The debate for seceding from the United States in the South began with the election of Abraham Lincoln into the presidency. The southern states feared that what Lincoln was suggesting with combining the north and the south’s ideas together with abolishing slavery would take away their economic existence. Mainly half or not all of the economic livelihood came from slavery in the South with cotton fields and relying on hard man-labor. With the Republican party threatening their constitutional rights in the Union, their social institutions, and their economic existence, the Southern states started to slowly secede from the United States. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina began the withdraw, and by March 1st, 1863, six states would have created the Confederate States of America.
The Confederacy had one man in mind to be in charge of the Confederate Army. However, it was solely his decision. Robert E. Lee was appointed as a cadet on July 1st 1825 at West Point. He graduated 2nd in the class of 46 soldiers on July 1st, 1829. He had prior service within the Mexican-American war in the 1840s.
Robert E. Lee married Mary Custis who was the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington. They married at the Arlington House, her parents house across the Potomac from downtown Washington on June 30, 1831. In 1859, three of their own slaves who worked the grounds of Arlington House escaped and fled north, but were captured a few miles from the Pennsylvania border. They were returned to the plantation at Arlington and each were given a punishment of numerous lashes to their backs.
In December 1860, South Carolina was starting the process to secede from the Union. However, in March 1861, General Lee had accepted a promotion to colonel and appointed to the 1st Cavalry Regiment on March 28th, again swearing oath to the United States. However, the Virginia Convention voted to declare secession on April 17th. The following day, Lee was offered the role of Major General for the Union Army.
However, his answer towards the Mr. Blair was legendary and will always be remembered. It was the following:
“Mr. Blair, I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned the four millions of slaves in the South I would sacrifice them all to the Union; but how can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native state?”
He refused the invitation of becoming the Union General, and then he made his way to the Virginia capital of Richmond where he was at once made a major-general in the Virginian forces. A few weeks later he became a brigadier-general for the Confederacy.
Overall, the Confederate army enlisted between 800,000 to two million soldier that fought against the Union.