General Robert E. Lee After Appomattox

A collection of letters, essays and addresses regarding the accomplishments of General Robert E. Lee during and after the American Civil War, General Robert E. Lee After Appomattox details Lee's life after the Army of Northern Virginia's surrender in 1865. After the war, Lee supported President Johnson's plan of Reconstruction, joined the Democratic party, and relinquished his family estate, the Custis-Lee Mansion (the Arlington National Cemetery, today) to the Union. While Lee wished to retire quietly on a farm in rural Virginia, he was asked to serve as the president of Washington College, today called Washington and Lee University. He served at this post until his death.