From the Annals of Bad Decisions – In 1861, Gen. Winfield Scott ordered Col. Robert E. Lee to return to Washington from Texas to assume command of the Union Army. Instead, Lee resigned his post and was commissioned into the Rebel Army.  After a rather undistinguished campaign in western Virginia and a brief stint as military advisor to the Insurgent Leader Jefferson Davis, Lee succeeded Joseph Johnston as the Insurgent Commander in June of 1862.  Historians will never know and can only speculate as to how many lives were lost as a result of Lee’s decision. 

Photo of Lee’s statue being removed.