UNDER THE CONFEDERACY
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could take no part in the invasion of the
southern states, considering such an act a
breach of his oath to "support and defend the
constitution of the United States'" as inter-
preted by Attorney-General Black. He re-
ported his decision to Gen. Scott, and on
April 20, 1861, he tendered his resignation,
at the same time addressing a letter to Gen.
Scott, asking him to recommend its accept-
ance.
On April 23, 1861, upon the invitation of a committee of the Virginia convention, he visited Richmond, where he accepted the commission of commander-in-chief of the military and naval forces of Virginia with the rank of major-general. On April 24, 1861, in his address before the convention, assembled in Richmond, accepting the trust, he closed with these words : "Trusting in Almighty God, an approving conscience and the aid of my fellow-citizens, I devote my- self to the service of my native state, in whose behalf alone will I ever again draw my sword." On May 23, 1861, the people of Virginia by a vote of 125,000 to 20,000 ratified the ordinance of secession, and the same day the United States navy yard at Norfolk was evacuated by the United States authorities and taken possession of by the Virginia state troops ; 10,000 Federal sol- diers crossed the Potomac and took po.ises- sion of Alexandria, Virginia. On May 29, President Davis with his cabinet arrived in Richmond, which became the capital of the Confederate States of America. On June 8, 1861, Virginia transferred her military forces to the new government and Gen. Lee became military adviser to Gov. Letcher, commander-in-chief.
In selecting defensive lines for the state, he designated Manassas Junction, where, on
July 21, 1861, the first great battle was
frught and won by the Confederacy. After
the death of Gen. Robert S. Garnett, Lee
was ordered to command the troops in west-
ern Virginia comprising about 6,500 men
commanded by Generals Johnson, Loring,
Wise and I'loyd. He had been commis-
sioned a general in the Confederate army,
but was outranked by both Generals Cooper
and Albert Sidney Johnston. He found the
Federal forces commanded by Gen. W. S.
Rosecrans, with an army double the num-
ber under Lee, and both commanders acted
on the defensive, chiefly on account of in-
cessant rains and the state of the roads.
After the season for active operations in the
mountains was over, Lee was put in charge
of the defenses of South Carolina and
Georgia. In the spring of 1862 he was made
m.ilitary adviser of President Davis. On
June I, 1862, after Gen. Joseph E. Johnston
had been wounded and the command of the
Confederate army had devolved on Gen.
Gustavus W. Smith, President Davis ap-
pointed Gen. Lee to the command of the
Army of Northern Virginia, and he drove
the army of McClellan to the protection of
the Federal gunboats at Harrison's Land-
ing, on the James river. Lee had inflicted
on his adversary a loss of one hundred and
fifty ordnance and commissary wagons and
12,000 stands of arms, burned to prevent
change of ownership, and 15,900 killed and
wounded, 10,800 prisoners, 50 pieces of ar-
tillery, and 36,000 stands of arms captured
by the Confederate army. On July 13 he
detached Gen. Jackson with 22,000 men to
operate against Pope, who was advancing
upon Richmond by way of Manassas Junc-
tion, and in August he advanced with the
main body of his army, about 35,000 strong.
