Of course, I’ve heard many stories about Lee. By all accounts not only was a good general, he was a great man. The story that impressed me most, we heard at Appomatix Courthouse by the park ranger. When Lee rode down the road to the house to surrender to Grant, the union soldiers lined the road as a sign of respect.
Robert E. Lee was a GREAT AMERICAN.
He had every advantage of birth and wealth, and was raised to have a finely tuned sense of honor and decorum.
He chose a military career out of devotion to the example of his father the Revolutionary hero.
He was exemplary in every way.
And then he was faced with the choice between honoring his oath as an officer of the US Army and offending his neighbor's sensibilities, or breaking his oath and saving face.
He chose the latter.
It's interesting how one bad choice can affect the entire life of even the most accomplished and gracious individual.