Robert E. Lee (1807–1870) was an American career military officer best known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the U.S. Civil War. A graduate of West Point and veteran of the Mexican-American War, he was respected for his tactical skill. Despite personal reservations about secession, he chose to fight for his home state of Virginia when it left the Union.

Lee won several major battles but ultimately surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in 1865, effectively ending the war. Afterward, he supported national reconciliation and served as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) until his death.