The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-13
GEN. r. E. LEES FAMILY
BRIEF SKETCHES OF THE coNFED-
ERATE COMMANDERS CHILDREN
AIRS. Lee and Her Daughters During the
War-Privations of the Dark Days
-ArlingtOn-A Youthful COnfed-
crates Last Message.


At the recent opening of the Metropoh-
tan museum of art | saw among the many
notable people there Miss Mary Lee, the
second daughter Of Gen. Robert E. Lee.
She Is plain-looking lady of 35, and,
like her father, is altogether unpreten-
tious. She wore heavy cashmere wrap,
and was in company with lady similarly
alfred Miss Mary Lee resembles her
mother in appearance more than her
father. 1t is a remarkable fact that the
only one of Gen. Lees children who at
all resemble him is his oldest son, Gen. G.
w. Gusts Lee, now the president Of
Washington and Lee university, at Lex
1ngton. Va
There are five Of the Lee children
three sons and two daughters: They
were ali born at Arlington, the old Gusts
homestead near Washington, where Mrs.
Lee continued to reside after her mar
riage. The eldest daughter, Mildred, has
Travelled great deal since the war, spend
ing much of her Eme in Europe, but
when here makes her home with her
brother Gusts at Lexington. Miss Mary,
the next sister, also lives with him.
Agnes, the youngest sister, died during
the war at a health resort in North Caro-
lima. None of the daughters married
and Gusts Lee is also single, but Runey
Lee and Robert E., Jr., are both married
and are both Virginia farmers. One of
them only has children, and the proba.
bilities are that it is through him alone
that the Lee family and the Gus
tbs family are to be perpetuated.
Mrs Robert E. Lee was the only child
of George Washington Park Curtis, who
was the only son and heir of Martha
Washington. 1t was from George Wash
5ngton and Martha Washington that Custis
obtained Arlington, which, at the opening
of the war, was one of the finest pieces of
country property Of the south 1t was
the ideal southern homestead. The Union
forces took possession of it at the very
opening of the hostilities in 1851,
and during the war it was con-
verted into a national cemetery.
According to the proviso of the will Of
George Washington Park Custis the en-
tire property was to go to the eldest son
Of Mrs. Lee. That eldest son was the
present Gen. G. w. Q. Lee, and he oh.
tanned 1925, 600 from the government In
payment for Arlington last winter, there
having been long contest atlaw about 1t.
That money represents the bulk of the
property now in possession of the Lee
family, and is but a trifing remnant of the
magnificent estates they owned in Vir-
ginia before the wal, not to speak of the
hundreds Of slaves that belonged to these
estates But the family has Jared better
than many others Of the south that were
equally wealthy before the war.
Gen. Curtis Lee. though the legal pos
SCISSOR Of the $4,000 he received for
Arlington, has a big heart. and makes
the most liberal provision for his two
maiden sisters Though, as stated at the
opening of this paragraph, Mary Lee is a
plain looking lady, with no pretentions to
beauty she Is gifted in intellect, and is a
most charming person. During the war
she was most of the time in Richmond with
her mother and sisters and with them
endured many privations. / have seen lit
tie account book in which there was a rec
erd Of expenditures made on account Of
the little party the Mrs. Lee and her
daughters messed with. 1t was seldom
they had meat or coffee, and the most ex-
brilliant prices had to be paid for chicken
or even green corn The bulk of the diet
was made-up of rice, bread and such light
articles. Mrs. Lee was one of the most
patient and self-abnegating Of women,
and though confirmed invalid during the
entire war in which her husband was such
prominent actor, never complained, but
was in the face of constant misfortunes
and threatened dangers, always resigned
and serene. She maintained this charac-
ter up to the very hour of her death.
A touching story of which Miss Mary
Lee Is the heroine is that after one of the
terrible battles near Richmond, just previs
Gus 20 the close of the war, she and some
OF the ladies went on the field to render
whatever assistance they could in the care
OF the wounded and dying soldiers Of her
fathers army. One among those to whom
she went to offer relief was youth of not
over 16, who had been fatally shot and
was ready to expire. She saw the poor
fellow was going to die Immediately. and
being struck by his youth and neat attire
asked him if he had any message to leave
behind "Yes, said he; "my home is
-, and my mother lives at; tell her,
If you please, that / have just seen ouI
splendid commander, Gen. Lee, ride by.
and that ann content to die. That was
all he never knew it was his splendid
commanders daughter to whom he was
confding that final message.