|
|
|
Robert E. Lee (1807–1870)
|
Drawn reluctantly into the war, Robert E. Lee went
to the defense of his native state, as befit a man
in his position. He was born a first-family Virginian,
reared in the tradition of the Old South, and destined
to observe its customs throughout his life. Placed
in command of the Army of Northern Virginia in June
1862, Lee gave the Confederacy moments of hope with
a succession of early victories. His army was always
outnumbered, at times by as much as three to one,
so it was a triumph that he managed to keep it on
the field for the duration of the war. By 1864,
however, time and resources were working against
him, and in May U. S. Grant became his adversary.
Grant differed from those whom Lee had opposed
earlier. Relentless in battle, he afterward gave
pursuit. Moreover, Grant was unafraid of the legendary
Lee. During the Battle of the Wilderness, Grant
announced to a daunted staff officer that he was
“heartily tired of hearing about what Lee
is going to do.”
The Richmond painter Edward Caledon Bruce claimed
to have painted Lee from life in Petersburg, Virginia,
in 1865. This head-and-shoulders study is believed
to have been based upon Bruce’s now-unlocated
full-length painting of Lee.
|
|
Edward Caledon Bruce (1825–1901)
Oil on canvas, 1864–1865
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
|
|
