Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee

In Short

This volume gathers intimate family letters, personal recollections, and official correspondence compiled by the Confederate general’s youngest son to illuminate a life shaped by strict devotion to duty. The narrative spans from pre-war duties in Texas and the suppression of the raid at Harper’s Ferry through the grueling campaigns of the American Civil War, culminating in the surrender and its quiet aftermath. Rather than focusing solely on battlefield maneuvers, the text highlights private correspondence with his invalid wife and children, his decline of public gifts, his post-war presidency at Washington College, and his efforts toward national reconciliation before his death in 1870.

The Story

The narrative begins with Captain Robert E. Lee serving as an engineer in the United States Army, returning home from the Mexican War, caring for family pets, and supervising West Point. Ordered to Harper's Ferry, he suppresses John Brown's raid and handles encounters with Brown's visiting family. In Texas, he spends months pursuing the border brigand Cortinez before helping build an Episcopal church in San Antonio. When Virginia secedes in April 1861, Lee resigns his federal commission, placing his allegiance with his home state. Chosen to command Virginia's forces and advise President Jefferson Davis, he takes charge of Confederate military operations amidst deep anxiety for his family's safety and possessions.

As full-scale war erupts, Lee coordinates mountain campaigns in West Virginia, where torrential rainstorms and logistical failures derail a planned surprise attack at Cheat Mountain, leading to the death of close friends. Assuming command of the Army of Northern Virginia, Lee writes constant letters home that reveal a commander deeply troubled by the physical suffering of his troops. His men endure knees-deep snow, impassable mud, and meager rations near Fredericksburg. At Chancellorsville, Lee achieves a major tactical victory, but the triumph is shattered by the death of General "Stonewall" Jackson, whose loss Lee likens to losing his own right arm. Subsequent engagements at Gettysburg, the Rapidan River, Cold Harbor, and the prolonged siege of Petersburg push the Confederate forces to absolute exhaustion. Throughout the conflict, Lee refuses comfortable lodgings, preferring a canvas tent to avoid burdening citizens, while his invalid wife and daughters knit hundreds of socks for shivering soldiers.

When defeat becomes absolute following the fall of Fort Fisher and the defeat at Five Forks, Lee surrenders his army and bids farewell to his troops. Returning to Richmond, he refuses public offers of a donated residence, requesting that city funds go instead to needy soldiers' families. To set an example of quiet submission, Lee formally applies to President Andrew Johnson for political amnesty and writes directly to General U.S. Grant to enforce his parole protections against federal treason indictments, actively counseling former Confederates to reunite in rebuilding the nation.

In his final years, Lee accepts the presidency of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. He transforms the institution by introducing practical academic schools, doubling the faculty, and personally supervising student progress. He spends his days riding his horse Traveller through the Virginia mountains, offering paternal advice to his son Robert regarding farm soil and livestock, and providing gentle, daily care for his invalid wife. In 1869, he makes a brief, courteous visit to President Grant at the White House. By September 1870, Lee's health falters. After returning home from a cold vestry meeting, he suffers a debilitating stroke. He sits silently at tea, surrenders to medical care, wanders in his dreams back to dread battlefields, and dies quietly in October 1870.

How It Unfolds

Early military service and border duties As a respected officer in the United States Army Engineers, Lee returns home from the Mexican War, manages his young family, and serves as superintendent of West Point. In 1859, he is dispatched to Harper's Ferry to suppress John Brown's raid, managing the delicate situation with federal troops. He is subsequently sent to the Department of Texas, where he spends months in vain pursuit of the brigand Cortinez while helping build a local Episcopal church in San Antonio.

Resignation and mountain setbacks When Virginia secedes from the Union in April 1861, Lee resigns his army commission at Arlington and aligns himself with his native state. Chosen as chief military advisor and commander of Virginia forces, he attempts to coordinate an ambitious offensive at Cheat Mountain in West Virginia. Torrential rainstorms destroy the soldiers' provisions and obscure signals, forcing a disappointing withdrawal that Lee stoically accepts without public complaint.

Command of Northern Virginia Lee assumes field command, leading his troops through freezing winters and grueling engagements at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Petersburg. He mourns the catastrophic death of Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville, likening the loss to losing his own right arm. Throughout these campaigns, Lee constantly worries over his army's lack of shoes, blankets, and rations while declining personal comforts for himself.

Surrender and peaceful submission Following the defeat at Five Forks and the capture of Fort Fisher, Lee surrenders his army and returns to a ruined Richmond. He turns down a gifted city home, requesting that municipal funds be redistributed to impoverished soldiers' families instead. To protect his men and set an example of lawfulness, he writes to General Grant and President Johnson to seek formal political amnesty and honor his parole.

Leadership at Washington College Seeking to rebuild the South through education, Lee accepts the presidency of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. He doubles the size of the faculty, creates practical academic schools, and maintains a strict yet encouraging oversight of the student body. Between administrative duties, he writes affectionate letters to his children, guiding his son Robert in purchasing farm stock and applying lime to his fields.

Closing years and final illness Lee spends his remaining days caring for his invalid wife, riding his horse Traveller through the mountain trails, and making a brief courtesy call on President Grant in Washington. In late September 1870, he catches a severe cold that culminates in a debilitating stroke following a church vestry meeting. He lingers for days in quiet resignation, occasionally murmuring about battlefields in his sleep, before dying peacefully in October.

The People

• General Robert E. Lee: Wants to serve his state honorably, protect his family, and rebuild the ruined South through education. Faced with military defeat, financial strain, and federal treason indictments, he transforms from an embattled high commander into a quiet college president who embraces national reconciliation and dies peacefully in Lexington.
• Robert E. Lee Jr. ("Robert the Younger"): The General's youngest son and the compiler of the volume. He wants to serve as a soldier despite his father's initial desire for him to finish school, eventually enlisting in the Rockbridge Artillery. After surviving the war, he transitions into a struggling farmer seeking his father's constant counsel regarding livestock, lime, and farm management.
• Mrs. Mary Custis Lee: The General's wife. She wants to support her family and the Confederate cause despite being confined to a rolling chair by severe rheumatism. She spends the war tirelessly knitting hundreds of socks for needy soldiers, reliant on her husband's gentle daily care, and ultimately survives him to record the serene, resigned manner of his final illness.
• General "Stonewall" Jackson: Lee's key military subordinate. He seeks decisive Confederate victories through energetic tactical maneuvers. His fatal wounding at Chancellorsville creates an irreplaceable void in Lee's command structure, leaving Lee to mourn him as his lost "right arm."
• General U.S. Grant: The Union commander. He seeks the peaceful surrender and integration of Confederate forces. In the post-war era, he receives Lee's formal amnesty applications and hosts him for a brief, fifteen-minute courtesy visit at the Executive Mansion without discussing politics.

In Its Own Voice

Upon learning that Stonewall Jackson's medical condition has dramatically worsened following his severe injuries at Chancellorsville, Lee conveys the depth of his personal concern and spiritual intercession for his trusted comrade.

"Tell him that I am praying for him as I believe I have never prayed for myself."

Writing to General John B. Gordon regarding the urgent necessity of practical textbook reform, Lee sets forth his core conviction that comprehensive public instruction is essential to regional renewal.

"The thorough education of all classes of the people is the most efficacious means, in my opinion, of promoting the prosperity of the South."

Explaining his decision to submit a formal application for federal amnesty to President Johnson, Lee articulates a clear personal imperative regarding national restoration and lawful reconciliation.

"I believe it to be the duty of every one to unite in the restoration of the country and the reestablishment of peace and harmony."

What It's Really About

Beyond its historical narrative, the work examines the burden of personal duty amidst severe institutional breakdown. It presents a portrait of leadership grounded in restraint, self-denial, and practical service rather than public acclaim. Lee’s letters repeatedly grapple with the tension between individual conscience and military obligation, showing how personal principles govern conduct both in total war and in total defeat.

Underneath the family anecdotes lies an argument for quiet reconciliation and civic restoration. Rather than harboring bitterness or encouraging lingering resentment, the text demonstrates that true stewardship requires submitting to lawful authority, seeking useful education, and laboring for the common good. By focusing on mundane responsibilities—such as procuring warm socks for suffering soldiers or securing farm lime for a son's worn-out land—the book argues that individual character is forged not in grand historical gestures, but in the faithful execution of daily obligations to family, community, and country.

Why Read It Today

This volume will appeal to readers of nineteenth-century biography, military history, and domestic memoirs who seek an unvarnished, firsthand look at a central Civil War figure. Reading the text feels less like reviewing a grand historical treatise and more like sifting through an intimate family archive. The primary power of the book lies in its quiet contrast between momentous national events and small domestic concerns, showing a famous commander worrying over garden vegetables, horse health, and student recitations.

However, modern readers should be prepared for specific structural and thematic difficulties. The narrative moves at an unhurried, nineteenth-century pace, punctuated by long stretches of routine family correspondence and detailed logistical chatter that can feel dense or repetitive. Furthermore, the text reflects the racial, social, and political attitudes of the mid-nineteenth-century South, including references to slavery, period terminology, and an unquestioning devotion to the Southern cause. The book does not offer critical modern commentary on these perspectives; instead, it presents them strictly as they were recorded at the time. What stays with the reader is the poignant image of an aging leader attempting to navigate total defeat with dignity, prioritizing practical education and quiet reconciliation over political rhetoric in his final days.