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 [decorative delimiter] Class of 1829

Vol. I
p420
542

(Born Va.)

Robert E. Lee​1

(Ap'd Va.)

2

Robert Edward Lee: Born Jan. 19, 1807, Stratford Hall, VA.

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1825, to July 1, 1829, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Bvt. Second Lieut., Corps of Engineers, July 1, 1829.

Second Lieut., Corps of Engineers, July 1, 1829.

Served: as Asst. Engineer in the construction of Fts. Monroe and Calhoun, for the Defense of Hampton Roads, Va., 1829‑34; as Assistant to the Chief Engineer, at Washington, D. C., 1834‑37; as Asst. Astronomer

(First Lieut., Corps of Engineers, Sep. 21, 1836)

for establishing the Boundary between the States of Ohio and Michigan, 1835;​a as Superintending Engineer of the improvement of St. Louis harbor, Mo., and of the Missouri and Upper Mississippi Rivers, 1837‑41,

(Captain, Corps of Engineers, July 7, 1838)

having general charge of the improvement of the Lower Mississippi, and of the Ohio River, below Louisville, Ky., 1840‑41, — and of the construction and repairs of the defenses at the Narrows entrance to New York harbor, 1841‑44, 1844‑46; as Member of the Board of Visitors to the Military Academy, 1844; as Assistant to the Chief Engineer, at Washington, D. C., 1844; as Member of the Board of Engineers for Atlantic Coast Defenses, Sep. 8, 1845, to Mar. 13, 1848; in the War with Mexico, 1846‑48, being engaged on the march towards Chihuahua, as Chief Engineer of the column commanded by Brig.‑General Wool, 1846, — Siege of Vera Cruz, Mar. 9‑29, 1847, — Reconnoissance, Apr. 15‑17, and Battle

(Bvt. Major, Apr. 18, 1847,
for Gallant and Meritorious Conduct in the Battle of Cerro Gordo, Mex.)

of Cerro Gordo, Apr. 17‑18, 1847, — Reconnoissance through the Pedregal, Aug. 18‑19, 1847, — Battle of Contreras, Aug. 19‑20, 1847, — Reconnoissance of Coyoacan, Aug. 20, 1847, — Battle of Churubusco, Aug. 20,

(Bvt. Lieut.‑Col., Aug. 20, 1847, for Gallant and Meritorious Conduct
in the Battles of Contreras and Churubusco, Mex.)

1847, — Battle of Molino del Rey, Sep. 8, 1847, — Reconnoissance of the Approaches to the City of Mexico, Sep. 9‑13, 1847, — Storming of Chapultepec, Sep. 13, 1847, where he was wounded, — and Assault and Capture  p421 of the City of Mexico, Sep. 13‑14, 1847; on Special duty in the

(Bvt. Colonel, Sep. 13, 1847,
for Gallant and Meritorious Conduct in the Battle of Chapultepec, Mex.)

Engineer Bureau at Washington, D. C., 1848; as Superintending Engineer of the construction of Ft. Carroll, Patapsco River, Md., 1848‑52; as Member of the Board of Engineers for Atlantic Coast Defenses, July 21, 1848, to Apr. 11, 1852; as Superintendent of the U. S. Military Academy, Sep. 1, 1852, to Mar. 31, 1855;​b in command at Jefferson Barracks,

(Lieut.‑Colonel, 2d Cavalry, Mar. 3, 1855)

Mo., 1855; on frontier duty at Camp Cooper, Tex., 1856, — Expedition against Comanche Indians, 1856, — Camp Cooper, Tex., 1856‑57, — San Antonio, Tex. (commanding regiment), 1857; on leave of absence, 1857‑59; in command of the forces at Harper's Ferry, for suppressing John Brown's Raid, Oct. 17‑25, 1859; in command of the Department of Texas, Feb. 6 to Dec. 12, 1860; and on leave of absence, 1860‑61.

(Colonel, 1st Cavalry, Mar. 16, 1861)

Resigned, Apr. 25, 1861.

Joined in the Rebellion of 1861‑66 against the United States.​c

Civil History. — President of Washington College, Lexington, Va., Sep. 28, 1865, to Oct. 12, 1870.

Died, Oct. 12, 1870, at Lexington, Va.: Aged 64.

Buried, Lee Memorial Chapel, Lexington, VA.


The Author's Note:

1 Was the son of Colonel Henry Lee, of the Revolutionary Army, and in 1791 Governor of Virginia.


Thayer's Notes:

a This isn't quite the placid job it sounds like; for the 1835 "Toledo War" between Ohio and Michigan, see Harlow, The Road of the Century, pp246‑247.

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b Lee Barracks is named for him, and his memory is revered at the Academy, along with those of Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.Thayer, Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.Grant, Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.Pershing, Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.MacArthur, and Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.Eisenhower.

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c As with other Confederate officers, Cullum's Register omits his war record; in Lee's case it's where he achieved greatness. The four-volume biography of him by Douglas Freeman is onsite, complete: it fills the lacuna and details the rest of his life, including his early military career summarized above.


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