Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-06-01
Arlington.

After the death of Mr.. Custis, Arlington
continued to be the residence of Gen. Lee and
family until the late civil war. The estate is
new held by the general Government, having
been purchased at tax sale. 1t had been as
sesscd with direct tax oil S92 OF, for the non
payment of which, with costs. &o., it was so!d
and bid iu to the United States Ior the sum of
S2t 500. The manner iu which this was ao
complshed needs to be ex aimed at some length,
as it is not well understood by the public at
large.
On the 18th of September, 1868, Messrs.
John Hawxhurst, Giiet /. Watson, and Wn.
j. Buremau, Tax Commissioners for the iusur
rec,ionary districts of Virginia, fixed the sum
of ninety two dollars aud seven cents as the
amount of tax due aud payable to the Unlted
States upon the Arlington estate, which was
valued on the land book OF the Stlte OF plr-
ynia ior the year 1860, al S34, 100. Fer nom
uaynlent OF the tax, the estate became forfeited
10 the Uated States, and the Commissioners
caused it to be advertised for sale IL tAc Var
giuia State Journal, published at hleXa"dTa,
and otherwise. the sale to take place on the
llth OF January, 1864 when, no person bidding
au amount equal to 0I larger than the tax and
penalty, with the lawful costs, and ten per
cent per annum interest un the tax then &C.
crued, and the estate having been selected un.
der the direction Of President LiucoIu. and 10
pursuance of his proclamation dated January
&, 1864 for Government use, for war, military,
charita able, and cducatlona! purposes, the c,m-
missiouers bid in the same t. the United
States for the sum- OF S26. 500. In the
otcia! records the estate is described as belong
Ing to Mary + Lee, and charged to her on the
lald-Dook OF tue State, as lying 90 the George
town road, nlnc miles northwest from the Court
House 10 Alexandria, as lately occupied oy
h bert 4. Lee, and IS bounded ou the \ nth
Is the laud VI Ross; on the East b. the
Potomac river; on The South BY the land OF Jas.
Roach, -Johuson, and Guy Henry; aud 90
the West by the land oil - Elliot, Coumbus
Alexander aud ohn Tuckcr, containing eleven
hundred acres, more or less.
Early in 1872, Mrs. L:e aud her son, y. W.
Gusts Lee, the owuer Of the rcverslou, still lay
ing cal ID to the estate, made proposition To
Congress, 10 which they of"red, upon the le-
capt OF $500, 900, to execute and deliver such
releases aod couveyances as might b. adjudged
sufficient to quiet the Guvcrnmcuts claim, and
give it a legal and valid title to the property.
Most of the timber has been cut from the es
tate aud US for military purposes. Freed
mems village was established upon portion
of the land thus cleared as home for freed
men aud this portion WAS pu under cultivation
by "contraband" uegro.labor Some two hun
dred and fifty acres Of the estate surrounding
the mansioo has b,en permanently appropria-
ted for burial purposes by the Government, I'd
enclosed by substantial AID handsome stone
fence. The cemetery comprises the northwest
corner o! the estate and the plateau sou Invest
FROM the mar sion. The former constitutes the
resting place tor he coOred people, and the
latter for the Uni1n and Confederate soldiers
buried at Arlington. Every grave is marked
with PLAIN white head board, with the name,
regiment and dat OF death painted 10 black let
ter, upon It, iu ease these We're known Many,
however, are marked ''unkuown. The ccm
etcry proper is Immediately beyond luxurlaut
growth of natural forest trees, oak pr, dDm.na-
ting, but cedar and other evergreens informing
hng. About sixteen acres OF the estate were
appropriated to the use OF the Syphax ta,nly,
former slaves of MIR. Cusl!s.
According to a written statement which l
saw and copied OH Decoration Day in 1870, The
interrneut OF fallen braves IL this most cclcbra.
ted city OF our patriotic dead, are rs follows ::
In,erments OF United States officers, 60; Unl-
ted States soldiers (whitc) ll.76l; United States
soldiers (colorcd) 39 "conrabaud<, 194 !;
Cont, d,ra!c officers, Is; Confederate soldiers,
SIG making IA total OF 6 $40 Since these in
terucu;s were made mlny bodies nave been eX
huucd aud removed, 50 that at present there
rcpose at this cemetery the remains o! IL ,2IG
of our heroic defenders, !, 1919 being knownaud
4,077 uakuown.
lu the midst of all these graves arc two mar
bic monuments, ludic sting the last resting
place of Alr. Custis and his wife. From Que
Of them We learn that the former proprietor Of
Arlington was born April 50, l7Sl, and died
. tobrr 10, 1857; aud from he other tina: his
wife, Mary l.. Custls was born April 22, lTSS,
aud died April 23, 1853. The monument OF
the former bears these appropriate words from
the Scrm,u nn the Mount: Blessed are the
mcrcltu for they shall obtain mercy; that of
the latter these: ''B sscd are the pure 10
heart, Tor they shall sec God y
The vault in which The bones Of so many
Unon soldiers are deposited is OF circular
form, and is about thirty feet in depth and
twenty in diameter. The vault is ueatiy closed
aud covered, and upon the spot is erected
"rhe Tomb of the Unknown" which is OF
plain granite, about i've feet in height, sur.
mounted BY four threeiuch Rodman rihed
guns. worn out during the war, uicely mounted
on each corner, with. a pyramid OF round shot
n the centre On the west sid, OF the tomb
is this inscription: beneath this stone repusc
the boucs Of two thousaod one hundred and
eleven unknown soldiers, gathered after the
war fram the fields Of Bull Run aud the route
to the R,ppahauuock; their reuains could not
be identified, but their names and deeds are
recorded 10 the archives of their country, aud
its grateful cit,z ms houor ,hem as of their no
BILE army OF martyrs May they rest iu peace
September, A. d. 1866
Visiting this delightful spot in company With
friend on pleasant September day u the
fall of 1866 proceeded to Que Of the twv
small buildings uear by, 90 the west side of the
manson, " hich had been used 10 the days o
the Custises ami Lees as quarters for he save!
employed iu and about the manslou-for tht
house servants as they were no doubt called
The outer walls OF the buildings were stuccoet
or oyerlaid with successiv. coats of sand an,