On March 28 1861, Lieutenant General Winfield Scott sent for Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Edward Lee. Scott was a friend of Lee who had sevred him in th war with Mexico. Lee was hear to receive a promotion from Scott to a full colonel.Lee acceppted the promotion from Scott and headed back to his beloved house Arlington.
On April 18 1861, Lee found himself back in Scott's office. This time though,one of President Linclon's aids was asking him if he wanted to be promoted to major general and take control of the defense of Washington. Lee declined because he was afraid he would have to do something he greatly feared:invading his beloved home land of Virgina,and that was something Lee would never do.
Lee resigned his postion in the United States Army and was appointed commander of the new confederate forces in Virgina, but when the Confederate Army was created, Lee became one of the five original confederate generals.Lee first job was to defend western Virgina. At the Battle of Cheat Mountian, where 15,000 confederates were defeated by a much smaller force of 2,000 fedral troops who's commander was General John F. Reynolds. It was an embarsing and Lee was widly critziced by southern newspapers. It was not a good start to Lee's career.
After the disater at Cheat Mountain, Lee was moved to "The Department of South Carolina,Geogia,and Flordia"to assume commanend of the defense of Savannah, which