Lee Day

Lee (Robert E.) Day

Third Monday in JanuaryThe Confederate General Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807. He was in charge of the military and naval forces of Virginia during the Civil War, building a reputation as a brilliant military strategist and a man who inspired great loyalty among his troops. By the time he was appointed general-in-chief of all the Confederate armies, the South's defeat was imminent. Lee's subsequent surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House in 1865 marked the end of the war ( see Appomattox Day).
In 1889 Georgia became the first state to make Lee's birthday a legal holiday. Other states observing Lee's birthday each year include Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi. Texas observes Lee's birthday as Confederate Heroes Day .
CONTACTS:
National Park Service
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Turkey Run Park
McLean, VA 22101
703-235-1530
www.nps.gov
Stratford Hall Plantation
Birthplace of Robert E. Lee
485 Great House Rd.
Stratford, VA 22558
804-493-8038
www.stratfordhall.org
SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, pp. 68, 77
AnnivHol-2000, p. 11
DictDays-1988, pp. 73, 96