Growing up in the South, Lee has always been sort of a cultural icon. In school, we learned that Lee joined the Confederate Army because he could never fight against his home state of Virginia (and regardless of who he fought for, he was one of the best military leaders in American History). But we were also taught that he was basically opposed to slavery. There's a quote from a letter to his wife where he describes slavery as a "political and moral evil". So I always assumed that he was a great guy, fighting for his home, even though he knew it was a lost (and perhaps he even knew it was an unworthy) cause.

With everything that's been going on recently, I decided to read that whole letter to his wife. This is a passage from it, dated 1856:

The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, socially & physically. The painful discipline they are undergoing, is necessary for their instruction as a race, & I hope will prepare & lead them to better things. How long their subjugation may be necessary is known & ordered by a wise Merciful Providence.

The more I researched, the more I found sources that said he also owned slaves, and there were reports of him being particularly cruel and abusive to them as well.

So now as far as I can tell, other than his military prowess, he was just another racist, slave-owning rebel. I feel like I need to go have a talk with my HS teachers... Can someone give me some good sources to go along with this?