▁doing . ▁ ▁Civil ▁War ▁ ▁Man ass as ▁and ▁first ▁fr iction ▁with ▁President ▁Davis ▁When ▁his ▁native ▁state , ▁Virginia ▁se ced ed ▁from ▁the ▁Union ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 1 , ▁John ston ▁res igned ▁his ▁commission ▁as ▁a ▁brig ad ier ▁general ▁in ▁the ▁regular ▁army , ▁the ▁highest - ran king ▁U . S . ▁Army ▁officer ▁to ▁do ▁so . ▁He ▁would ▁go ▁on ▁to ▁state , ▁" ▁I ▁believed ▁like ▁most ▁others , ▁that ▁the ▁division ▁of ▁the ▁country ▁would ▁be ▁permanent ; ▁and ▁that ▁... ▁the ▁revolution ▁begun ▁was ▁just ified ▁by ▁the ▁maxim s ▁so ▁often ▁repeated ▁by ▁Americans , ▁that ▁Free ▁government ▁is ▁founded ▁on ▁the ▁consent ▁of ▁the ▁govern ed , ▁and ▁that ▁every ▁community ▁strong ▁enough ▁to ▁establish ▁and ▁maintain ▁its ▁independence , ▁has ▁a ▁right ▁to ▁assert ▁it . ▁ ▁Having ▁been ▁educated ▁in ▁such ▁opinions , ▁I ▁naturally ▁determined ▁to ▁return ▁to ▁the ▁State ▁of ▁which ▁I ▁was ▁a ▁native , ▁join ▁the ▁people ▁among ▁whom ▁I ▁was ▁born , ▁and ▁live ▁with ▁my ▁kind red , ▁and ▁if ▁necessary , ▁fight ▁in ▁their ▁defense ." ▁ ▁He ▁was ▁initially ▁commission ed ▁as ▁a ▁major ▁general ▁in ▁the ▁Virginia ▁milit ia ▁on ▁May ▁ 4 , ▁but ▁the ▁Virginia ▁Convention ▁decided ▁two ▁weeks ▁later ▁that ▁only ▁one ▁major ▁general ▁was ▁required ▁in ▁the ▁state ▁army ▁and ▁Robert ▁E . ▁Lee ▁was ▁their ▁choice . ▁John ston ▁was ▁then ▁offered ▁a ▁state ▁commission ▁as ▁a ▁brig ad ier ▁general