Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-10-30
THE LEES AND WISES.

subsequently vi hiSn i"uh 4"
Confederate Navy. He is a nephew
of the late Senator James NJ. Ma
son. whose home was in Winches
ter, and it was during Senator Ma
sons service in the Senate that
Fitzhugh Lee became a cadet al
West Point, where he graduated
Senatorial influence at Washington
with an administration friendly to
the possessor of that Senatorial In
fuence, was as potential then as ii
is now. Perhaps the fact that Gen
eral Fitzhugh Lee was Senator
MasOn's nephew had something to
do with his appointment as cadet
at West Point. Certainly there is
no record that he got to West Point
by success in a competitive exam
nation with boys who had no I'M
cles in the Senate o. in the other
branch of Congress, and when the
tree schools did not exist in Viz
ginia which now supply the chill
dren of poor parents with the OPP
portunity of competition with chill
dren more favorably born.
While General Fitzhugh Lees
father was naval officer, his uncle,
Robert Il. Lee, was an officer OF
high rank in the calvary arm of the
army of the United States. About
the same time, a son of Robert h.
Lee, now known as General Curtis
Lee, was a cadet at West Point
where he graduated with high hon.
Ors.
When the war began, General
Fitzhugh Lee, General Curtis Lee
and General William ii. Fitzhugh
Lee (son of General Robert E. Lee,
had a warm friend in President
jefferson Davis who had been a
classmate at West Point of one Lee
destined to become lllustrious-we
mean of course Robert h. Lee. Mr..
Davis believed in General Lee, sus-
tanned him when others censured
and criticized him, and gave him
every mark of regard and affection.
Nobody believes that General Rob
ert L. Lee ever asked favor at the
hands of the Confederate President
for himself or any relative of his
own. Quite the reverse Of that be-
lief would be the truth. But three
Lees became Major Generals
among them Fitzhugh Lee, Mr..
Davis having apparently an affec-
ton for the Lee family, based upon
his regard for the great Lee-we
mean of course Robert Il. Lee.
When the war ended so dismally
for us all, the great Lee, Robert E.
Lee, addressed himself to the task
of supervising the education Of the
children of the brave men, who had
not been cadets at West Point to
be sure, but who had shared with
him the dangers of battle and the
sacrifices of camp-life and the
weary, hopeless march. In fact
Robert L. Lee, the great Lee, for
there are many Lees by no means
great, from a sense of duty, went
to tho college at Lexington in the
Valley Of Virginia, to superintend
the education Of the sons of Con
federate soldiers. Another Lee
Fitzhugh Lee, retired to an estate
on the Potomac River in Stafford
county, said to be a valuable farm.
Whether he earned its ownership
by successful farming or inherited
it, is of little consequence. At all
events, Stafford county farmers re-
fused afterwards to elect FItzhugh
Lee to the Legislature.
There is another family in Vir-
ginia-an old family-a very old
family; quite as old as the Lees,
which somehow never were con-
spicuous as West Point cadets,
though they were all soldiers when
the war came. One of them, o.
Jennings Wise, died for the Con-
federacy in battle; but he was only
a captain Of infantry, elected by his
men. His father had been Govern
or of Virginia, elected over Know.
Nothingism, and as the vindicatOr
of religious freedom and freedom Of
opinion in all things. While the
Wises have been famous in Vir-
GINA history they have been made
famous because the people chose to
make them trustees of great inter.
ests. They got no title-deeds to
fame from kinship at either Wash
ington or Richmond. There is a
Wise running for Governor of Viz
ginia and the people of Virginia
once elected him Congressman-at-
large over John L. Massey, Fitz'
hugh Lees associate on the Demo
cratic ticket. There is a Lee run.
ming for Governor OF Virginia, and
if the people have ever chosen him
to any position it has escaped pub
lie notice. Can West Point and a
long line of eminent Office-hOlders,
the kiDsmen of Fitzhugh Lee MAKE
him Governor over the son OF Hen
ry A. Wise who won the greatest
civic battle thirty years ago achiey-
ed in Virginia since Jefferson sue
cessfnlly fought his battle for the
BillOf Rights? It's fair question
to ask-merely as to family ser
leaving out of discussion the |