Many consider Robert E. Lee a great general and while some may not support the cause he fought for, they must give credit where credit is due. Lee was a natural leader who took control and led the Southern Army to great successes during the Peninsula Campaign, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and most notable, Chancellorsville. Lee continued his command until the spring of 1863, where he suffered a devastating loss at the Battle of Gettysburg. After this, Lee continued to fight with his dwindling army which, after putting up a fierce fight, finally ended with the North in the lead. Even with the war lost, Lee remained a legendary general and remained a popular figure in the South. One reason for this was due to the fact that Lee won many battles and put up a good fight overall against an army that vastly outnumbered his own and had access to an almost infinite supply source. That said, this brings me to my next point: say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Throughout the war, it's fair to say that Lee played the cards he was dealt almost perfectly. On the southern side was a smaller army, consisting of approximately 750,000 to 1,227,890 men. On the northern side was an army of 2,673,841 men, more than double the southern army. When it comes to the resources available to each side, the North won in almost every category. In industry, the North had a total of 101,000 factories compared to 21,000 in the South and had approximately ten times more workers than the South. When it came to finances, the North had approximately $234,000,000 in bank deposits, compared to $74,000,000 for the South. Furthermore, one of the most influential factors in the outcome of the war was to be the railroad. Stretching across the North was a vast railway network totaling just over 20,000 miles. In the South, only 9,000 miles of railroad ran through the already crumbling Confederacy. Because of these huge differences, the South was not able to obtain nearly the same amount of supplies and reinforcements as the North. An example of this can be found in one of Lee's letters to Mrs. Lee in which he was stationed at Camp Fredericksburg. Lee wrote: “Time is now very hard for our poor Bushmen. This morning, the entire country is covered in a foot-deep blanket of snow. I was almost up to my knees when I went out this morning, and our poor horses were wrapped up. We have dug them and opened our avenues a little, but it will be terrible and the roads impassable. No cars from Richmond yesterday. I fear that our short rations for men and horses will have to be reduced. In this letter it is easy to see the dire situation the South finds itself in and Lee knows it too. However, what makes Lee so great is his ability to work with what he has. This would later be demonstrated at the Battle of Chancellorsville, where Lee won a resounding victory. This was already demonstrated during the Battle of Fredericksburg, in which Lee once again won through his strategic greatness. During this battle, Lee was, once again, outnumbered and outnumbered. What Lee had was great positioning and a great plan. Lee's army was stationed on higher ground with two smaller forces ordered by Lee to defend his right and left flanks. This proved to be a remarkable move on Lee's part, for when the enemy crossed the river they were met by a strong fighting force who poured in rifle fire and,