Investor's Business Daily, June 28th, 2007
Many people panic in times of great stress. Gen. Robert E. Lee, however, didn't waste his time getting upset.
In 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia -- under Lee's command -- waited for one of his generals, James Longstreet, to mount an attack against Union forces at what came to be known as the second Battle of Manassas (or Bull Run).
In "The Genius of Robert E. Lee: Leadership Lessons for the Outgunned, Outnumbered and Underfinanced," author Al Kaltman quotes a Confederate officer saying: "Everybody's nerves were at their tensest -- everybody's except Gen. Lee's. His countenance did not show the least excitement or concern."
Lee (1807-70) simply told one of his officers: "I observe that some of those mules are without shoes. I wish you would see to it that all the animals are shod at once."
Without paying attention to detail, Lee knew, he could win the battle yet lose the war. "Unshod mules would break down more quickly than properly shod animals," Kaltman noted. "It was too important a detail to overlook no matter what else was happening."
At an early age, Lee understood that if you want something, you must pull out all the stops to get it. He was 17 when he decided to go to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and mounted an aggressive campaign to assure his admission.
It included getting an interview with the secretary of war, presenting him with letters of introduction from the secretary's family friend, plus letters of recommendation from a teacher, two older brothers and one signed by three congressmen and five senators.
His approach worked. But by the time he was accepted in March 1824, the class was already full. He had to wait until the following year. Lee wanted to be prepared. He enrolled in a school and studied math, a major subject at West Point. By the time he started, he'd completed much of the first-year math curriculum. That let him concentrate more on other academic subjects.
After graduation, he was assigned to aid the Corps of Engineers in improving fortifications. At one peacetime posting, he noticed the men had too much idle time. It was enough to convince him that he had to provide his people, as Kaltman wrote, "meaningful and challenging work (or) end up with disgruntled and dispirited people."
Throughout his career, Lee took great pride in his work. In 1839, he was offered a prestigious position teaching at West Point, a job he turned down, though it was an excellent career-track posting. He felt unqualified for the position and feared he'd do a bad job, which wouldn't help his students or his career.
When Lee was a captain, he was assigned to the staff of Gen. John Wool during the Mexican-American War. After American forces captured Monterrey, Gen. Zachary Taylor agreed to an armistice that stopped U.S. troops in their tracks for what proved to be a month.
Lee disagreed with the decision. "I now fear time has been given to them to recover ... and when hostilities are resumed they will be found stronger for the respite and we weaker," he said.
Later he recalled the experience while planning several attacks, and structured his offensive accordingly. His troops benefited greatly.
Lee opposed secession, saying he could "anticipate no greater calamity for the country." But he felt greater loyalty to his home state, Virginia, than to the federal government. Once the state left the Union, he immediately resigned his commission.
And he remained true to his principles. Just before he quit, he was offered command of the Union Army. That put him in line to command the entire U.S. Army and, if he won, to be a likely contender (a la U.S. Grant) for president.
But, Lee wrote, "I declined the offer. ... I could take no part in an invasion of the Southern states."
He instead took the post of commanding general of the Army of Virginia. He had to get it up and running quickly to repel an anticipated invasion from the North. He had cadets from the Virginia Military Institute drill recruits at bases he set up. As former U.S. officers joined the ranks, "he assigned them to command new units," Kaltman wrote.
Lee took the long view in his Civil War planning. He refused to let students enlist. "The war may last 10 years," he said. "What are our ranks to be filled from then?"
He was less concerned that he receive credit than that the job be well done. After victories at Harpers Ferry and Manassas, he sang the praises of two generals, P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph Johnson, never mentioning his own role in raising and equipping the army.
Despite Lee's many victories, the North's superior resources ultimately prevailed.
After the war, Lee made a conscious effort to set an example for other Southerners, pledging his loyalty to the U.S. and attempting to rebuild bridges. He was named president of Washington College (subsequently named Washington & Lee University in his honor) and set about rebuilding that, too. He had other more lucrative offers, but his honor compelled him to take the school post.
"I have led the young men of the South in battle," he said. "I have seen many of them die on the field. I shall devote my remaining energies to training young men to do their duty in life."
This story originally ran Nov. 5, 2002, on Leaders & Success.
