Robert E. Lee is acclaimed by many as one of the greatest generals America has produced, yet his fame was achieved while commanding an army in open rebellion against the United States. Admired for his integrity, he fought to defend his home state and the South's "peculiar" institution of slavery. Born into a bankrupt and disgraced family he went on to join the highest strata of Virginia's planter class all while pursuing a brilliant career in the United States Army. A career that ended in resignation and, ultimately, surrender. Stoical in defeat, Lee was [...] more