On This Day

Robert E. Lee is named general-in-chief of Confederate forces

Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general whose early actions in the American Civil War led to his appointment as the overall commander of the Confederate…

Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general whose early actions in the American Civil War led to his appointment as the overall commander of the Confederate States Army near the end of the war. He led the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's most powerful army, from 1862 until its surrender in 1865, earning a reputation as one of the war's most skilled tacticians.

A son of Revolutionary War officer Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee III, of the Lee Family of Virginia, Lee was a top graduate of the United States Military Academy and an exceptional officer and military engineer in the United States Army for 32 years.

Historical Significance

Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general whose early actions in the American Civil War led to his appointment as the overall commander of the Confederate States Army near the end of the war.

Key People

Robert E. Lee

Confederate States Army general

Confederate States Army general

Events Before

  1. Alfred Stieglitz is born

    Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, known for american photographer, was born on 1864-01-01.

  2. Qi Baishi is born

    Qi Baishi, Chinese painter, known for chinese painter, was born on 1864-01-01. Qi Baishi (1 January 1864 – 16 September 1957) was a Chinese painter, noted for the whimsical, often playful style of…

  3. White chapel murder victim and possible Jack the Ripper victim Mary Ann Nichols (18) weds printer's machinist William Ni

    White chapel murder victim and possible Jack the Ripper victim Mary Ann Nichols (18) weds printer's machinist William Nichols

  4. Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer marries Elizabeth Clift Bacon

    Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer marries Elizabeth Clift Bacon

  5. Battle of Gate Pā (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of

    Battle of Gate Pā (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of 230 entrenched Māori warriors in Tauranga [1]

Events After

  1. US House of Representatives passes the 14th Amendment (Civil Rights)

    The Civil Rights Act of 1866 (14 Stat. 27, enacted April 9, 1866, reenacted 1870) was the first United States federal law to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by...

  2. First transatlantic telegraph cable comes ashore at Heart's Content, Newfoundland, after being laid out 1,686 miles by I

    First transatlantic telegraph cable comes ashore at Heart's Content, Newfoundland, after being laid out 1,686 miles by Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Eastern steamship

  3. Tsarevich Alexander of Russia (later Alexander III) marries Princess Dagmar of Denmark at the Grand Church of the Winter

    Tsarevich Alexander of Russia (later Alexander III) marries Princess Dagmar of Denmark at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg

  4. Fisk University opens in Nashville, Tennessee

    Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

  5. Steamship London sinks in storm off Land's End, England and kills 220

    Steamship London sinks in storm off Land's End, England and kills 220

More from the 1860s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 4, 1865?
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general whose early actions in the American Civil War led to his appointment as the overall commander of the Confederate States Army near the end of the war. He led the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's most powerful army, from 1862 until its surrender in 1865, earning a reputation as one of the war's most skilled tacticians. A son of Revolutionary War officer Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee III, of the Lee Family of Virginia, Lee was a top graduate of the United States Military Academy and an exceptional officer and military engineer in the United States Army for 32 years.
Why is Robert E. Lee is named general-in-chief of Confederate forces significant?
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general whose early actions in the American Civil War led to his appointment as the overall commander of the Confederate States Army near the end of the war.
Who was involved in Robert E. Lee is named general-in-chief of Confederate forces?
Key figures include Robert E. Lee (Confederate States Army general).

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