Robert E. Lee: General Order No. 9

Robert E. Lee had a successful military career in the U.S. Army, but he tended to identify himself as a Virginian and sympathized with the interests of the slaveholding South. His views on slavery reflected a mixture of misgivings about the impact of slavery on whites and a belief that the institution was the best that could be done for blacks so long as they lived in the United States. He never doubted white supremacy; he blamed abolitionists for the controversy over slavery. Once he identified his interests with those of the Confederacy, Lee looked to wage aggressive war in order to beat back Union battalions and weaken northern public support for the war effort. He took command of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862. After almost three years of war, however, the Confederacy was forced to yield and surrender to Ulysses S. Grant, commander of the Army of the Potomac. Lee signed the Articles of Surrender on April 3, 1865, and the next day issued his General Order No. 9, releasing the troops and bidding them farewell. Never questioning the correctness of the Confederate cause, even in defeat, Lee steadfastly maintained that the Union victory was the result of overwhelming resources, not superior military skill.