“He was a foe without hate; a friend without treachery; a soldier without cruelty; a victor without oppression, and a victim without murmuring. He was a public officer without vices; a private citizen without wrong; a neighbour without reproach; a Christian without hypocrisy, and a man without guile. He was a Caesar without his ambition; Frederick without his tyranny; Napoleon without his selfishness, and Washington without his reward.” –Benjamin Harvey Hill Robert E. Lee is forever enshrined in American history as one of the great generals of his era. Serving as a military engineer for the United States Army for 32 years, Lee distinguished himself among his peers and when his home state of Virginia declared secession from the Union in 1861, he chose to align his home state. Lee turned down a senior command in the Union army to side with his countrymen for what will soon be known to all as the American Civil War. In 1862, Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia and earned his stripes as an able and cunning battlefield commander. Many of the Confederate victories were won in these early years of the war and cemented Lee’s place in the Confederate high command. In the summer of 1863, Lee’s army pushed north into Pennsylvania and faced George G. Meade, a decorated Union officer under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant. The battle to come would be known to history as the Battle of Gettysburg, which over the course of 3 days would result in the largest single blow to the Confederacy during the entirety of the war. As the Army of Northern Virginia retreated, an ill and defeated Lee is famously reported to have ridden out on horseback and proclaimed to his retreating forces: “All this has been my fault”. The casualties during the Battle of Gettysburg were unrecoverable but Lee and the Confederates fought on, and in 1865, Lee was given supreme command of the entirety of the Confederate Army. But it was short lived. They would make their last stand at the Battle of Appomattox Court House and on April 9th, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. Men like Lee are a generational occurrence and deserve a special place in our nation’s history and in our memories. Sadly, in the current political climate, we are seeing rising attempts to erase the history of such important figures, as statues are being torn down, vandalized or have their fates hanging in limbo.Heritage Patriart is doing its part to preserve the memories of America’s heroes by providing limited edition, signed, and true to life portraits of Robert E. Lee and other heroes so that their memories can live on in our homes, on canvas. All original works come with a certificate of authenticity and clients can be rest assured that each piece is a unique, and handcrafted work of art that will preserve a piece of American history in the comfort of your home or office. By Josh Jung