User:Skinfan13/Robert E. Lee
“The 'E' stands for 'Excellent'.”
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was the finest Southern gentleman to have ever come out of the great commonwealth of Virginia. Lee is most well known as the tactical genius who helped the Confederacy on its way to defeat in 1865. He is less known as the scholastic genius who helped turn Washington & Lee into the second best college in Lexington, Virginia. General Lee is venerated throughout the Southern United States, and indeed all of America, to this very day. This is most readily evident in the naming of the beloved car in the Dukes of Hazzard as "The General Lee."
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Like all legends, Robert E. Lee was born in the middle of night during an incredibly treacherous thunderstorm on January 19th, 1807. Little Robert was immediately exposed to the loud crashes and blinding flashes of the squall outside, but he did not flinch. His father, the famous Revolutionary War hero, Light Horse Harry Lee, admired his son's bravery.
At the age of 7, Robert had already mastered most concepts of war and had resolved that he would become a legendary hero just like his venerable father. Unfortunately, his father turned out to be a pretty nasty fellow. After loosing the family fortune by gambling it away on faulty investments, Light Horse made a dash for the border, leaving little Robert to take care of the family all by himself at age 11. Being Robert E. Lee, this didn't phase him one bit. Convinced that his father would one day return and reward him for his diligent stewardship, Robert worked hard to take care of his mother and siblings.
Robert entered West Point at the age of 25 and didn't look back. Well on his way to his goal of being a war hero, Robert eagerly awaited his first year at school.