The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-07-28

General Lee In Civil Life.
Lextn0tnH (Vd.) OOTTeSpOndence Of he Rich
HIOnd 1in1eS, lfrsstlVi . d.
= A visit to Lexington, pleasant on
many accounts, is peculiarly so by rea-
son OF the fact that you. hear on all sides
collections of the two great men whose
names are SO dear to the South. Every
one loves to talk about Lee, and every
one has something new to tell about
jackson. I know not when In all my
life, l passed so pleasant an evening as
that at Col. Massie's, where, for hours,
the conversation related wholly to his
colleague and intimate friend. sthelead-
eF o6theStoneWAll brigade. Never be-
fore had l heard or read so lively and
description of the complete
physical, mental, and moral nature of
the man, and am quite sure that If
this oral sketch could be put in print,
just as Il came from Col &iassie's lips,
II would be far more e-entRrtalning than
anything which has yet been publish
ed. II is surprising what number of
incidents are remember
ed BY almost every person you meet,
and this fact alone is enough TO prove
that Jackson must have been no ordf-
nary man. Perhaps at some future
time may give your readers an out
line Of What has been told me about "the
With regard to. General Lee, the fol-
lowing questions and answers will af-
ford you some idea OF his way of life:
and of the esteem in which he is held
by all chsses:
f.'Do the college boys like himF''
Like himf They love him.
well, does he like the position as
president, or does he merely put up
with 1t in view of something belterP''
E
the place was first offered him, by let
ter, he declined it; but after Judge
Brockenborough had visited him and
explained to him fully the views and
wishes of the faculty, he accepted, and
accepted in good faith, being satisfied
that he could discharge the duties of
the position and be of service to his
''Since he came he has been pleased,
IsuppOse9H g iFe3
How could it be otherwise9 Every
body is delighted with him, as he must
know whenever he looks in the face of
student, cadet or citizen; besides, he is
that he is doing good"
He lives comfortably"
house, well furnished; and while his
salary is not large his every want is
and oftentimes anticipated. %
-'Hpw do you Llean2"
t'Why, every stage that enters the
village brings him a parcel or box, sent
by express, and these boxes and par
GELS contain almost every imaginable
to clothing and provisions"
z ''Where do those boxes come from2"
"From every quarter Of the globe
you may say, but chiefly from Baltl-
~. Are the donors known"
.ii'tNot always; indeed / do not think
t hey generally are, but when known
the gift is promptly acknowledged. The
other day a little girl living some four
miles in the country sent the general u
present of apples, and the very next
evening, to her great joy and the amaze
ment of her parents, General Lee rode
up, alighted, entered the house, and re-
histhanks, paid his little friend
a visit ofsome length"
"Does he mingle freely with the peo-
pleH'' a.5 7e 60 -.
'He is not at all unsocial, is free, yet
cautious in conversation, but his visits
are made chiefly to the ladies'"
u suppose he is greatly annoyed by
No, you can hardly say that. Some
times his patience is tried by persons
him to sit for his picture or
bust, and on one occasion he was heard
to declare that he had rather stand the
fire of half a dozen of the best marks
men in the army of Northern Virginia
than he vexed by the continued solicit
tations of artists, photographers, and
the like. BE was particularly worried
a few days ago by an old lady from the
South, who insisted on having lock of
even three threads of his hair, which
she had promised faithfully TO carry to
a young female friend in Alabama or
Georgia.
How did he manage to get rid of
herR" .. s5is ,,a.r.- ~.
"After considering the, dimculty, he
persuaded the old lady toput up with "A
in place of the lock of hair.
by no means satisfied, but the
general was hrm. He is also annoyed
by letters on alllsorts ofisubjects. One
lately received was from an
old woman in England, who sent him u
bill for 81, Which}a man OF his name,
Robert Z! Lee, had borrowed from her
in 1852. AS the old lady was evidently
in earnest, and the letter genuine, the
general promptly replied and proved
an alibi.H ts - slifIi
sis he writing a history of his cam
paigns 3' g7s 4....j.--
81 think So, At all events, he Is col
lecting materials for a history. Many
think he would be unwilling to publish
a history Just at this tune, when so
passions engendered by the war are
still fresh and ranking; but the fact
that Richardson, the New York pub
fisher, paid him visit not long since,
is regarded by others as proof that the
history IS now in process of compost
tion.n
Have no other publishers besides
Richardson approached himf"
oh, yes, one certainly has. A New
York publisher, whose name is with
held, offered TO endow Washington Col
lege with the sum of SO, 600 annually,
II General Lee would contribute one
article week to his paper. The propo-
sitton was made in form to the rector
by responsible party; but the rector,
for reasons which you can appreciate,
withheld it.''
itH" es -'' -
I "Yes, he did, at least it is said he did.
He became apprised of it in some way
and declined the offer" -..ss'
Does he concern himself about poll
lI mot at all. On the contrary, he Is
extremely careful that not even the sus-
PSi Pision Of politics should attach to the
SHis habits are Industrious, I have
heard 3n iif4 HGfijF so F
They are. As early ass6 o'clock in
the morning you may see him walking
into town 70 get his letters and papers;
the remainder Of the day Is devoted to
his manifold duties, and in the evening
he rides into the country on his white
n0Fao. mot aTnfrdnuonfTrT efnnTVfnor fR