The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-08

General Lee, won his greatest fame He
| though 1t is one of the best paying in the
| gift OF the President, no politician has been
| able to win 1t from him, and he is likely to
/ remain there as long as Mckinley is Presi-
dent or there Is any danger of strained re-
| latons with Spain. No diplomat has more
| sui general. Jealous of American honor and
| trm in insisting upon the rights of his coun-
trymen, he has always kept cool Courteous
and polite as well as courageous, he has
never clustered and he has won the respect
and admiration of the Spaniards as well as
their fear.
His Havana record has been no surprise
70 those- VINO knew of his exploits during
the war or of his family. Blood will tell,
a1d 1t has told in the case of General Lee.
his family has always been famous in
American history. How could the grandson
of Lighthouse Harry, the revolutionary
hero" or the nephew of Robert o. Lee be
anything else but courageous and possessed
of tact and common sense.
The son of naval officer, he preferred
the army as career Graduating from
West Point, he fought on the frontier for
SIX years before the opening of the rebel
non, and was engaged in several desperate
encounters with the Comanche Indians in
Texas. On one of these occasions he was
.'ierced through the lungs by an arrow, but
ne hVed to tell the story. On another occa-
sion he grappled with big Indian in
hand-to-hand encounter threw his antago-
INST on the ground and killed him.
Though only q years of age, Lee was an
instructor in cavalry tactics at West Point
when the war broke out He followed his
State" into the secession movement. His
war record is a matter of pride to every
Virginan. The dashing young officer was
an ideal trooper, fearing nothing and loved
by his men. He was modest, too. After
some Brilliant movement of personal Valor
his brigade formed in q body and deter
mined to Serenade him at his headquarters,
expecting, of course, a speech. But Lee got
an inkling 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 hid
ing place. and in subdued tone asked,
General Lee possessed remarkable COM
posture in battle. He never got the least
ratified under the most trying conditions,
except at Saylor's Creek on 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 any of the bravest men, Some
times bL--et will unexpectedly whizz close
to ones head. and the impulse to dodge is
almost irresistible, though it never did any
One of the officers with him said once
that the only time he had ever been moved
by the enemy's fire was at the battle OF Win
chester. He and General Early met under
an apple tree near the summit of hill
and in a very exposed place. There was no
firing at the time, but while the two gen
erals still on their horses, were intently
examining map, one shot was fired. 1t fell
short and they paid no attention to it. But
lo another came, struck the apple tree
just above their heads, and as the, apples
map could be better examined in less
exposed position-a conclusion in which all
others agreed with remarkable unanimity.
And nobody stopped to get any apples.
General Lee is a superb horseman. He
rode a splendid mare named Nellie: She
had the form the strength, the nimbieness
of the head, the bright and intelligent eyes
that made her model worthy to bear any
master. She was all grace and beauty.
When the Confederate columns were broken
in the same battle and the rout began. for
1t was little less, General Lee was at a very
exposed point. The fire of thirty pieces Of
artillery was directed against it. The air
was full of exploding Shells horses were
plunging about on three legs neighing plte-
ously for place of refuge; others were
disemboWeled by the furious shot; others
We're loose. running to and fro, bewilderedd
by the terrible havoc, while the mutiated
bodies of men could be seen on every hand;
numbers who were crippled were hobbllng
was here that the beautiful Nellie was
gored by one fragment of shell and her mas
ter's leg torn by another.
He was noted for his geniality and Jointly
He loved humor and fun and got all there
was to be had in those trying times. But MS
cheerfulness failed at Appomatlox. Ihere
After the war had ended General Lee set
tied in Stafford county as farmer and mil
Ter. His life was the quiet and unevent fun
one of a country gentleman, caring Tor
nothing but his wife, whom he married In
1871. and his children. About 1875 he began
to take an active part IN politics, ana ne
attended the national convention of 1876 as a
delegate. In 1885 he was elected Governor
of Virginia. 1t was then that he again be-
came conspicuous. General Lee headed the
Southern division of the inauguration pa
rade, and his handsome presence and splen-
did Craftsmanship forced the men on the
i sidewalks to cheer him with more vim than
| they did any one else. A similar demonstra-
tion occurred when, four years later, Gen.
Lee led the Virginia troops in the Washing
ton 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 e. Lee,
had used on his familiar gray war horse,
Traveller. Who could occupy 1t more worth
lily? Any one who has seen "FitZ" Lee
mounted like centaur on a Virginia thor
oughbred is certain to have in memory ever
afterward an ideal figure Of knightly
| imam on horseback" Afoot he is not so
| imposing, being only of medium stature,
and, of late years, quite. portly He has
| fine head and face, with frank steel blue
| eyes and a rudy complexion, set off by his
| now almost white hair, mustache and i'm
| perial His bearing is alert and military.
| Altogether, he does not look, and probably
| does not feel his SiXty-tWo years.
During Mr.. Cleveland'S second term he
| was made collector of internal revenue at
| Lynchburg, Va. In the spring of 1896 Pres
| ident Cleveland, believing that a man of
| unusual ability should represent the United
States at Havana, chose Fftzhugh Lee for
| the post. How well the selection was JUS
| titled is shown to everybody. He has proved
| himself equal to every emergency, and the
F.. part he has played in Cuban affairs is
| known to every newspaper reader.