Robert E. Lee

Since his military school days, Robert E. Lee excelled as a soldier. He was the first cadet to receive the rank of sergeant while at West Point, where he graduated at the head of his class in artillery and tactics, and ranked second in his class overall. Lee continued his distinguished military career, and was asked by Abraham Lincoln to take control of the entire Union army against the Confederates. Instead, he fought for his native Virginia out of loyalty during the Civil War. After surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant of the North in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Lee supported reconciliation between North and South. He became known as the great Southern hero of the war, and his popularity grew in the North as well after his death in 1870. Today, Lee is remembered for his character and his devotion to duty, and he remains an iconic figure of American military leadership.