The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-11-16
HEKNI&B go MORAIITY AND
HO51sFEs,tsS,

AO1KnF nsIsS. = 8. s :
The Riebmopd Dispasch, Of the 18th
ibsissI soatsiasd. Me 4 following .i,bio.
graphical sk etoh ,ofsoat fmmortsl Lee:
"RoBcrt f. Lev ,xss. born q. Stra.ford,
10, 1906. His family has Been. distin-
euished 10 virgidia for 200 year.
Twosof his gtend nnelea wore sigues4 Sf
the Decisration of Independence. His
father wss the famous Light Horse
Hairy Sf revolutionary fame, who served
terms 10 the Federal Congress aud ss
Governor Of Virsiuis; and whose: first;
wife was also a Leo. Robert =. Lee was
Of the issue ofa second msrriage--the
secogd .s0p of Henry Lee and hise twife
Anue, daughter OF Charles Carter; Of
Shirley. As, however, he borrowa no
greatness fioml his ancestry, but was
himselfthe 'greatest OF great line, we
shall say no more as to his family,
"Robert Il. Lee entered West Point
Academy in 1925, aud graduated at. the
eud ofthe usual term without having
he'd dcmerit mark. 1929 he was
appointed brevet second lieutenant; and
assigned to the corps OF Typographical
engineers He served for several years
10 this corps. 1882 he was married to
Miss Custis, the daughter Of George
Washington Parke GUSTS, the adopted
son of General Waeh;ns.ea. IL 1856 1856
he was made first lieutenant, and in 1888
captain. During tho Mexican war he
was on the etaff first Of General w ool; and
then General SCOTT as chief engineer.
At the battle OF Cerro Gordo, April 18,
1847, he was brevetted major Tor gal
la6try. At Chapultepco he was wounded
September l3, 1S47, aud was brevetted
lieutenant colonel. General Scott fro
quently spoke ofhim in his dispatches
US remarkable for his gallnntry. Colo,
mel Lee was next appointed member of
the Board Of Engineers. In 1852 he
became superintendent Of West Point
Academy. IN 1855 he was assigned to
service in cavalry regiment, which took
him to the West. In 1860 he was sent
to Harper's Ferry to put down the John
Brown raid, March l6, 1861, he was
made colonel Of cavalry in the United
Statas: army. His resignation of his
office in that army was dated April 20,
1861.
"Early in 1861, the convention Of
Virginia selected Gen. Lce as Command
er in Chief Of the forces of this State,
her fortunes not having at the time been
formally united with 1850 Of her South
ern sisters. When q State Joined the
Confederaoy, he became a rContcderate
officer. After ;,tlro defent Of General
Garnett by Mcclellan, and his subse
quent death, General Lee was sent to
North west Virginia, where he did not
distinguish himself He was recalled by
Mr. Davis, aud, on account Of his
great skill as an engineer, he was sent
to exumine tho defences on the Atlantic
coast. In May, 1862. M'ClellaL marched
up the peninsula. The battle of Seven.
Piues touk place, in which General Jos.
+. johnson was wounded, aud General
lee was put in his stead in command Of
the Confederate forces. Soon followed
the great bottles before Richmond, from
Meohanicsville to Malvern Hill. in which
Gen. Lees name became famous the
world over. In these battles, more than
10000 prisoners were taken, fifty-two
pieces of artillery, and upwards of 35.
000'stand Of small arms. From this time
forth, the hopes of the people OF the
South were centered in General Lee.
The whole army was placed 10 his hands.
He it was that ordered all its movements
and was entitled to tho credit for the
strategy employed He ordered the
movements which resulted in the fa-
nous battles of the following August
Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas,
&c. On the Sd OF September, his army
crossed the Potomac, and on the 17th
was fought the grand battle OF Sharps-
burg. General lee alway' claimed this
as victory. His army, however, re
turned to Virginia al once.
"On the 18th of December, 1862.
occurred the battle of Fredericksburg,
one Of the most complete successes of
the war. In 1863, May,2, the battle Of
the Wilderness was fought. The success
here, too, was complete, but jackson
fell. Here, too, General Lee showed
the greatness ofhis heart in that cele.
brated letter to the dying ohieftain. in
which he said that for his cnuntry's sake
he could wish it had been himself ine
stead Of Jackson that had been wounded.
On tho 4th Of May that battle was re-
newed, and resulted in the defeat ofthe
Federal army and its retreat, with loss
of II, 900 killed, wounded and prisoners,
fourteen pieces Of artillery, and 5000
stand of arms. This was called the bat.
tie of Chancello rsviIle.
"Gencral Lee again marched North
wards. He went into Pennsylvania
with his little army, and there, on the
I'd and 3D. of July, 1868, fought the
bluody battles which, though rather
drawn battles than victories for either
side, much more seriously damaged
that army whose losses could not be re-
paired.
"In May, 1864, occurred the baltic Of
the Wilderness, SpSusyivania Court
House, &C., 10. General Grant vas con-
stantly repulsed, but as constantly re-
uewed his flank movement until he
landed upon the banks Of the james.
There were, many battles gilmore or less
Importance during. 1864 and the begin.
ming Of 1865. April 2, 1865, occurred
Tho noocu>f;on nf n ;ch M ond q nd haoo m