Saturday, April 20, 1861 Robert E. Lee was revered by General Winfield Scott as “the best soldier I ever saw in the field.” Trusting Scott’s judgement, Lincoln... offered him command of the Union army. This offer, however, happened the day after Virginia seceded. Though Lee looked “upon secession as anarchy” and would be willing to sacrifice all the slaves in the South to save the Union, he couldn’t draw his sword “upon Virginia, my native state.” It was two day later, on this date, from his home in Arlington, across the Potomac from the capital, that Lee officially resigned his...