Editing Robert E. Lee (section)

==Summaries of Lee's Civil War battles==
The following are summaries of Civil War campaigns and major battles where Robert E. Lee was the commanding officer:<ref name="americancivilwar1">{{cite web|url=http://americancivilwar.com/cwstats.html |title=Civil War Casualties Battle Statistics and Commanders |publisher=Americancivilwar.com |access-date=October 15, 2010}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! <small>Battle</small> !! <small>Date</small> !! <small>Result</small> !! <small>Opponent</small> !! <small>Confederate troop strength</small> !! <small>Union troop strength</small> !! <small>Confederate casualties</small> !! <small>Union casualties</small> !! <small>Notes</small>
|-
| [[Battle of Cheat Mountain|Cheat Mountain]] || September 11–13, 1861 || Defeat || [[Joseph J. Reynolds|Reynolds]] || 5,000 || 3,000 || c. 90 || 88 || Lee's first battle of the Civil War. Severely criticized, Lee was nicknamed "Granny Lee". Lee was sent to South Carolina and Georgia to supervise fortifications.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/battles-campaigns/1861/610911-13.html |title=Battle of Cheat Mountain |publisher=Civilwar.bluegrass.net |access-date=October 15, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110621220704/http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/battles-campaigns/1861/610911-13.html |archive-date=June 21, 2011}}</ref>
|-
| [[Seven Days Battle|Seven Days]] || June 25 – July 1, 1862 || Tactically inconclusive; strategic Confederate victory
* Oak Grove: Stalemate (Union withdrawal)
* Beaver Dam Creek: Union victory
* Gaine's Mill: Confederate victory
* Savage's Station: Stalemate
* Glendale: Stalemate (Union withdrawal)
* Malvern Hill: Union victory
|| [[George B. McClellan|McClellan]] || 95,000 || 91,000 || 20,614 || 15,849 ||Tactically inconclusive; strategic Confederate victory, as McClellan's retreat to Harrison's Landing ended the Peninsula Campaign.<ref>McPherson 2003, p.470</ref> Lee acquitted himself well, and remained in field command for the duration of the war under the direction of Jefferson Davis. Union troops remained on the Lower Peninsula and at [[Fort Monroe#American Civil War|Fortress Monroe]].
|-
| [[Second Battle of Bull Run|Second Manassas]] || August 28–30, 1862 || Victory || [[John Pope (general)|Pope]] || 50,000 || 77,000 || 7,298 || 14,462 ||Union forces continued to occupy parts of northern Virginia but were unable to expand further.
|-
| [[Battle of South Mountain|South Mountain]] || September 14, 1862 || Defeat || McClellan || 18,000 || 28,000 || 2,685 || 2,325 || Confederates lost control of westernmost Virginian congressional districts which would later be the core counties of West Virginia.
|-
| [[Battle of Antietam|Antietam]] || September 16–18, 1862 || Inconclusive || McClellan || 52,000 || 75,000 || 13,724 || 12,410 ||Tactically inconclusive but strategically a Union victory. The Confederates lost an opportunity to gain foreign recognition; Lincoln moved forward on his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
|-
| [[Battle of Fredericksburg|Fredericksburg]] || December 11, 1862 || Victory|| [[Ambrose Burnside|Burnside]] || 72,000 || 114,000 || 5,309 || 12,653 ||With Lee's troops and supplies depleted, Confederates remained in place south of the Rappahannock. Union forces did not withdraw from northern Virginia.
|-
| [[Battle of Chancellorsville|Chancellorsville]] || May 1, 1863 || Victory || [[Joseph Hooker|Hooker]] || 60,298 || 105,000 || 12,764 || 16,792 ||Union forces withdrew to ring of defenses around Washington, D.C.
|-
| [[Battle of Gettysburg|Gettysburg]] || July 1, 1863 || Defeat || [[George Meade|Meade]] || 75,000 || 83,000 || 23,231–28,063 || 23,049 || The Confederate army was physically and spiritually exhausted. Meade was criticized for not immediately pursuing Lee's army. This battle become known as the high water mark of the Confederacy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://americancivilwar.com/getty.html |title=Gettysburg Battle American Civil War July 1863 |publisher=Americancivilwar.com |access-date=October 15, 2010}}</ref> Lee never again led an invasion of the North after this battle. Rather he was determined to defend Richmond and eventually Petersburg at all costs.
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| [[Battle of the Wilderness|Wilderness]] || May 5, 1864 || Inconclusive|| [[Ulysses S. Grant|Grant]] || 61,000 || 102,000 || 11,033 || 17,666 ||Grant disengaged and continued his offensive, circling east and south advancing on Richmond and Petersburg.
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| [[Battle of Spotsylvania|Spotsylvania]] || May 12, 1864 || Inconclusive<ref>{{cite book|last=McFeely|first=William S.|title=Grant: A Biography|publisher=Norton|location=New York|year=1981|isbn=978-0-393-01372-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/grantbiography00mcfe/page/169 169]|url=https://archive.org/details/grantbiography00mcfe/page/169}}</ref> || Grant || 52,000 || 100,000 || 12,687 || 18,399 ||Although beaten and unable to take Lee's defenses, Grant continued the Union offensive, circling east and south and advancing on Richmond and Petersburg
|-
| [[Battle of North Anna|North Anna]] || May 23–26, 1864 || Inconclusive || Grant ||50,000–53,000 || 67,000–100,000 || 1,552 || 3,986 ||North Anna proved to be a relatively minor affair when compared to other Civil War battles.
|-
| [[Battle of Totopotomoy Creek|Totopotomoy Creek]] || May 28–30, 1864 || Inconclusive || Grant ||N/A
|N/A
| 1,593 || 731 || Grant continued his attempts to maneuver around Lee's right flank and lure him into a general battle in the open.
|-
| [[Battle of Cold Harbor|Cold Harbor]] || June 1, 1864 || Victory|| Grant || 62,000 || 108,000 || 5,287 || 12,000 ||Although Grant was able to continue his offensive, Grant referred to the Cold Harbor assault as his "greatest regret" of the war in his memoirs.
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| [[Second Battle of Deep Bottom|Fussell's Mill]] || August 14, 1864 || Inconclusive || [[Winfield Scott Hancock|Hancock]] || 20,000 || 28,000 || 1,700 || 2,901 ||Union attempt to break Confederate siege lines at Richmond, the Confederate capital.
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| [[Appomattox Campaign]] || March 29, 1865 || Defeat || Grant || 56,000 || 114,000 || c. 25,000 General Lee surrenders || c. 9,700 || General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://americancivilwar.com/appo.html |title=Appomattox Courthouse Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant |publisher=Americancivilwar.com |access-date=October 15, 2010}}</ref> After the surrender Grant gave Lee's army much-needed food rations; they were paroled to return to their homes, never again to take up arms against the Union.
|}
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