answersLogoWhite

0

Robert E. Lee progressed through the ranks from Second Lieutenant, 1829, to Colonel, 28 March 1861, while serving in the United States Army. Within a few weeks of that final promotion, Lee was offered the position of Major General, 18 April 1861, but he turned that down, and resigned his US Army commission, 20 April 1861.

Lee accepted an offer from the CSA to take command of the defense of Virginia, 23 April 1861, and was one of the first five people to be named as a full General by the CSA, not long after.

Even though he was appointed as a full General, and later, 31 January 1865, named the General-in-Chief of Confederate Forces, Lee refused to wear anything but the insignia of a Colonel, three stars, until the CSA had won the war and he could be properly appointed as a General, during peace time.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?