Robert E. Lee was born in 1807 in Virginia. He grew up in Alexandria, Virginia and graduated from West Point second in a class that included Jefferson Davis and J.E.B. Stuart. Before the Civil War began, it was Lee who commanded the detachment that crushed John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry in 1859. When the Southern states seceded in 1861, Lee faced an important crossroad in his life. He held no regard for slavery and hated the idea of secession.
Secession is nothing but revolution.
Nevertheless, when Virginia joined the Confederacy, Lee knew where his loyalty lay. The record shows that Lee was a skilled commander in what was ultimately a no-win situation. He had a great ability to respond quickly to changing conditions, to take risks and break the rules when necessary, and above all, to inspire his devoted men. Under Lee's command, the Army of Northern Virginia turned back the North's powerful Army of the Potomac. In the end, though, the South was overcome by its deficiencies of supplies and manpower.