Robert E Lee Character Analysis

At the beginning of the Civil War, leaders in the North and South were tasked with selecting the best men possible to lead their troops. Both sides needed to find men of outstanding character in order to succeed in their war efforts. Robert E. Lee showed himself as exactly such a man. President Abraham Lincoln agreed and sought out Lee, an accomplished U.S. military veteran with 32 years of service, to lead the Union troops. Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, knew Lee lived in Virginia, a state that had succeeded from the Union. Davis wanted Lee to command the Confederate Army. Ultimately, Robert E. Lee, a man of great character who valued relationships as the crucial element in leadership, honored those around him and displayed

fierce loyalty, decided to lead the army in the South.
General Lee excelled as a leader, believing personal connections were the key to good leadership. He understood the emotional and physical demands faced by the soldiers he led. Lee had many men under his command in the Confederate Army and “worked hard at becoming the sort of man he knew his army needed” (Marrin 106). During the war, men in the army were far from home and their families. Lee knew how they felt so he worked to be available for his men as their general, a father figure and even a friend. One morning in an exchange with a young lieutenant, General Lee used a casual greeting and empathized with the soldier’s workload, believing that speaking as a friend he would best convey his expectation of a good day’s work (Marrin 108). The relationships General Lee formed with his troops built a foundation of trust. His men expressed that “if he was nearby, they felt safe...” (Marrin 172). General Lee cared deeply for his men and tried to never expose them to unnecessary danger. It was described that Lee felt as if “losing men was like losing his own children, it brought tears to his eyes” (Marrin 108). The success of General Lee as a relational leader was exemplified in how his men “regarded him as a higher form of humanity” (Marrin 109) and found that “what they did, they did for him” (Marrin 109) in their war efforts. Robert E. Lee, a born leader, shined in commanding an army of men with whom he served alongside.
In addition to having good relationships with the men, General Lee earned his soldiers’ respect over the course of the Civil War by honoring them. Lee treated everyone as equals. As a result, he never elevated himself, as the general, above his men. “He deliberately chose to live simply as a way of building respect” (Marrin 106), refusing to sleep indoors or eat better than those he led. General Lee honored the men who bravely fought in the battles he commanded. On one occasion, Lee said no words to his soldiers as they prepared for the battlefield but instead “removed his hat, as if in church, or in the presence of someone he greatly respected” (Marrin 108). General Lee honored his soldiers and in return they honored him. After the Confederacy lost the war, Lee still received respect as “…his men loved him for himself, not only for his deeds” (Marrin 187). Even though Lee did not secure a victory for the South, he experienced personal triumph upon return home when the war ended. When walking on the streets, Lee encountered “union men, common soldiers, and officers alike, raising their hats” (Marrin 189) in a show of respect for a man of honor himself.
The honor Lee exhibited for others did not hinge upon their worthiness of it or the identity of the object of their loyalty.

General Lee admired loyalty as a character trait to be respected as he was intensely loyal himself. When confronted with a choice at the beginning of the war, Lee chose to stay loyal to his home state of Virginia and resign his commission with the Union army. “He considered himself an American. He hated secession, as he hated slavery. Above all though, he was a Virginian” (Marrin 33). Lee’s loyalty to Virginia meant he fought for the very beliefs he disagreed with, slavery and succession. Unfortunately, Lee’s loyalty resulted in one of his greatest personal failures as he ended up on the losing side of the war. Confronted with the reconstruction of the United States under one flag, Lee refocused his loyalty and “urged former Confederates to become loyal Americans” (Marrin 192). Once he made a decision, Robert E. Lee embraced the change to the focus of his loyalty but never wavered in his passionate approach toward his allegiance.

Robert E. Lee was a man whose character caused him to be respected by the North and the South, before and after the war. People on both sides recognized Lee as an accomplished leader who valued personal relationships, bestowed honor on those around him, and displayed devout loyalty. It was said, “these bluecoats were saluting a gallant foe, but also one they wished had fought with them instead of against them” (Marrin 190). Lee exemplified a man of such character, causing him to be appreciated by both friends and enemies

alike.