, 1865-04-11

father. who WAS the son Of Mrs Gen. Wash
IDetop bY former husband. Soon after his
mUtbrr died. in 1902, be. then about twenty
Eve years Of aEe. came here from Mount Yer.
ntu. and with bis young and accomplished
wife took up their residence in the Arlington
mansion, which be had then just erected. and
which cyermore WAS their beautiful and cn1-
tiyated hume. The fruits Of this union were
four daughters, all Of whom died In infancy,
except Mary custis, ths wife o. tsn: 4 Robert
tis was m Aide-de,Camp to Washington,
and died Of q camp fever IN 1881, contracted
at the siege of Yorktown, at the age Of
tBcnty-seyen years. He had married, II nine
teen years Of age, Eleanor Cn1vert, OF Mount
Airy, Md, descendant Of the second Lord
age, and at twen,y-,hree she vas thus
made widow with four children. General
Washington hastened to Ethan, Md, where
the husband was sick, only to sec him in his
dying moments. This WAS the only Surviving
chld Of Mrs. Washington, the daugh,er hay
affected, and, weeping, said to the mother:
" / adopt the two younger children as my
own.' TEcee we're Eleanor Custis, then Two
and half years Of age, who died At seucn-
teen, Of consumption, and George Washing
ton Parke Gusts, then six months old. Gen.
Washington took unWearted pains In train
Ing this son of his adoption, d string to give
him a solid aud liberal education !; hut his ef-
forts failed. The eon WAS av.rso to study,
though possessed Of good abilities, and ii
twenty .thre4years OF age married. and de-
voted his l'fo ana very large fortune, Inherit
ed from his father and mother, 10 agriculture
and peasant literary pursuits.
The mansion is now occupied by the officer
in command Of the post and his subcrdinates.
The dining hall Is used as an Office. In this
room aIe three old-fashloned bookcases, con-
tsiDipg ST me four hundred volumes, prfncI-
I'll r1l hal HreG eGtat1 rft
snail Falue. The parlor adjoining the hail
is not occupied, the unly article In it being
mahogany sidehoard, which cnrne from Mount
Vernon. In the parloz beyond are TWO sofas
and six stuffed mahogany chairs, covered
with scarlet velvet. two marble-top tab1ea,
s!deboa:d, and piano stool, matching the
chairs. On the walls are several large coarse
portraits, and one or Two fine oil paintings.
there are also two old engravings, of clas-
sit al. my biological character, hanging With
the rest: The room in the sontherlY wing,
and us, d BY General Lee for his office, is nuW
used III b.d room, and all the upper part
OF the mansion is used for like purpose. The
has been enclosed By q ncw fence, and Is laid
out ard tasteiully adorned this spriug.
The grave OF each soldier Is neatly marked
by q wooden alab at the head aud The loot,
painted white, inscribed with the name OF tho
soldier s!. and hls company and regiment, and
=
Lealsnce Of marble. The mounds are to be
neatly covered wi1h sod.
General Robert Edmund Lee is the son Of
General Henry Lee, Of Revolutionary memo
~, and known as "Light Horse Hurry"
whose mother was the beautiful Miss Gsiu,es,
General Washington's first love, md whom
be celebrated as ''the lowland beauty"
G.neral Harry Lee wzs twice married. By
the first marriage he had two children,
Ienry ian officer In the war Of 1872 and
Lucy. By The second Wde-a Mfsa Carter,
Of shh1ey-he. had five children, to daugh-
ters, Anne and Mildred, and threes,ns. The.
,Uhe General and s1dne; smith, the list
named an officer in our navy, and now in the
esa Gene,si Ii RobertE. Lei WIS born in 1903, and
il consequently HftY-seven years Of agc. Hc
graduate second IN bis c1ass, In 1920 (Judga
Charles Mason, Of this city, and formerly Com
c1asr,) ard Was assigned to the Engineer
Cops, as second lieutenant; in 1885 assist
ant ast1pnomer, fixing the boundary between
Ohio and Michigan IN 1885 promoted first
}ieutt nant captain in 1885; chief engineer
under Scott, in Mexico, and greatly distin-
merit, mejor, iieute enant colonel and colonel
Tor hts gallantry; in 1852 superintendent OF
Military Academy in 1855 transferred as i
lieutenant colonel Of the new regiment Of
cavalry March 10th. 1851, promoted colonel
Of the 1st cavalry resigned April 25th, fol-
loEing, and reluctantly embarked in the re-
tellfon.
The following are the chi1den of Gen. Lee:
George Washington Gusts Lee, about thirty
three years Of age Mary Custis Lee, about
thirty; Will{am Henry Fitzhush Lee, about
twenty-seven Annie Lee died at Berkeley
Springs. In 1868. and would hare been now
about twenty-five Agnes Lee, about TWEEN
ty-thtee Robert Z. Lee, about twenty NIL
drea Lee, about eighteen. Meme Of them have
married except William henry Fitzhneh,
whose wife, m1As Charlotte Wickham, died at
Richmond in 1868. The eldest son, George,
graduated At the head Of his class, st West
Point, in 1885,, and was 1st lieutenant in the
corps Of eDginscra when he followed his f.
ther into tho Southern service. William
Henry mas farming upon the White House
estate, which belonged to the Custis inherlt-
auce, when the war opened. He was commits
sioped I'd lieutenant In the 9th 1nlantry in
1857, but resigned IN 1853. Robert was at =
military school In Virginia. The sons, 1t ts
veil known, are all officers In the rebellion.
The three surviving daughters are With their
mother, who, 1t il belieYed, has latterly been
1t Lguchburg.
Mr. Gusts, at the time of his death, owned
some %two hundred slaves. Who, by his will,
weTc 70 be free at The Termination Of five yeare
from his death, which period expired Octo-
Der 10th, 1863. The most Of these slaves were
Kept on the White House estate, and all the
valuable portion were carried South some
twenty or more old men ard women snd
children we're left Ut Arlington. Mr. Cus.is'
mother owned the White House estate, and
resided there when she became the wife Of
General Washington.
unstaa S....e ca.x..s,.u 1,nus.~x..