He owned 5 slaves personally, a female “Nancy” and her 4 boys. I always wondered, what happened to the girl children. The chances of 4 boys and no girls is about 1 in 16.
Lee was a career military man. He moved where his leadership sent him, and he brought no slaves along. His primary "ownership" of slaves was via his role as executor of his father-in-law's estate. Hs actions in that period (1860-1862) primarily show that he had vastly more important things on his mind.
Lee's calculated defensive tactics are what kept McLellan out of Richmond for the peninsular campaign (where Lee was initially also called, derisively, the "King of Spades.")
Lee had substantial influence over his postings, particularly in his later years with the US Army. Far from merely going where sent, he requested, and got permission for extended residence at Arlington to settle his father in law’s estate. That is why he happened to be available when John Brown raid in Virginia took place.
Lee, when he took command of the so called “Army of Northern Virginia” didn’t use calculated defensive tactics before Richmond. Rather he used attacks by Jackson’s corps, which mostly did not succeed, and cost the south 20,000 men.
Lee’s attacks destroyed an army. His own.