The Portland daily press., 1865-05-09
Tuesday Morning, May 9, 1866.
Arlington and its Proprietors.

colOnel OF cavalry IN the Union army, and
now Cemmander-in Chief Of the rebel army,
was with his family in happy possession OF
that magnificent Inheritance. More than one
half OF the inheritance, consisting of thou
sand acres, was covered with splendid for
est of oak and other timber, and the rich pro-
ductive fields, adorned with the hand Of cul-
ture. To day what a changel The venera-
bic ancestral mansion, erected by the honor
ed son by adoption OF the Father of his Coun
try, and for half a century his cultivated and
delightful home, is now the center OF vast
cemetery OF those who have fallen in the SER
vice OF their country. Two hundred and IF
ty acres of this estate surrounding the man
sion have been permanently appropriated for
burial purposes by the Government, and in
closed by substantial and handsome fence.
Nearly five thousand soldiers have already
been there buried, and the number is daily
growing larger.
In 1858, Mrs. Gusts, the mother of Mrs.
Gen. Lee, died in the Arlington mansion, and
was buried in q sequestered and delightful
grove near the mansion; and IN 1857 Mr.. Gus
tis died, and his remains were deposited by
her side, q vast concourse of every rank testi-
fying their reverance for the departed by their
presence at the obsequies That sequestered
grove, thus selected by its owner as a last rest
ing place for himself and family, has been, in the
tempest of the times, invaded; the forest has
DccH LIdlStoTuiCQ lubO u uclU Oh LUo QedUs anu
the two marble columns marking the remains
of George Washington Parke Gusts, and Ma
ry Lee Fitzhugh, his wife, now rise in the
midst Of more than four thousand patriot sol
diers' graves Nearly the whole of the tim
ber and wood has been swept from the entire
estate and used for war purposes. The Freed
mems village is established upon one portion
of the land thus cleared, and Is all being put
under cultivation by contraband negro labor.
I'll &.1 49,.
ther, who was the son Of Mrs. Gen. Washing
ton by a former husband. Soon after his
mother died, in 1902, he, then about twenty
i've years of age, came here from Mount Yer
non, and with his young and accomplished
wife took up their residence in the Arlington
mansion, which he had just erected, and which
evermore was their beautiful and cultivated
home. The fruits of this union were four
daughters, all OF whom died in infancy except
Mary Gusts, the wife of Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Mr.. Custis's father, John Parke Cnstis, was an
aid decamp to Washington, and died Of
camp fever Ia 1881. contracted at the siege Of
Yorktown, at the age Of tWenty-seven years.
He had married, at nineteen years of age, FL
eanor Calvery, OF Mount Airy, Md, descend
ant of Lord Baltimore, when bat fifteen years
of age, and at twenty three she was thus made
q widow with four children. General Wash
ington hastened to Ethan, Maryland, where
dying moments. This was the only surviving
child OF Mrs. Washington, the daughter haV-
ing died some years before. He was deeply
affected, and, weeping, said to- the mother:
81 adopt the two younger children as my
own"
These were EIeAnor Gusts, then two and
half years of age, who died at seventeen OF
consumption, and George Washington Rarke
Gusts, then six months old. General WASH
ington took unwearied pains in training this
son of his adoption, desiring to give him sol
id and liberal education; but his effort failed.
The son was averse to study, though posses
ed of good abilities and at twenty-three years
married, and devoted his life and very large
fortune, inherited from his father and mother,
to agriculture and pleasant literary pursuits.
He was possessed of much natural eloquence,
and wrote with ready and cultivated pen, as
the columns of the IntelIigencer, to which he
often contributed, bear Testimony. He was
one of the first persons in this country to en-
bark in the raising of merino sheep. He In
augurated an annual convention for the pro-
motion of agriculture and domestic manufac-
ture, known over the country as the Arlington
Strengthening. These gatherings were at
Arlington spring, beneath the shade Of . VEN
cradle oak near the banks of the Potomac. 81
For many years, on the 30th of April, the
annual shearing took place, q large coneourse
gathering to see the ceremonies. Prizes,
provided at the expense of Mrs. Gusts, were
awarded to those presenting the best speci-
mems of sleeps wool and domestic manufac-,
lures He had at one time large and splen-
did fock Of sheep Of the choicest breeds,
which, however were pIundered by thieves and
dogs, till at last only two remained, and these
for years held solitary sway In the domain.
Mr.. Custis took delight In paintings; but the
six paintings now hanging In the hall of the
Arlington mansion, representing battles and
Revolutionary incidents, painted by him,
evinces rather sorry capacity In the author
In that direction. The walls Of the mansion
were, however, adorned with some fine speci-
mems Of the art. Among them were several
splendid original portraits of Washington
one by the elder Peale, another by Stuart; and
there was also beautiful portrait oil bis moth
er by the latter-named artist All these fami-
ly pictures were taken away by the Lee fami-
ly when they went into the r bellion. es
The mansion is now occupied by the officer
in command of the post aud mis- subC rdinates.
The dinning-hall is used as an Office In this
room are three old-fashionedz book cases, con-
tanning some four hundred volumes, principal
ly old books-broken sets, and Of very small
value. The parlor adjoining the hall is occu-
pied, the only article in it being mahogany
sideboord, which came from Mount Vernon.
In the parlor beyond are two sofas and ak ma
hogany chairs, covered with scarlet velvet;
two marble-top tables, sideboard, and pi
ano-stool, matching the chairs. On the walls
are several coarse large portraits and one OF
two fine oil-paintings. There are also two old
engravings, of classical, NEUROLOGICAL char
acter, hanging with the rest The room in the
southerly wing, and used by Gen. Lee for his
Office, is now used as bedroom and all the
upper part of the mansion is used for a like
purpose. The building is not injured. The
flower garden has been inclOsed by new
fence, and is laid out and tastefully adorned
ed this spring.
The grave of each soldier is neatly marked
bv a wooden slab at the head and the foot
painted white, inscribed with the name of the
soldier and his company and regiment, and a
little distance these slabs have the appear
ance Of marble. The mounds are to be neatl.
covered with sod. 90 dw gsH
General Robert Edmund Lee is the son o
Gen. Henry Lee, OF Revolutionary memory
and known as Light Horse Harry" whos'
mother was the beautiful Miss Grimes, Gener
al Washington's first love, and whom he cele
brated as "the lowland beauty" Gen. Harry
Lee was twice married. By the first marriage
he had two children, Henry, IAN officer in t6s
war of 1922 and Lucy. BY the second wifi
"a Miss Carter. of Shirley-he had five chill
dren, two daughters, Anne and Mildred, ant
three sons. The sons were Charles Carter
Robert Edmund, 1.-THE General.) and Sidnel
Smith, the last named an officer In our navy
and now ia the rebel navy.
General Robert e. Lee was born In 1908
and is, consequently lfty-seven years Of are
He graduated second in his class, in 1890
Judge Charles Mason, of this city, and for
meTly Commissioner of Patents, standing drs
In that class, J and was assigned to the Engi
neer Corps, as second Lieutenant; in 1885 As
hak~ A~e~ Al -