dbq

    A daring and bold move from the Union, it was a risk, but ended up beneficial to the Union. The Confederates were not able to cross and ended up retreating slightly back into the South. Proving to be a major turning point for the war, this aspect of the Battle of Gettysburg has made a massive impact on the outcome and our amount of hope for the Union. As our hope for victory rises, we will reserve a special place in our history for the bridge that was sacrificed for possibly the win of this war. After pushing into the North from the South previous to the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee has been…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Summary Of The Killer Angels By Micheal Shaara
    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary Of The Killer Angels By Micheal Shaara

    Due to Buford’s noteworthy defense, by the evening of July, 1, 1863, the Union defenses were not only reinforced but very strong. Prior to this reinforcement Lee ordered Richard Ewell to attack Cemetery Hill, Ewell’s failure to take the high ground created one of the controversial “ifs” of Gettysburg that have echoed down the years. Along with Ewell’s failure, Cavalry General J.E.B. Stuart’s failure to report Union positions is often cited as a blunder to deflect blame on Lee for losing the battle. Even Longstreet, Lee’s second in command, will not be free from blame by war’s end. Even though many people defend Lee today, Shaara does not shy away from exposing Lee’s tactical blunders halting the deification process in its…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Gettysburg Turning Point
    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Gettysburg Turning Point

    Battle of Gettysburg: Turning Point for the U.S. After Lee’s victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville,Virginia, in May 1863, Lee wanted to lead his Confederate army in their second invasion of the North the Gettysburg Campaign. Lee wanted to threaten Northern cities, weaken the North’s appetite for war and, especially win a major battle on Northern soil. Maj. Gen. Meade moved the Northern army between Lee and Washington D.C. When Lee found out the Meade was in Pennsylvania, Lee concentrated all of his army around Gettysburg (www.civilwar.org).…

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    The Importance Of The Battle Of Gettysburg During The Civil War
    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Importance Of The Battle Of Gettysburg During The Civil War

    The Southern army was over-confident in their military and assurance of defeating the Northern army. General Lee’s decision for his army to attack the strongest line of the Union army caused them to lose a majority of his army. This is the reason that the Battle of Gettysburg is, in fact, considered the turning point. Though it was not completely General Lee’s fault because he did not expect that much blood to be shed, he did, however, disregard the warning from his subordinate, James Longstreet. Longstreet warned Lee that attacking them might not be the best thing to do at that time, but Lee felt…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Harper Lee Research Paper
    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Harper Lee Research Paper

    Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. Lee was the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch. Her closest childhood friend and neighbor was Truman Capote, who was known as Truman Persons in the past. Unlike other girls, Lee was tougher than most boys thus she was considered to be a tomboy. However, Truman was different than boys his age…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Ulysses S. Grant's Role In The Civil War
    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ulysses S. Grant's Role In The Civil War

    Ulysses S. Grant played a major role in the northern states winning the Civil War. Grant was General of the Union Army during the Civil War, and he was a quite successful General. It was because of General Grant and his men that General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia finally surrendered at the Appomattox Court House. With the start of the Civil War in 1861 Ulysses S. Grant jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Union Army. The first commanding post that he had was Colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry.…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings