Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-04-13

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49, - r 1Ap11b. .-..-.....is.
- n ~: ]. ! q. I s.! 756.
~ nsuznaesea ~ Gen. Lee
~ n1nu9snoes Psc3sassers-sss
0SooS oses-Toe Leo
49, d. National Inssllisssesr. April .
X,ea11A a the Ariingtoa Msasion 80
sun51S~rISinr estaNe. lev days since, nssea
~ssf y srnrcs Ave and melancholy rsnec
tfesa. -Four wears ego Robert =, Lee, snen
Z Ms.tensnt 1ojoosl Of the cavalry IN we
sseien nrmv. and now osmmsndcr- ~, c"ls'
~ ~ s.l,.Y army. was With bis family ~
~ 49, cos.sssioa u 49, ms9nincsn'
~ SSSsy Nors than one haIf o. sne -,
~ .s.s;st;.s Of thousand seres cUs ~
S:.s a ..SsrSid forest Of oak ana osoS ~
~ ~. ~ she rich and productive ne I
sS.-sS - he hand Of culture. Ieu.
-hs1s cSsnrsi The venerable soce
..so;e.. eessted BY the honored 80" y
s1crt;on eth Father Of his Country, ana
sor Z half century his cultivated and DC.
i;rhtfuI home, u now in the centre o. vass
cemetery Of taose who have fallen - va
ssrv;cc al their country. Two hundred
ana ffty acres Of this estate sul,ounu"s
~ mansion have been permanently sppro-
r ~. for burial purposes by the govern.
;r.nt ~ ieclosed BY . substantial and
hsndsome fence. Nearly i've Thousand
.oia;.,s have already been there buried,
~ ~ number is daily growing larger.
Il 1ena Mrs. Gusts, the mother Of NM.
Ca "a died In the Arlington mansion
ara - hurled In . sequestered ana DC
H-se6sI move near the mansion; and IN
1SS7 NJ. Custis died, and his remains was
deDositcd by her side, q vast concourse OF
persons Of every rank tcstifying their rev.
ersoce for the departed by their presence
~ {he ohseouies. That sequestercd grove
thu. selected BY its owner - the last rest
ing Mace Tor himself and his, has been IN
The fcmpest or the times invaded, the forest
haa han transformed inlo the Geld Of the
dead. and the two marble columns marking
the remains of Geo. Warrington, Parke
Gusts and Mary Lee Fitzhugh, his wife,
nov rise in the midst OF more than four
thonsand patriot soldiers graves. Nearly the
whole OF the timber and wood has been swept
from the entire estate and used for war pur-
poses. The freedmen villiage is establish
ed upon one portion Of the land thus cleared
and Il ia all being put under cultivation by
contrsband negro labor.
M. Gusts Inherited this estate from his
father who was the son Of Mrs. Gen. Wash
ington by former husband. Soon after
his mother died, in 1902, he then about 20
years OF age, came from Mount vernon,
and with his young and ACCOMPLISHED vile
took IN their residence in the Arlington |
manson. which he had then just erected,
add which evermore was their beautiful aud
cultivated home. The fruits Of this union
were four daughters, all Of whom died IN in
fancy except Mary Gusts, the wife Of Gen
Robert +. Lee. Mr.. Gusts father, John |
Park GUSTS, was an aide de-camp to Wash
iugtcn, and died Of camp fever in 1871,
contracted at the siege Of Yorktown, at the
age Of ~ years. lie had married at ~
years Of age, Eleanor Calvert, OF Mount
Airy. Nd, descendant Of the second Lord
Baltimore, when but Is years of agc, and
at 70 she was made widow with four chill
.rcn. Gen. Washington fastened to Eli
ham, Md, where the husband was sick,
only to see him in his dying moments. -
This vas the only surviving child Of Mrs.
Washington, the daughter having died some |
years before. He was deeply affected, and,
weeping. said TO the mother I'll adopt the |
two younger chidren as my own" These |
were Eleanor Gusts, then two and hall
years Of age, who died at II, Of consump- |
ton, and George Washington Parke Gus |
tic, then six months old. Gen. Washing
ton took unwearied pains in training this
-: .S s. ~. nj liberal sasssoS But his eofs
failed. Tho son was aversc to study. Though
a,vssrssed Of good abilities. and at the age
Of - 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 nat
ural eloqucnce, and wrote with ready and
cultivated pen, as the columns Of tho Intel
liRencer, to which he often contributed.
bear testimony. lie was one Of the first
persons in this country to embark in the
raising Of mcrino sheep. lie inaugurated
an annual convention for the promotion OF
agricultural and domestic manufacture,
known over the country as the Arlington
sheep -shcaring. These gatherings were Mt
Arlington spring beneath the shade OF u ven
cradle oak near the banks Of the Potomac.
For many years on the 30th of April, the
annual shcaring took place, large concourse
gathering TO see the ceremonies. Prizes
provided at the expense Of Mr. Custis were
awarded to those presenting the best speci
mems Of Sleeps wool and domestic manutac-
tureS. lie had at one time . large and
spacudid flock Of sheep OF the choices: breeds
which, however, were plundcred by thieves
and dogs, till at last two only remained, and
these for several years held solitary sway
in the domain.
Mr.. Gusts took delight in paintings; but
the six paintings now hanging in tho hall Of
the Arlington mansion. representing bat
ties and revolutionary incidents, painted by
him, evince rather a sorry capacity in The
author in that direction The walls of this
mansion were, however, adorned by some
fne specimens Of the art. Among them
several splendid original portraits Of Wash
iugtou-onc by the elder Peale, another by
Steuart and there was also beautiful
portrait Of his mother, by the latter named
artist. All these family pictures were taken
away by the Lee family when they went
into the rebellion.
The mansion is now occupied by the Off
Ger in command Of the post and his subor-
dinates The dining hall is used Is an office.
In this room arc three old fashioned book.
cases, containing some four hundred vol
O0sOos YUuc1R0diy Otu AouVASn SSsc,
- Of very small value The parlor ad
joining thc hall d not occupied, the only
article in 1t being = mahogany side board,
which came from Mount Vernon. In the
porSos beyond are two sofas and six mahog-
aay chairs, covered with scarlet velvet two
narble.top tables, sideboard and a piano
stool, matching the chairs On the walls
40 several course large portraits There
80 Also two old engravings, Of y classical,
mythological character, hanging with the
rest. The room in the southerly wing, and
used BY Gen. Lee for his Office, is now used
= bedroom; and al the upper part Of the
mansion is used for like purpose. The
building is not injured. The flower garden
has been inclcscd by new fence, and is
laid out and tastcfully adorned this spring.
The grave Of each soldier is neatly mark
ID BY wooden slab at the head and the
foot, painted white, inscribed with the name
Of the soldier and his company and regi-
nsnt. and at little distance these slabs
have tho appearance of ma rbie. The mounds