Download Robert E. Lee - English Worksheets Land

Name Meaning of Words and Phrases Robert E. Lee
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage. Then answer the questions Robert E. Lee was from an aristocratic Virginia family that included many famous politicians and military figures. He saw himself as the next generation of his family’s greatness, and at the age of 18 he went to West Point Military Academy, where he finished without any demerits. He earned perfect scores in artillery, infantry and cavalry. Lee married after college, eventually fathering seven children. While his family stayed on his wife’s father’s plantation, Lee moved around the country with the army. When the U.S. went to war with Mexico in 1846, Lee distinguished himself for bravery in battle and his brilliant tactics. When the war was over, Lee was considered a hero. Lee’s next military action was to suppress the slave insurrection led by John Brown at Harper’s Ferry. His success put him on a short list to lead the Union Army in the event of a civil war. But Lee was more loyal to Virginia than he was to the army and he declined an invitation from President Abraham Lincoln to command the Union forces. When Virginia voted to secede from the union in 1861, Lee agreed to help lead the Confederate forces. Again and again he distinguished himself on the battlefield. But he suffered some substantial losses as well, in the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. Gettysburg nearly destroyed Lee’s army, and put an end to his invasion of the north, allowing the tides to turn for the Union army, who eventually gained the upper hand. Not long afterwards, Lee surrendered to Grant at a private residence in Appomattox, Virginia. I suppose there is
nothing for me to do but
go and see General
Grant, and I would
rather die a thousand
deaths. CCSS.RI.5.4 |© http://www.englishworksheetsland.com
Name Meaning of Words and Phrases DIRECTIONS: Using the context of the passage, write what you think each of the words below means. If needed, use a dictionary. 1. aristocratic 2. demerit 3. plantation 4. distinguish (ed) 5. tactic 6. insurrection CCSS.RI.5.4 |© http://www.englishworksheetsland.com