Which leader was most directly affected by virginia’s secession at the start of the civil war?

  Robert E. Lee.

Explanation:

  He was born in Virginia and his father was the governor of that State. He was an American soldier who commanded the Confederate States Army. He was top graduated from the Military Academy and served as a military engineer during the Mexican-American War.

  Unlike many southerners who expected a glorious war, Lee predicted that the war was going to be devastating for both sides. In private, he opposed the Confederates States of America, he saw them as an attempt of revolution and a betrayal to the founding fathers of the United States. But when Virginia declared its secession from the union on the mid 1861s, Lee chooses to follow his home state to avoid dishonor given the ties to family and state.

  He even rejected an offer for the Union to be a Major General.

  I hope this answer helps you.