The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-10-27

ANDERSON c. H. S. c. THURSDAY MORNING. OCTOBER ~,

corps. In 1882 he was married to Miss Gusts,
the daughter of George Washington Parke Gus
tis, the adopted son of General Washington
In 1886 he was made first lieutenant and in
1888 captain. During the Mexican wer he was
on the staff first of General Wool and then
General Scott, as chief engineer. At the bat
tie of Cerro Gordo April lS, 1847, he was bre:
vetted major. for gallantry. At Chapultepec he
was wounded September 13, 1S47, and was bre-
vetted ieutenant-colonel. General Scott re-
peatedly spoke of him in his dispatches as re-
markable for his gallantry. Colonel Lee was
next appointed a member of the Board of En-
gneers. In 1852 he became superintendent of
West Point Academy. In 1855 he was assign
ed to service in cavalry regiment, which took
him to the West. In 1859 he was sent to Har-
March 16, 1861, he was made colonel of cavalry
in the United States army. His resignation of
his Office in that army was dated April 20, 1861.
Early in 1861 the Convention of Virginia Sc
lected Gen. Lee as commander-in-chief of the
forces of this State, her fortunes not having at
the time been formally united with those other
southern sisters. When the State joined the
Confederacy, he became Confederate officer.
After the defeat of Gen. Garnett by Mcclellan
and his subsequent death, Gen. Lee was sent to
Northwest Virginia, where he did not distin-
guish himself. He was recalled by Mr.. Da-
Wis, and on account of his great skill as an en-
gineer, he was sent to examine the defences on
the Atlantic coast. In May, 1862, Mcclellan
marched up the peninsula. The battle of Sev-
en- Pines took place, in which Gen. Jos. John
ston was wounded, and Gen. Lee was put in his
stead in command of the Confederate forces.
Soon followed the great battles before Rich
mond from Mechanicsville to Malvern Hill, in
which Gen. Lees name became famous the
world over. In these battles more than ten
thousand prisoners were taken, 25 pieces of ar
tillery, and upwards of $4,000 stand of small
arms. From this time forth the hopes of the
people of the South were centered in Gen. Lee.
The whole army was placed in his hands. He
it was that ordered all its movements and was
entitled to the credit for the strategy employed.
He ordered the movements which resulted IN
the famous battles of the following August
Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, &c. On
the Sd of September his army crossed the Poto-
mac, and on the 18th was fought the grand bat
tie of Sharpsburg General Lee always claimed
this as victory. His army, however, returned
to Virginia at once.
On the 18th of December, 1862, occurred the
battle of Fredericksburg, one of the most COM
plete successes of the war. In 1862 May I'd,
the battle of the Wilderness was fought The
success here, too, was complete, but Jackson
fell. Here, too, General Lee showed the great
ness of his heart in that celebrated letter to the
dying chieftain in which he said that for his
country's sake he could wish it had been him
self instead of Jackson that had been wounded.
On the 4th of May the battle was renewed, and
resulted in the defeat of the Federal army and
its retreat, with loss of 1900 killed, woun-
ded and prisoners, fourteen pieces of artillery,
and $4,000 stand of arms. This was called the
battle of Charlottesville.
General Lee again marched northwards. He
went into Pennsylvania with his little army
and there on the I'd and Sd of July, 1868,
fought the bloody battles which, though rather
drawn battles than victories for either side
much more seriously damaged that army whose
losses could not be repaired.
In May, 1864, occurred the battles of the Will
derness, Spotsylvania Court House, &C., &C.
General Grant was constantly repulsed, but as
constantly renewed his flank movement until he
landed upon the banks of the James. There
many battles of more or less importance during
1864 and the beginning of 1865. April I'd,
1865, occurred the evacuation of Richmond,
and began the retreat of General Lees army
from Petersburg. April 8, he surrendered q
skeleton of an army to overwhelming numbers.
And thus ended his military career.
In August, 1865, General Lee was made
President of Washington College. His name
and fame soon made that popular institution.
He continued to hold the position until his
death.
And now what shall we say of this peerless
man? Language fails us. Of him as truly as
of that other illustrious one whom he so much
resembled might it be said, "He was first in
war; first in peace, and first in the hearts of his
countrymen." He was a true hero. There was
nothing common about him. As noble in soul
as he was perfect in physique, he was one of
those grand characters in which all the elements
combine "to give the world assurance of a man."
If the heather could say that "whom the
gods love die young" we may say that there is
in contemplating Gen. Lees death the sad con-
soling reflection that it is not now possible for
him to do aught to diminish the esteem in
which his name is held by mankind. ''The
past" as Daniel Webster said, "The past at least
is safe :" and now all earthly life is past. He
is now safe for place in the pantheon of his
admiring couutrymen.
"His Is Freedoms and Fames-
One of the few, the immortal names
That were not born to die"