Lincoln’s Election, Southern Secession: 1860 to April 1861John Brown’s Failure |
Who was Robert E. Lee, and why was he chosen? |
Born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1807, Lee was fifty-two when he received the call to stamp out John Brown’s rebellion. Lee came from one of the most distinguished families of the Virginia plantation aristocracy: the Lees had been active in Virginia politics for almost a century and a half. This does not necessarily mean that his road had been easy, however.