Which side should he espouse--the side of the United States or that of the South?
To choose either caused him acute pain.
The attachment of the soldier to his flag is greater than the civilian can realize, and Lee had before him the brightest military prospects.
The brief record which we have presented of his military career in Mexico conveys a very inadequate idea of the position which he had secured in the army.

He was regarded by the authorities at Washington, and by the country at large, as the ablest and most promising of all the rising class of army officers.

Upon General Winfield Scott, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Army, he had made an impression which is the most striking proof of his great merit.

General Scott was enthusiastic in his expressions of admiration for the young Virginian; and with the death of that general, which his great age rendered a probable event at any moment, Lee was sure to become a candidate for the highest promotion in the service.

To this his great ability gave him a title at the earliest possible moment; and other considerations operated to advance his fortunes.