Born to Revolutionary War hero Henry "White Horse- Harry" Lee in Stratford Hall, Virginia, Robert seemed destined for military greatness. Despite their financial hardships Lee went to the United States Military Academy at Westpoint and graduated in the class of 1829. Two years later he married Mary Anna Randolph Custis , a descendant of George Washington's adopted son, John Parke Curtis. Lee has served 17 years a s an officer in the Corps of the Engineers, constructing and advising the construction of the nation's coastal defenses. He served in the Mexican and American War in 1846. From 1852 to 1855 Lee served as the superintendent of Westpoint and was responsible for educating all the men who would later serve him and oppose him. In 1859 he was called to stop an abolitionist raid at Harper's Ferry.

Irvin McDowell was a career American army officer and his first defeat against the Confederacy was in the first battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Bull Run. On May 14, 1861 he was given command of Northeastern Virginia despite having troops in combat. Even though his troops were inexperienced and unready pressure from Washington politicians made him send them out to fight offensive against the Confederate forces in Northern Virginia. After the battle of Bull Run McDowell was replaced with Major General George B. McClellan to be put in charge of the new Union army.

George B. McClellan is remembered as the army organizer of the Army of the Potomac. He was nicknamed the "young Napoleon" "Little Mac" and immensely popular with the men that served in his command. His military command does put a difference between him and Abraham Lincoln and would cause military and political problems for the Union. McClellan entered his military career after graduating the U.S Military Academy in 1842. He graduated second in a class of 59 along with 20 other men that would become full rank generals during the Civil War in 1846.

William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army int eh American Civil War (1861-65) and he received great recognition for his outstanding command in military strategy. Sherman served underneath General Ulysses S. Grant in 1862 and 1863 during the campaigns that led to the fall of the strong Confederate holds of the Mississippi River and Vicksburg. Grant appointed Sherman as the Union commander of the western theater battles.

George Meade was a US Ar,y Officer and a civil engineer who took part in the construction of some coastal lighthouses. He fought in the Second Seminole War and the American and Mexican War. Meade's experience in the Civil War includes being the brigade commander of the Peninsula Campaigns and the Seven Days Battles, including the Battle of Glendale where he was injured severely. He was also division commander and one of his most successful assaults was in the Battle of Fredericksburg. During the Gettysburg Campaign he was appointed the command of the Army of the Potomac just three days before the battle of Gettysburg.

Ulysses S. Grant was the 28th President of the United States and worked very closely besides Abraham Lincoln to lead the Union army yo victory during the Civil War. He implemented Congressional Reconstruction and was elected twice president. He put a lot of effort into removing slavery from the U.S. and to protect African American citizens. Grant graduated form the U.S Military Academy at Westpoint in 1843 and also served in the American- Mexican War an initially retired in 1854. When the Civil War officially started in 1861 he rejoined the U.S Army. In 1862 he took control of Kentucky and most of Tennessee, and ,led the Union forces into the Battle of Shiloh. He also incorporated African American forces into the Union.

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was a Confederate army general during the American Civil War. He is the best known Confederate army general after General Robert E. Lee. His military career includes the Battle of the Valley Campaign of 1862 and his service as a corps army commander in the Army of Virginia under the service of Robert E. Lee. At the Battle of Chancellorsville he was accidentally shot in the Army by some soldiers on the Confederate side and had to have his arm amputated. He survived, but died of complications of pneumonia 8 days later. Jackson was looked at as a heroic icon of the South.

James Ewell Brown Stuart was an American army officer from Virginia then became a Confederate State army general during the Civil War. Stuart graduated from Westpoint in 1854 and served in Texas and Kansas with the U.S Army. He also participated in the antics of Bleeding Kansas. He also participated in the capture of John Brown at Harper's Ferry. He served under Stonewall Jackson in the army of Northern Virginia until his death.

General Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate army. He was a self educated, innovative, cavalry leader during the war as a Southern advocate in past wars. He served as the first Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan, but he later distanced himself form the organization.

James Longstreet was one of the most foremost generals in the Confederacy. He served under Robert E. Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Virginia. He brought many Confederate victories to the battles of Fredericksburg, Chickamuga, The Seven Days Battles, and Antietam. He was seriously wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness and couldn't fight the same from that point on.