Though his cause was lost, his honor remained untarnished. As a young man, Robert E. Lee was one of the finest graduates ever to emerge from West Point. As the General-in-Chief of the confederate forces, he was a brilliant tactician, a faithful son of the south, and a man of impeccable honor. In his words, Ï think it is better to do right, even if we suffer in so doing, than to incur the reproach of our consciences and posterity.