Robert E. Lee Timeline

(January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870)

Robert E. Lee (1807–1870) was an American military officer best known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. A graduate of West Point and a distinguished U.S. Army engineer and veteran of the Mexican-American War, Lee declined an offer to lead the Union army and instead served the Confederacy, achieving notable victories at battles such as Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville before surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in 1865. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early Life and Education

Robert E. Lee born in Stratford Hall, Virginia

Jan 19, 1807

Robert Edward Lee was born at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the son of Revolutionary War hero Henry 'Light-Horse Harry' Lee III and Anne Hill Carter Lee. He grew up in a family of distinguished but financially troubled Virginia gentry.

Image source: Robert E. Lee

Lee's father dies in Georgia

Mar 25, 1818

Henry 'Light-Horse Harry' Lee III, Robert's father and a celebrated cavalry officer of the American Revolution, died on Cumberland Island, Georgia, after injuries sustained in Baltimore. Robert was eleven years old, and his mother raised the family in modest circumstances.

Image source: Henry Lee III

Lee enters the United States Military Academy at West Point

Jul 1, 1825

Robert E. Lee entered West Point with financial constraints limiting his options. He excelled academically, finished near the top of his class without a single demerit, and developed the disciplined character that would define his military career.

Image source: United States Military Academy

Lee graduates second in his class from West Point

Jul 1, 1829

Lee graduated second in the Class of 1829, earning a commission as a brevet second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. His flawless disciplinary record became legendary among cadets and instructors alike.

Lee marries Mary Anna Custis

Jun 30, 1831

Lee married Mary Anna Randolph Custis, great-granddaughter of Martha Washington, at Arlington House, the Custis family estate overlooking Washington, D.C. The couple would have seven children, and Arlington became their cherished home.

Image source: Mary Anna Custis Lee

Military Career

Lee serves as an engineer on Fort Hamilton and other projects

Jan 1, 1830 - Dec 31, 1846

As a U.S. Army engineer, Lee worked on coastal fortifications including Fort Monroe, Fort Pulaski, and Fort Hamilton in New York Harbor. His engineering skill earned him a reputation as one of the army's most capable officers.

Image source: Fort Hamilton

Lee distinguishes himself in the Mexican-American War

May 1, 1846 - Feb 2, 1848

Serving under General Winfield Scott, Lee performed daring reconnaissance missions during the campaign from Veracruz to Mexico City. His bravery at Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, and Chapultepec earned three brevet promotions and Scott's lasting admiration.

Image source: Mexican–American War

Lee distinguishes himself in the Mexican-American War

Lee becomes superintendent of West Point

Sep 1, 1852 - Sep 1, 1855

Lee served three years as superintendent of the United States Military Academy, overseeing curriculum reforms and supervising cadets who would later become generals on both sides of the Civil War.

Lee leads Marines in suppression of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

Oct 18, 1859

Summoned from Arlington, Colonel Lee commanded U.S. Marines who stormed the engine house where abolitionist John Brown and his followers had barricaded themselves after their failed raid on the federal arsenal, capturing Brown alive.

Image source: John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

Lee leads Marines in suppression of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

Civil War Command

Lee declines command of Union forces after Virginia secedes

Apr 18, 1861

Offered field command of the Union Army by Abraham Lincoln through Francis Blair, Lee declined, unwilling to raise his sword against his native state. Days later he resigned his U.S. Army commission, writing that he could not take part against Virginia.

Lee accepts command of Virginia's forces

Apr 23, 1861

After Virginia seceded, Lee accepted appointment as commander of the state's military forces. He was later commissioned a general in the Confederate Army and given broad responsibility for southern coastal defenses.

Image source: Army of Northern Virginia

Union forces occupy Arlington House

May 24, 1861

Federal troops crossed into Virginia and seized Lee's home at Arlington, which sat directly across the Potomac from Washington. The estate was later used for a military cemetery, now Arlington National Cemetery.

Image source: Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial

Confederate defeat at Cheat Mountain

Sep 12, 1861 - Sep 15, 1861

Lee's first field command of the war in western Virginia ended in disappointment when his cautious plan against Union positions failed. Critics mockingly nicknamed him 'Granny Lee,' though he retained the confidence of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Image source: Battle of Cheat Mountain

Lee oversees coastal defenses in South Carolina and Georgia

Nov 1, 1861 - Mar 1, 1862

Assigned to organize defenses along the southern Atlantic coast, Lee strengthened fortifications around Charleston and Savannah. Though unable to prevent Federal advances, his engineering preparations delayed Union operations along the coast.

Lee becomes military advisor to President Davis

Mar 13, 1862

Recalled to Richmond, Lee served as military advisor to Jefferson Davis, helping coordinate Confederate strategy during the early Peninsula Campaign crisis as George McClellan's Union army advanced toward the capital.

Image source: Jefferson Davis

Lee becomes military advisor to President Davis

Lee takes command of the Army of Northern Virginia

Jun 1, 1862

After General Joseph E. Johnston was wounded at Seven Pines, Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia, beginning the period of leadership that would make him the Confederacy's most famous general.

Seven Days Battles drive McClellan from Richmond

Jun 25, 1862 - Jul 1, 1862

In his first major offensive, Lee aggressively attacked McClellan's Army of the Potomac in a series of battles near Richmond. Despite heavy casualties and tactical shortcomings, Lee forced the Union army to retreat, saving the Confederate capital.

Image source: Seven Days Battles

Seven Days Battles drive McClellan from Richmond

Confederate victory at Second Bull Run

Aug 28, 1862 - Aug 30, 1862

Lee and Stonewall Jackson decisively defeated John Pope's Army of Virginia on the same ground as the war's first major battle. The victory cleared northern Virginia of Union forces and opened the way for Lee's first invasion of the North.

Image source: Second Battle of Bull Run

Battle of Antietam ends Lee's first invasion of the North

Sep 17, 1862

At Sharpsburg, Maryland, Lee's divided army narrowly survived McClellan's assaults in the bloodiest single day of American history, with over 22,000 casualties. Lee retreated across the Potomac, ending his first invasion of Union territory.

Image source: Battle of Antietam

Decisive victory at Fredericksburg

Dec 11, 1862 - Dec 15, 1862

Lee's army inflicted a crushing defeat on Ambrose Burnside's Union forces, who launched futile frontal assaults against entrenched Confederates on Marye's Heights. Observing the carnage, Lee famously remarked, 'It is well that war is so terrible.'

Image source: Battle of Fredericksburg

Victory at Chancellorsville despite losing Stonewall Jackson

Apr 30, 1863 - May 6, 1863

Lee achieved what many consider his masterpiece, defeating Joseph Hooker's larger army through audacious flanking maneuvers. The victory came at terrible cost: Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly fire, depriving Lee of his most trusted lieutenant.

Image source: Battle of Chancellorsville

Gettysburg Campaign and Pickett's Charge

Jul 1, 1863 - Jul 3, 1863

Lee's second invasion of the North culminated in a catastrophic defeat at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The failure of Pickett's Charge on the third day broke the attack, and Lee's army retreated to Virginia, never again mounting a major offensive in the North.

Image source: Battle of Gettysburg

Overland Campaign against Ulysses S. Grant begins

May 4, 1864 - Jun 24, 1864

Grant launched a relentless series of offensives against Lee's army, fighting brutal battles at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor. Though Lee inflicted enormous casualties, Grant continued pressing southward toward Richmond and Petersburg.

Image source: Overland Campaign

Overland Campaign against Ulysses S. Grant begins

Siege of Petersburg begins

Jun 9, 1864 - Apr 2, 1865

Lee's army endured a grueling nine-month siege at Petersburg, defending the supply lines to Richmond through trench warfare that foreshadowed World War I. The siege steadily drained Confederate manpower and resources.

Image source: Siege of Petersburg

Lee promoted to General-in-Chief of Confederate armies

Feb 6, 1865

The Confederate Congress created the rank of General-in-Chief, and Lee was appointed to command all Southern armies. By then the Confederacy was collapsing, with Sherman marching through the Carolinas and Grant tightening the noose at Petersburg.

Image source: General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States

Fall of Petersburg and Richmond

Apr 2, 1865 - Apr 3, 1865

Grant's final assault broke Lee's lines at Petersburg, forcing the evacuation of both Petersburg and Richmond. Lee attempted to retreat westward, hoping to join forces with Joseph Johnston's army in North Carolina.

Image source: Third Battle of Petersburg

Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House

Apr 9, 1865

Cut off and surrounded, Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Grant's generous terms allowed Confederate soldiers to return home, and the surrender effectively marked the end of the Civil War.

Image source: Battle of Appomattox Court House

Postwar Years and Legacy

Lee becomes president of Washington College

Oct 2, 1865

Accepting the presidency of struggling Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, Lee devoted his final years to education, modernizing the curriculum and adding programs in business, journalism, and engineering. The school was renamed Washington and Lee University after his death.

Image source: Washington and Lee University

Lee dies in Lexington, Virginia

Oct 12, 1870

Lee suffered a stroke and died two weeks later at age 63 in Lexington. He was buried beneath Lee Chapel at Washington College, mourned throughout the South as the Confederacy's preeminent soldier.

Lost Cause mythology elevates Lee to icon status

Jan 1, 1880 - Dec 31, 1920

In the decades after his death, writers of the Lost Cause movement portrayed Lee as a nearly saintly figure whose nobility transcended the Confederacy's defeat. Monuments were erected across the South, and his image became central to contested debates over memory and heritage.

Image source: Lost Cause of the Confederacy

Key Facts

Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807, at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, into a prominent family; his father was Revolutionary War hero Henry 'Light-Horse Harry' Lee.
Lee graduated second in his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1829 without receiving a single demerit, and later served as superintendent of the academy from 1852 to 1855.
He distinguished himself as an engineer officer and during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), where his reconnaissance work earned praise from General Winfield Scott.
Despite being offered command of the Union Army, Lee resigned from the U.S. Army in April 1861 after Virginia seceded, choosing loyalty to his home state and becoming the Confederacy's most famous general.
Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War, and he later served as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) until his death in 1870.

Source

This Robert E. Lee timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free