His mother, Anne, a descendent of Tomas More and the King of Scotland, and his father, a Revolutionary War hero. Lee’s family was one of the first families in Virginia, and one of the wealthiest. Interestingly his father fought under George Washington and then was Governor of Virginia. Lee had a wonderful relationship with his mother, he was her favorite. “When Anne was lonely he kept her company; when she was sick he nursed her back to health; in his teens he helped manage the household,” (Epstein, 2007, p. 23). This relationship caused Lee’s to become a gentlemen unlike his father and half-brother Henry IV whose lives were filled with scandal and issue (Epstein, 2007). In 1831, as an adult, Lee married Mary Anne Randolph Curstis, a great-granddaughter of Martha Washington. ("Robert Edward Lee”). Their marriage was considered a “happy one, despite the officer’s long absences” (Epstein, …show more content…
His family and loyalty to Virginia play a major role in his dissection to fight for the Confederacy. When looking at his family, there are clear ties to the United States which causes discrepancies in his loyalty to the Union and Confederacy. The first and most important is that “George Washington, the greatest of all Virginians, was Lee's idol, (Gallagher 2013). Washington symbolizes a great general and the United States because he was the commander of the army that fought for freedom, liberty and the United States. So when Lee decided to fight for the Confederacy, he now fights against Washington. Another important point is that he came from a family of Federalist. Ann example relating to his father is when he “had opposed the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions” because they would not provide the Union to be persevered because the resolutions were about state power (Gallagher 2013). ADD. Even his family loyalty, Lee also had loyalty to the Southern