Lee was a hero and a great general ..but first let me say I'm a northerner born and raised ... But Lee was sought after to lead the union army. He was torn between the nation of America and his loyalty to his state.. back in those days states had far more rights than now and ones state was your home land . He chose to stay with his state ( loyalty) He and grant treated one another are equals and were civil like real men should be . So his loyalty to his state and the fact that the north wanted him ,shows his worth. . And the CSA was just that. Confederate states of America. We are, we were all Americans... So like all great generals of this great nation. Lee is and was a hero and a patriot