ROBERT EDWARD LEE, the greatest of the Confederate generals, came of a family conspicuously connected with the State of Virginia and early American history. About the year 1666 Richard Lee settled in that part of Virginia lying between the Rappahannock and the Potomac, called the Northern Neck. Thomas Lee, grandson of Richard, was widely known for his enterprise in the exploration of the river Ohio. He died in 1750, leaving six sons, three of whom attained historical celebrity.

Robert Edward Lee was born in Stratford, Westmoreland County, Virginia, January 19, 1807, being the son of the famous "Light Horse Harry" of the Revolutionary War. By his early associations, he acquired the ease of manner and quick perception of propriety characteristic of the best old Virginian families. He inherited the military instinct from his father, and from natural temperament chose the army as his profession. At the age of eighteen he entered the West Point Military Academy, and graduated with honor in 1829, having obtained second place in a class of forty-six. During his entire course he had never received a demerit mark. Joseph E. Johnston, of the Confederate Army, and Ormsby M. Mitchel, of the Union Army, were among his classmates. From the time of his graduation until the outbreak of the war with Mexico, the young soldier acted as