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They were words that changed the course of the war: “General
Lee, I shall assign you to command of this army.” They were
spoken by Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States
of America, on an evening ride following the Battle of Seven
Pines. A mighty Northern army commanded by General George B.
McClellan had pressed Richmond’s defenders back to the outskirts
of the beleaguered Confederate capital. Then, at Seven Pines,
the Confederate army commander, General Joseph E. Johnston, was
seriously wounded.
Who would now take command of the Southern forces defending
Richmond? If the capital fell, the newborn Southern nation would
surely collapse. Riding back toward Richmond through the darkness
on Nine Mile Road, President Davis turned to his chief military
advisor, 55 year-old General Robert E. Lee, and made him the
army’s commander. Although he had opposed secession, Lee
was committed to defending his homeland from invasion, and obediently
accepted command. |