Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee appointed commander of the Army of Northern Virginia

Historical Context Note

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Robert Edward Lee (19th January 19, 1807 - 12th October, 1870) was appointed commander of the Army of Northern Virginia (the Confederate eastern army) in 1861. Earlier in 1861 President Lincoln had invited Lee, already a distinguished soldier and tactician, to take command of the Union Army, but he refused and chose instead to remain loyal to his home state of Virginia when it seceded from the Union.

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10939 Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee appointed commander of the Army of Northern Virginia 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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