Two Quotes From Robert E Lee

Here are two quotes from Robert E Lee.

 

It is well that war is so terrible - otherwise we would grow too fond of it.

 

Duty then is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.

Robert E. Lee, The Military Man

Robert went to Virginia on a short leave from the army. Shortly after his mother fell ill and died. He was then sent to Cockspur Island to help build Fort Pulaski. The island had lots of swamps and lots of pesky mosquitos. Robert was assigned to watch the building of the drainage ditch. The project at Cockspur was soon abandoned and Robert was assigned to Fort Monroe. When he was twenty four he went back to Virginia to visit some relatives. There Robert meet a distant cousin named Mary Anne Randolph Custis. Robert got married to Mary at the Arlington House in Alexandria Virginia. He got married to her because he liked her big brown eyes and her bubbly personality. Mary was the great grand daughter of Martha Washington.

Afterward he moved with his wife to Fort Monroe. The first of his seven children was born in the fort. His name was George Washington Custis Lee. He was named after Mary's father. They moved to St.Louis. Two more kids were born there. Mary and William Fitzhugh Lee. The Lee's moved to Fort Hamilton, New York where they lived for five years. During the Mexican War Lee's job was to scout enemy positions. General Scott asked Lee to cross a rough lava bed called Pedreagal to find a route where troops could advance. He found the path and also the enemy campgrounds. The treaty of Guadalupe ended the Mexican War. The U.S. got the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, California, Nevada and Western Colorado. The Harper's Ferry raid led by John Brown. Robert E. Lee took a unit of Marines to Harper's Ferry and overpowered Brown's troops.

In 1860 South Carolina split from the Union. Six other states followed. In 1861 Texas did too. They were called The Confederate States of America.

Some of Lee's friends like Joe Johnston, Jeb Stuart, Richard Ewell and John Hood joined the confederate army along with Lee's three of his sons and a nephew. After thirty six years in the United States Army, Lee must now fight against it. What laid ahead for the nation he loved?

Robert E. Lee Before He Was a General

Robert Edward Lee was born at Stratford Hall in Alexandria VA on January 19th 1807.  His parents names were General Henry Lee and Anne Carter Lee.  In 1812 another war between the Patriots and the British started.   Henry was against the war.  Since General Henry Lee assisted antiwar causes he was attacked by an angry mob and was seriously injured.  To regain his health he went to Barbados without his family.  The family struggled for many years to make ends meet with out their father.  Years later while returning home from Barbados Henry Lee died.

Robert attended Alexandria Academy in Virginia.  After graduating from the academy he went to The U.S. Military Academy at West Point.    In June of 1825 Robert took a stagecoach to New York City and from there he took a steamer up the Hudson.  When Robert climbed the steep hill to West Point he knew that it would be his home for the next four years.  Robert and forty six other men were now cadets.  They got up at 5am in the morning and walked in formation, also known as drills.  Robert attended classes and studied hard 9-10 hours a day. 

Some of his fellow cadets would get drunk and break the rules.  Robert never joined them.  They called him "Marble Model".  This bothered the young Lee. He made two good friends at West Point Jack Mackay and Joe Johnston both from the South.  He graduated 2nd highest in his class of forty six cadets.  He had zero demerits.  Robert was made a second lieutenant and appointed to the Engineer Corps.

Robert in his engineer corps uniform.