No family, of course, is perfect. Whether opposing Nathaniel Bacon and his rebels in 1676, or condemning English colonial policy in 1776, or turning back the Union Army at the Seven Days' Battles of 1862, the descendants of Richard and Anne Lee have occupied a preeminent place in American history. They were among the first families of Virginia. Two were signers of the Declaration of Independence and several others distinguished themselves during the Revolutionary War. Light-Horse Harry Lee was a controversial cavalry officer in the Revolutionary War, whose wild real estate speculation led to imprisonment for debt and finally self-exile in the Caribbean. One of Harry's sons, Henry Lee, further disgraced the family by seducing his sister-in-law and frittering away Stratford, the Lee's ancestral home. Another son, however, became the family's redeeming figure-Robert E. Lee, a brilliant tactician whose ruling motto was self-denial. He remains widely admired for his lofty character and military success.