# Robert E. Lee — Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant character guide > Robert E. Lee in Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Lee, General Lee, General Robert E. Lee, General R. E. Lee, R. E. Lee **First appearance:** 0003-i ## Snapshot The Confederate commander whose dignified, terse replies to Grant's surrender letters reveal a man who knows the arithmetic of defeat but will not say so aloud. ## Who they are Lee answers Grant's first note from Appomattox with formal courtesy, refusing to concede hopelessness while reciprocating the desire to spare blood — a careful performance of composure by a general whose army is dissolving around him. His soldiers slip away by the hundreds as the retreat crosses their home counties; one colonel reports himself the last man of his regiment. Lee matters because his restraint in these exchanges sets the moral tone for the war's ending, and because Grant's respect for him shapes the generous terms that follow. ## Relationships ### [Ulysses S. Grant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/characters/ulysses_s_grant) _rivalry_ Lee and Grant were the opposing commanding generals in the final campaigns of the Civil War, with Grant ultimately forcing Lee's surrender. ### [Winfield S. Hancock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/characters/winfield_s_hancock) _rivalry_ Lee and Hancock faced each other in several major battles, with Hancock's corps often bearing the brunt of Lee's offensives. ### [Philip H. Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/characters/philip_h_sheridan) _rivalry_ Sheridan's cavalry and infantry forces relentlessly pursued and defeated Lee's army in the final months of the war. ### [George G. Meade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/characters/george_g_meade) _rivalry_ Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac against Lee, notably defeating him at Gettysburg and later pursuing him in Virginia. ## In the story ### [Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/personal-memoirs-of-u-s-grant) Confederate general whose surrender at Appomattox is a key event in the memoirs. ### [March to Jalapa—Battle of Cerro Gordo—Perote—Puebla—Scott and Taylor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/x) Captain of engineers who supervised reconnaissances at Cerro Gordo. ### [Return of the Army—Marriage—Ordered to the Pacific Coast—Crossing the Isthmus—Arrival at San Francisco](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/xiv) Mentioned as a fellow officer known in Mexico, later a Confederate commander. ### [Resignation—Private Life—Life at Galena—The Coming Crisis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/xvi) Not mentioned in excerpts. ### [The Military Situation—Plans For the Campaign—Sheridan Assigned to Command of the Cavalry—Flank Movements—Forrest at Fort Pillow—General Banks's Expedition—Colonel Mosby—An Incident of the Wilderness Campaign](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/xlvii) Lee commands the Army of Northern Virginia, strongly entrenched on the south bank of the Rapidan, and is described as the acknowledged ablest general in the Confederate army. ### [Commencement of the Grand Campaign—General Butler’s Position—Sheridan’s First Raid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/xlviii) Main Confederate objective; his army and Richmond are the primary targets of the campaign. ### [The Battle of the Wilderness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/l) Confederate commander, personally led troops on the second day after Longstreet was wounded. ### [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/li) Confederate commander; initially misjudged Grant's movement toward Spotsylvania. ### [LIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/liii) Confederate commander; counterattacks furiously to regain the lost salient and later moves his line to cover the new Union front. ### [Movement by the Left Flank—Battle of North Anna—An Incident of the March—Moving on Richmond—South of the Pamunkey—Position of the National Army](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/liv) Confederate commander; deceived by Grant's movements and telegraphs Richmond about the crossing. ### [Chapter LV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/lv) Confederate commander; exchanges letters with Grant regarding truce for wounded and dead. ### [Left Flank Movement Across the Chickahominy and James—General Lee—Visit to Butler—The Movement on Petersburg—The Investment of Petersburg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/lvi) Grant considers Lee's shorter lines and potential to threaten Butler or Hunter; Lee sends Early and Ewell's corps to the Valley. ### [Arrival of the Peace Commissioners—Lincoln and the Peace Commissioners—An Anecdote of Lincoln—The Winter Before Petersburg—Sheridan Destroys the Railroad—Gordon Carries the Picket Line—Parke Recaptures the Line—The Line of Battle of White Oak Road](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/lxiii) Grant fears Lee's escape from Petersburg; Confederate army's situation described as desperate. ### [The Capture of Petersburg—Meeting President Lincoln in Petersburg—The Capture of Richmond—Pursuing the Enemy—Visit to Sheridan and Meade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/lxv) Confederate commander; attempts to evacuate Richmond and join Johnston, but is pursued and cut off by Union forces. ### [The Correspondence and Surrender at Appomattox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/lxvi) Confederate commander; exchanges letters with Grant regarding surrender terms and ultimately raises the white flag at Appomattox. ### [LXVII: Negotiations at Appomattox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/lxvii) Surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia, meets Grant at Appomattox, and requests rations for his starving army. ### [Morale of the Two Armies—President Lincoln Visits Richmond—President Lincoln's Assassination—President Johnson's Policy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/lxviii) Surrendered at Appomattox with 28,356 men; his army's disintegration is detailed. ### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/conclusion) His surrender at Appomattox is referenced as the end of the war. ### [Appendix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/appendix) His surrender at Appomattox is a key event documented in the appendix. ### [Report of Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, of the United States Armies 1864–65](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/report-of-lieutenant-general-u-s-grant-of-the-united-states-armies-1864-65) Corresponds with Grant regarding the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia; his example influences other Confederate commanders. ### [Organization Charts—Union and Confederate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/organization-charts-union-and-confederate) Commanding the Army of Northern Virginia. ### [Confederate Army](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/chapters/confederate-army) Commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/characters/robert_e_lee - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/personal_memoirs_of_ulysses_s_grant_se/characters