When the Civil War began, General Robert E. Lee was torn by conflicting loyalties. Although he had served in the U.S. Army for 36 years, he could not bring himself to fight against the rebellious South, his native region. Lee resigned from the Army and joined the Confederate cause as commander of Virginia s military forces. Although he eventually surrendered, ending the war, Lee is remembered as a brilliant general and a man of great dignity and steadfast principles.".