"Save for defense of my native state, I never desire again to draw my sword."
— Virginia

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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States of the United StatesVirginia
Original Language: English

Sources

Robert E. Lee, as quoted in letter to General Winfield Scott (20 April 1861); as quoted in Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee (1875) by John William Jones, p. 139, after turning down an offer by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln of supreme command of the United States Army