The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-01-18
Resigns His Commission and Goes will
tho Confcderacy.

Resigns His Commission and Goes with
tho Confederacy.
A year later, when the country wns treln-
bling on the brink of an upheaval, and after
Tome Of the southern states had secedod from
the Union, and war was in The
very air, ho rellnqulShed MS M and
reported to the commandcr-in-chief at Wash
lngton. He was II VirGinian, and with the
majority of Virgtnians, chung to the Union as
did tho Old Dominion state herself. AT last,
when sho was ordered TO furnish her quota of
troops to preserve obedience within her Dor.
ders, she hoiSted the Confederate flag and
went over to join her fortunes with the now
'lost cause" Other slave holding 'border
states soon followed. The officers Of tho
army and navy who had stood together us
brothers separated, some to fight against the
flag they had previously served, others to de-
TEND it, and both to be arrayed against their
former comrades and fellow soldiers.
Col. Leo resigned his commission and ten
dercd his services to tho southern Con.
federacy. In his letter of resignation he
said: at would have been presented at once
but for the struggle it has cost mo to separate
myself from a service to which | have devot-
ed all the best yesers OF my life, and all the
ability l possessed" He had lcen n distin.
gu'Shed officer i'll tho Federal army for more
than u quarter Of a century, and it, was con.
'''''b Nv "'N i'SllllNAl W DS
the successor Of Con. Scott, to whom he wos
dcvotediy nttacEt /. Hon. MontI2oinsry Blair
was responsible for the statement that Prcsi.
dent Lincoln sent one of his cabimct to offer
MN the command of the army, and Gen.
Scott did all he could to influence him to re-
main, and said to him as he badc him faro
well: "Lee, you Lavc made the greatest
mistake Of your life; but | feared it would be
3d."
In n letter to his sister, written on the goth
or April, 1851, from his homo ut Arlington, lie
wrote: with all my devotion TO the Union,
and the feeling Of loyalty and duty of an
American citizen, l havo not been able to
make up my mind to raise my hand against
my relatives, my children and my home. |
have, therefore,, resigned my commission ir
the army, and, save in defense of my native
state. with the sincere hope that my poor
services may never DO needed, | hope / may
never be called on to draw my sword. |
know you Will blame me; but you must think
as kindly OF mo as you can, and believe that ]
have e~ndeavnrnh To % what I Thought right y
Col. Lee was mt once invited TO taI-u tom
mand of the Confederate forces of his state
On April 90, a few days after tho first gun was
fired on Fort Sumter, he left the homo no W as
never to sec again, and went to Richmond
The governor ut once nominated him rs ma.
Jor general, with ommand of tho forces al.
ready organized in Virginia. The state con
Ventlon unanimously confirmed tho nomina.
ton. Gen. Leo was presented to the conven-
ton on April 23, by tho chairman of the mill.
tary committe, and was received with OK.
trGvagant enthusiasm.
He at once organized the state forces and
put things in n defensive attitude. Thirty
thousand men were soon collected in Virginia.
These Leo ORGANIZED and iiAL-ihutAd II