Virginia Warrior: Robert E. Lee's Agonizing Road to War

After his Mexican-American War triumph and success at Fort Carroll, Robert E Lee faced a decade of frustration that culminated in his being the man who stopped John Brown at Harper's Ferry, and soon faced the impossible choice between leading the armies of his nation or his native state when tensions spiralled to war in the wake of the Brown raid. In this episode, we discuss Robert E Lee's time as superintendent of the US Military Academy at West Point, his commandership of the Comanche-hunting cavalry in the sun-baked plains of Texas, his management of the debacle at Arlington following the death of George Washington Parke Custis, his defeat of John Brown, and his decision to side with Virginia. We focus in particular on the antics of his nephew Fitz Lee at West Point, the tediousness of life on the Texas frontier, the slander he faced from the Northern abolitionist press, the madness of Brown's raid, and Lee's last discussion with General Winfield Scott.

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0:00 When Lee Defeated John Brown at Harper's Ferry

4:52 Lee the Burdened Superintendent of West Point

17:17 Dull Duty on the Texas Frontier

27:05 George Washington Parke Custis's Disastrous Will

33:49 Managing Arlington, Slandered by the Press

39:25 Lee Is Called to the Rescue to Stop John Brown's Raid On Harper's Ferry

43:48 Stopping John Brown: The Engine House Assault

51:45 Texas and Secession

54:02 Lee Chooses Virginia

Sources Referenced in this Episode:

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