Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1898-04-01
Washington Dispatch

Major General Fitzhugh Lee
is man almost without fear,
and a splendid representative of
the American soldier, the pilot
of the administration in a Crisis,
and the Consul General to Ha-
vana, not only under President
Mckinley, but also under Presi>
dent Cleveland. General Lees
resignation had been on file in
Washington several months al
ready when last November he
came home and reported in per
son to President Mckinley. Yet
he went back to Havana with
the seal of office still in his pos>
session, fortified by the cordial
Communications of the President,
who had received stacks of let
ters from representative men i'll
all parts of the country, favoring
the retention of General Lee.
1t was in April, 1896. that
President Cleveland, impatient
at the apathy of Consul General
Williams in cases affecting the
rights of American citizens of
Cuba, appointed General Lee to
the hazardous position. The
case of the illfated DR.. Ruiz, of
Philadelphia, gave him occa>
sion to show a firm hand in COM.
Quoting the investigation in the
face of the almost savage opposi-
tion of Weyler's organized in
quisitors. 1t was generally un
derstood even then that Lee had
urged the dispatching Of a Uni
ted States man of-war to Cuban
waters; and his manly protest
II cannot and will not stand all,
other Ruiz murder was app
plauded throughout the country
a year ago.
A characteristic expression
was that of l.. p. Sigsbee, brother
of the Main S commander, who
commenting OIL The disaster a,
Havana, said
"There's a man down there
looking after the interests cf
this country who cannot be
blinded. he has more sand
than anybody | know of, and if
there's anything treacherous in
this explosion We'll know of it
without delay. The man |
mean is General Fitz Lee
Lees grandfather was the fa>
nous Light Horse Harry"
Lee, Of the Revolution. His
uncle was General Robert E.
Lee.
Fitzhugh Lee, our own Fitz,
was the eldest son of Captain
Sydney Smith Lee and his wife,
Anna Maria Manson, and was
born at Clermont, Fairfax coun~
~, Va, on November 10Th, 1885.
He entered the West Point Mil
Itary Academy at 10, graduated
IN July, 1856, at the head of his
class in horsemanship, and was
a second lieutenant.
His second duty was in drilling
raw recruits at the Carlisle Bar
racks, Pa. Then he was sent 10
The western frontier ard became
an Indian fighter in Texas un-
Ter Major Earl Van Dorm.
The outbreak OF the civil war
found Fitzhugh Lee back at
West Point as instructor i'll cav
airy tactics. He promptly re-
signed, offered his services to his
native State, served On the Sta IF
Of General Ewell, then as lieu
colonel of the First Vir-
sinia Cavalry under J. E. B.
whom he accompanied
on his famous raid around Nc
Clellan's army in front of Rich
nond.
On the promotion of Stuart,
Lee was chosen colonel, and
at=r brigadier general under
Stuart. Ill 1868 the cavalry of
he Army of Northern Virginia
was divided into two divisions,
respectively by
Generals Wade Hampton and
Fitz lugh Lee. Shortly after
he death of Stuart, Lee succeed
ed Hampton as commander of
The cavalry of the Army of Nor
thern Virginia, with the rank
Of Major General.
At Winchester, September I6.
1864. he had ,hree horses killed
under him and was severely
wounded. The last fgl ting
loue by the Army of Northern
Virginia was the cavalry charge
headed by Fitz Lee at Farm
Vile, a few miles from Apo