WI/ACH: Have Lee accept Scott's offer

In OTL, Robert E. Lee was offered a top leadership position in the Union army by his former commanding officer, Gen. Winfield Scott (he was also offered the rank of Major General and command of the defenses of DC). As we all know, her turned down the offer, and decided to follow his state, Virgina.

But what if he hadn't? From what I understand, Lee agonized over the decision, and him picking Virgina over the Union was not a done deal. What if he had accepted one of the offers given to him, or at the very least thrown his hands up and tried to sit the whole thing out?
 
In OTL, Robert E. Lee was offered a top leadership position in the Union army by his former commanding officer, Gen. Winfield Scott (he was also offered the rank of Major General and command of the defenses of DC). As we all know, her turned down the offer, and decided to follow his state, Virgina.

But what if he hadn't? From what I understand, Lee agonized over the decision, and him picking Virgina over the Union was not a done deal. What if he had accepted one of the offers given to him, or at the very least thrown his hands up and tried to sit the whole thing out?

From what I understand, I do not think Lee would join the Union Army if Virginia secceeds. At best he would resign his commision and stay at Arlington. If Virginia does stay in the Union then all bets he would staybon active duty.
 
Lee as he was wouldn't have chosen the Union over Virginia, there would have to be some different life experiences to inspire such a change of mind.

If he did choose the Union over Virginia though, it would have been a great boon for the Federal war effort. His offensive style of warfare was much better suited for the armies of the North than the South given their abundance of resources and the strategic aim of conquering the South rather than resisting invasion.
 
A life-changing event could of course be contrived to alter Lee's stance, but IOTL he was very firmly dedicated to Virginia. If Virginia secedes, Lee will not fight for the North. He might opt to resign his commission, as has already been suggested.

If Virginia does not secede, it's a whole different ballgame, as has been dicussed in a recent thread. Virginia staying with the Union (or trying to stay neutral) would almost certainly lead to North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas following Virginia's lead. That, combined with the loss of Lee and other Virginian generals, utterly dooms the Confederacy. It would be a short war.

If we go with a life-changing event for Lee, making him very pro-Union (like his fellow Virginian, George Henry Thomas), that's still a huge blow to the Confederacy, and a big win for the Union.

Interesting butterfly: no Arlington Cemetery. It was established on the grounds of Arlington House (Lee's home) by his former friend, Montgomery C. Meigs (the Quartermaster General of the Union). Meigs had taken Lee's choice to side with the Confederacy very personally, and had vowed to bury the dead where Lee would have to look at their graves for the rest of his life. If Lee and Meigs stay friends, this never happens.
 
What happens if Virginia is so closely contested they have their own civil war?

OTL West Virginia didn't form till 1863. If a few more counties to the east of that sliver between Maryland and Virginia elect pro-Union people, you would have Lee's home in the part wanting to stay Union.

Who does he fight for when "Virginia" as he knows it is such a mess? And his home district wants to stay in the Union?

Not sure if this can happen, though.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
I can possibly see Lee not siding with the Confederacy, but I cannot see him siding with the Union against Virginia. At most, he will sit the war out. That might actually be good for the Confederacy.
 
Is it possible for Lee to fight against the Confederacy sometime between the Confederacy's formation and Virginia's secession from the USA?
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
Is it possible for Lee to fight against the Confederacy sometime between the Confederacy's formation and Virginia's secession from the USA?

You have Turtledove's scenario of Lee being in Twigg's position in San Antonio and being forced to defend federal property against the Texas secessionists.
 
If we go with a life-changing event for Lee, making him very pro-Union (like his fellow Virginian, George Henry Thomas), that's still a huge blow to the Confederacy, and a big win for the Union.

Perhaps if Lee is more influenced by his Unionist sister Anne and his cousin Admiral Samuel Lee, who said "When I find the word Virginia in my commission I will join the Confederacy."

Gaining Lee is not necessarily a big win for the Union. Lee's early efforts in ATL were poor and nearly got him permanently removed from field command.
 
Is there not a question mark about the process by which Virginia seceded. There was certainly a significant number of white guys in that state who opposed the treason
 
What if one of his sons already commissioned in the US Army told him that he'd be staying with the Union no matter what? They only resigned and joined the Confederacy after their dad did. Lee's brothers and cousins mainly stayed with the Union. Perhaps if he thought joining the Confederacy meant he'd face his son on the other side of the field of battle, maybe he'd have made his decision to accept Scott's offer.

Does anyone know which army precisely Lee would have commanded? Was it the future Army of the Potomac, or something else?
 
Is there not a question mark about the process by which Virginia seceded. There was certainly a significant number of white guys in that state who opposed the treason

I'm not sure about Virginia in particular, but in some states the succession referendums were political circuses, and there was a lot of fraud and chicanery. Ballot boxes disappearing or getting stuffed, pro-unionists being intimidated. If things get out of hand in Virginia, perhaps a stronger, and less western-focused loyalist Virginia will emerge, one that Lee feels he can support as the legitimate government of that state.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
There was certainly a significant number of white guys in that state who opposed the treason

Virginia rejected secession after Lincoln was elected. It was only after the firing on Fort Sumter and Lincoln's call for troops to suppress the rebellion in the Lower South that Virginia determined to secede from the Union.

To put it in perspective, one of the most strident Virginia Unionists right after Lincoln was elected was Jubal Early. One of the most ardent Virginia secessionists after Lincoln's calls for troops was - you guessed it - Jubal Early.
 
Virginia rejected secession after Lincoln was elected. It was only after the firing on Fort Sumter and Lincoln's call for troops to suppress the rebellion in the Lower South that Virginia determined to secede from the Union.

To put it in perspective, one of the most strident Virginia Unionists right after Lincoln was elected was Jubal Early. One of the most ardent Virginia secessionists after Lincoln's calls for troops was - you guessed it - Jubal Early.
Dear God!:eek:

Jubal Early, Union General.

I must now know.
 
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