Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-17

Kinley is President or there Ia any
danger of strained relations with
spain No diplomat has u more envi-
able record. He has been an ideal
consul general. Jealous of American
honor and firm In insisting upon the
rights OF his countrymen, he has al
ways kept cool. Courteous and polite
us wen as courageous. he has never
clustered, and he has won the respect
ana admiration of the Spaniards as
well as their fear.
His Havana record has been no sur
irise to those who knew of his exploits
during the war or of his family.
blood win tell, and it has told In the
case of General Lee. His family has
always been famous In American his
tory. How could the grandson OF
"Light-horse Harry. the revolution
| ~ hero or the nephew of Robert Il.
Lee be anything else but courageous
and possessed of tact and common
sense.
The son OF naval officer, he pre-
| ferred the army as Il career. Gradual
! ing from West Point, he fought on the
1"ntier for six years before the OPEN
| ing of the rebellion, and was engaged
| in several desperate encounters with
| tho Camanche Indians in Texas. On
enc of these occasions he was pierced
through the lungs by an arrow, hut
| he lived to tell the story. on another
| occasion he grapped with big Indian
N Q handto-hand encounter, threw his
| antagonist on the ground and killed
| him.
Though only 81 years of age, Lee
| was an instructor In cavalry tactics at
| West Point when the war broke out.
He followed his state" into the seces-
sion movement His war record is Il
matter of pride to every Virginian.
The dashing young officer was an
! ideal trooper, fearing nothing and loved
by his men. He was modest too.
After some brilliant movement of per-
sonal valor his brigade formed in a
body and determined to Serenade him
at his headquarters. expecting, of
course. speech But Lee got an ink
ling of the matter and when he saw
them coming he slipped out of his
tent and hid in the bushes. After the
disappointed troopers had called for
him in vain and dispersed he peeped
furtively from his hiding place, and in
subdued tone asked, Have they
gone?
General Lee possessed remarkable
composure In battle. He never got the
least ratified under the most trying
conditions except at Saylor's creek. OF
the retreat from Petersburg; he never
betrayed anxiety, and. though often
under rafting fire. no one ever saw
him dodge. This cannot be said of many
of the bravest men. Sometimes bull
let will unexpectedly whizz close to
ones head and the impulse to dodge Is
almost irresistible, though 1t never did
anybody any good.
One of the officers with him said
once that the only time he had been
moved by the enemy's fire was at the
battle of winchester. He and General
Early met under an apple tree near
the summit of hill and in a very ex-
posed place. There was no firing at
the time, but while the two generals,
yttl ntr hap yx.pr nj
aiming n map. one shot was fired. 1t
fell short and they paid no attention to
1t. But lol another came, struck the
apple tree just above their heads, and
as the apples rained down on them
they concluded the map could be bet
ter examined in less exposed position
conclusion In which all others
agreed with remarkable unanimity
And nobody stopped to get any apples.
General Lee Is a superb horseman.
He rode n splendid mare named Nellie.
She had the form, the strength, the
nlmbleness of limb, the tapering neck.
the alert poise of the head, the bright
and intelligent eyes that made her a
model worthy to bear any master. She
was all grace and beauty. When the
Confederate columns We're broken in
the same battle and the rout began, for
IL was little less, General Lee was at
very exposed point. The fire of
thirty pieces of artillery was directed
against IL. Inc ulT WIS lun Ol ehpipu-
ing shells; horses We're plunging about
on three legs, neighing piteously for Il
place of refuge; others were loose,
running to and fro, bewildered by the
terrible havoc, while the mutilated
bodies Of men could be seen on every
hand; numbers who We're crippled
were hobbling away, and all seemed
doomed to death. 1t was here that
beautiful Nellie was gored ny one frag-
, ment of shell and her masters leg torn
by another.
jollity. He loved humor and fun and
: got all there was to be had in those
trying times. But his cheerfuness
failed at Appomattox. There he cried
After the war had ended General Lee
settled in Stafford county as farmer
and miller. His life was the quiet and
uneventful one OF a country gentleman,
caring for nothing but his wife, whom
he married in 1871, and his children.
About 1875 he began to take an active
part in politics, and he attended the
national convention of 1876 as "A dele
gate. In 1895 he was elected governor
of Virginia 1t was then that he again
| became conspicuous. General Lee head
ed the Southern division of the inauEu-
ration parade, and his handsome pres
ence and splendid Craftsmanship forced
the men on the sidewalks to cheer him
with more vim than they did anyone
else. A similar demonstration occurred
when, four years later, General Lee led
the Virginia troops in the Washington
. centennial parade in New York to the
stirring tune of Dixie" on both of
these occasions he sat In the Identical
saddle which his uncle, General Robert
Il. Lee. has used on his familiar gray
/ war horse. Traveller. Who could occupy
1t more worthily? Any one who has
/ seen "Fitz" Lee mounted like "A centaur
r on Virginia thoroughbred is certain
to have in memory ever afterwards an
, ideal figure of n knightly imam on
horseback" Afoot he is not so impos-
! ing. being only of medium stature and.
of late years. quite portly. He has a
5 fine head ana face, with frank steel
= blue eyes and a ruddy complexion, set
! off by his now almost white hair, mus
1 tache and imperial. His bearing is
, alert and military. Altogether he does
; not look and possibly does not feel, his
t sixty-two years.
During Mr.. Cleveland's second term
r he was made collector OF internal reve-
nue. at Lynchburg, Va.
In the spring of 1895 President Cleve-
t land, believing that a man of unusual
! ability should represent the United
States at Havana chose Fitzhugh Lee
for the post. How we'll the selection
| 20, i,utiHaJ 10 tfpnvr, 70