Confederate States Army general (1807–1870) Robert Edward Lee was a Confederate general whose early actions in the American Civil War led to his appointment as the overall commander of the Confederate States Army near the end of the war. He led the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's most powerful army, from 1862 until its surrender in 1865, earning a reputation as one of the war's most skilled tacticians. Wikipedia's most-read article for 2 days in a row: 711,189 views in all, peaking at 363,923 on August 16, 2017. Wed, Aug 16: 363,923 views Thu, Aug 17: 347,266 views Wiki link