The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-10-27
| OUR HONORED DEAD.
The Funeral Of General Lee.

The Funeral of General Lee.
The mails bring some interesting details of
the funeral of General Lee, not given in the
telegraphic accounts. A letter from LeXing-
ton, Va, dated Saturday last, says:
At early dawn delegations from Staunton and
the surrounding country began to arrive, and
up to IL o'clock the people continued to pour
in, until there was, despite the fact that the
washing away of the bridges cut off many of
the people who would most gladly have been
here, the largest crowd ever assembled in Lex
ington All classes came to do honor to our
beloved and lost hero His old soldiers, who
followed him so cheerfully in the darkest hours
of the Confederate struggle the professors of
the college, who he ever treated with such
marked consideration the students, to whom
he was in every sense loving father and an an
unexampled guide; the faculty and corps of
cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, in
whose welfare and success he ever manifested
so lively an interest; the sovereign representa-
tives of his native, loved Virginia the citizens
of the town and county whom he honored with
his last days in fact, every class, young and
old, rich and poor, white and black, turned out
to do him honor, for he was the friend of all.
At 10 o'clock precisely the procession was
formed on the college grounds, in front of the
presidents house, and moved down Washington
street, up Jefferson street to Franklin Hall,
thence to Main street, where it was Joined in
front of the hotel by the representatives of the
State of Virginia, and other representative
bodies in their order, and by the organized
body of citizens in front of the courthouse.
The procession then moved by the road to
the Virginia Military Institute, where it was
Joined by the visitors, faculty, and cadets of the
Virginia Military Institute in their respective
places. The procession was closed by the stu
dents of Washington College as guard of
honor, and then moved up through the Inst
tute and college grounds to the chapel.
The procession was halted in front of the
chapel when the cadets of, the Institute, and
the students of Washington College were
marched through the college chapel past the
remains, and were afterwards drawn up in two
bodies on the south side of the chapel. The
remainder of the procession then proceeded in
to the chapel and were seated under the dlrec-
ton of the marshals. The gallery and side
blocks were reserved for the ladies' AS the
procession moved off to solemn dirge by the
| Institute band, the bells of the town began to
toll, and the Institute battery fired minute
guns, which were kept up during the whole ex-
erciscs. i.
General 3. T. Johnson was In command OF
the soldier guard of honor. Captain j. j.
White, professor in the college, was chief mar
shall. It was remarked that the different classes
who ioined the procession mingled into each
other. and that among the boards of the college
and Institute, faculties, the students and cadets,
the Legislative committee, the delegations, and
even the clergy, were many who might with
equal proprcty have Joined the soldier guard
of honor; for they, too, had followed the stand
ard of Lee in the days that tried mems souls.
Along the streets the buildings were all ap--
| J.o,,od and crowds yvnrn rOthnrpd
on the corners and in the balconies to see the
procession pass. Not a flag foated above the
procession, and nothing was seen that looked
like an attempt at display. The old soldiers
wore their ordinary citizens dress, with sim
pie black ribbon in the lapel of their coats,
and Traveller, led by two old soldiers, who had
the simple trappings of mourning. The Vir-
ginia Military Institute was very beautifully
draped, and from its turrets hung at half-mast,
and draped in mourning, the flags of all the
States of the late Southern Confederacy.
When the procession reached the Institute 1t
passed the corps of cadets drawn up in line, and
guard of honor presented arms as the hearse
passed. When it reached the chapel, where an
| immense throng had assembled, the students
and cadets, about six hundred and fifty strong,
marched into the left door and aisle past the
remains and out by the right aiels and door to
their appropriate place. The family, appropri-
ately iofned by Drs Barton and Madison, the
attending physicians, and Colonels ". Fl. Tay-
| lor and c. S. Venable, members of General
Lees staff during the war, occupied seats inn
mediately in front of the pulpit, and the clcr-
gy, of whom q number were present, Faculty OF
the College, end Faculty of the Institute, had
places on the platform.
The coffin was literally covered with flowers
and evergreens, while the front of the drapery
l ~ L. bod Of
evergreen and immortelles. Rev. DIR. Pendle-
ton, the long intimate personal friend of Gen
eral Lee, his chief of artillery during the war;
and his pastor the past five years, read the
beautiful burial services of the Episcopal
Church. No sermon was preached, and nothing
said besides the simple service, in accordance
with the known wishes of General Lee. After
| the funeral services were concluded IN the cha-
pel. the body was removed to the vault pre-
pared for its reception, and the concluding SER
vices read by the chaplain from the bank on
the southern side of the chapel, in front OF the
vault.
There was sung in the chapel the 18th hymn
of the Episcopal collection; and after the CONN
was lowered into the vault, the congregation
sang with fine effect the grand old hymn,
allow firm foundation, yc saints of the Lord"
The vault is constructed of brick, lined with
cement. This top just reaches the floor of the
library and will be double-capped with white
marble on which is the simple inscription,
"RoBERT EDMUND LEE"
"Born January 10Th, 1907. Died October 18th,
1870"
The burial case is one of Fisk's patent me-
tallic caskets, handsomely mounted with silver
and lined with white silk. After the funeral
the soldiers were marched to the Courthouse
and there unanimously adopted resolutions ex-
pressing their earnest desire that the remains
of the great chieftain may continue to lie here
Interesting Sketch Of Gen. Lees Life.
Robert E. Lee was born at Stratford, in 1906.
u;s family has been distinguished in Virginia