Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-26
THE LEES OF VIRGINIA.
Gen. Lee linked Closer than ANY
Living Being with the Memory OF
Washington.


From the Nsso York Mail and EsDress.
The paragraph in the last volume o
Gen, Grants book, in which he speaks o
the extraordinary applause GEN. Lee wor
during his military career, not only at th'
South, but at the North, brings forward
saliently the popular idOlstry which Gen
Lee enjoyed. A very slight knowledge o.
Southern sentiment would show that the
respect paid Jefferson Davis, when he
emerged from his retirement some weeks
ago, was perfunctory respect-a tribute
to the cause for which the South had
staked and lost everything. Mr.. Davis,
during his public life, was distincuvely
unpopular. The South had two ideals-Lee
and Jackson-and only too. Looking at
the question calmly, it is easy to under
stand the fame Of enthusiasm which Gen.
Lee aroused. Aside from his personal
and military qualities there were certain
elements of romance about him, Ike BY
ron. which We're singularly fortultous.
Who denies that ByrOn's extreme beauty,
his rank, his Norman abbey, struck the
Imagination and fixed the interest OF the
people upon him? So with Gen. Lee. His
magnificent person, his ancestry, his mar
riage with the real heiress of George
Washington invested him with striking
interest. The Lees have been for two hun
dred years great landed proprietors. Like
most OF the local magnates of Virginia,
they we're the younger branch of a great
English family. The SIR Henry Lee, of
Duchley. written of by Sir Walter Scott,
wac the direct ancestor of Gen. Lee. They
had lived on their vast estates in the col
ony, with their hundreds Of slaves, very
much hike the feudal barons OF England.
In every generation they had produced
men OF distinction, like Richard Henry
Lee, the signer OF the declaration and one
OF the fathers of the constitution, and
Light Horse Harry Lee, the father Of Gen.
Lee, and the most brilliant cavalry officer
of the Revolution. Gen. Lee himself mar
ried Mary Custis, the great-granddaugh-
ter and beiress of Martha Washington.
Gen. Washington adopted the children of
his stepsOn, John Parke Gusts, and they
Inherited all OF Mrs. Washingtou's es-
tate, including Arlington, and something
from Gen. Washington. Although Gen.
Washington left Mount Vernon TO his
nephew, Judge BushrOd Washington. yet.
as he had freed his slaves, the property
could not be considered very valuable.
But he had managed his wife's estate so
that it was handsome competence for
her heirs. he made of his adopted son.
George Washington PaTke Custis, what
he himself had been-a thoroughly good
farmer. The Lees are welded to the soil,
ana 10 this day they are the best farmers
in the State OF Virginia. The estate in
cludec among other landed property the
White House, where Martha GUSTS was
married TO Gen. Washington, and Ar
hngtOn, which was c0ndscated by the
Federal government and is now a national
cemetery. This was the last piece of en-
tailed property in the United States, and
was lett ia turn to the second son of each
81. ssf...
prefix of George w Washington. II descend
ed thus to Gen. Lees second son. q. w.
GUSTS Lee, to whom the government paid
$4,000 Tor its unlawful occupancy Of his
property.
Thus, linked closer than any living be-
ing with the memory Of Washington and
with the prestige of many dead and gone
generations OF Lees behind him. Gen.
lee represented TO the Southern mind it's
favoute type OF a great landed proprietor
backed by distinguished ancestry.
Those advocates of the doctrine that
'blOOd Will tell" will find an illustration
in Gen. Lee. lie was the fay0rite of ma
ture as we'll as OF fortune. The career of
his father exercised powerful influence
over him. Light Horse Harry" al
though a man of dasning military genius
and OF considerable parts, was vet a roy
STEERING biade-extravagant, dissipated,
and leaving his family i'll provided FOR at
mis- death. The evils of this course OF life
were thus brought home early TO Gen.
Lee, and perhaps helped TO keep him in
the patio OF dignity and rectitude from
which he was never known, even IN his
earliest youth, 10 swerye. And then, he
was distractingly handsome. The striking
personal beauty which distinguished him
later in lie was, in his first manhood, some
thing ideal. He was exactly 6 feet high,
Olperfect form, ana with more beauty than
most men can afford to have. 1t is char.
acteFistic Of the Lees to possess this early
comeiiness- but they are liable to become
red and "DeefY" In middle age. This Gen.
Lee escaped. As for bis manners, he bad
that grace and dignity which the possess
sion Of many advantages commonly be-
slows. The world always smiled upon
this beautiful and stately young man,
and consequently he smiled back ia re-
turn. de was graduated from West
Point at the head Of his class, and imme-
dIateiy became the pet Of Gen. Scott, the
commander-in-ch' eff. TIE next boon tate
had IN store for him was his marriage
with Mary Custis. OF Arlington. and so
on, until the troublOus days in 1861 came.
lie hadnO black hours for him. Mrs. Lee
was woman Of great beauty and of an
amlable disposition, but dreamer. and
quite incapable OF looking closely after
her children or her house. Officers who
were contemporary Win zen. Lee say
that while Mrs. Lee was absorbed in her
bower painting aud allthe other graceful
RccOmp lishments that helped TO make her
Charming, but for which she certainly
neglected her domestic duties, Gen. Lee
gave to bis children u devoted care that
was Ike that OF father and mother com
bined. As money was plentiful with
them, they did not feel at all the discom-
forts that usually follow In this kind Of a
menage. Gen. Lee was breyetted for gal
lantry during the Mexican war. and tue
eXtraVagant praise OF Gen. Scott caused
him 70 be generally regarded as the most
promising officer in the army.
The history Of Gen. ScOtt's efforts TO
keep him IN the army in 1861, the virtual
certainty that ne could have the chief
command, are too we'll known 10 be re-
captulaied mere. But il is not so well
known that Gen. Scott used indirect
means, which embarrassed and mortified
Gen. Lee beyond measure. one was at a
dinner given ~ Baltimore in tue winter OF
1860, by Mrs. Jerome B0uaparte. Mrs.
BOnaparte was q strong partisan Of the
Union in the conflict when was then I'M
pending. aud aiterw ards became very un-
popular in Baltimore because she WAS al
eyed 70 have furnished information to the
government At Washington leading 20 the
arrest Of many prominent ciuzeus. AT
this dinner, which was giyen % Geu.
Lee, when the guests were about to rise
alter coffee had been served, Mrs. Bona