The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-06-02


Fort Clark, Texas, under date of Jan
uary, 1865, describing this incident:
Il remarked to Lee, You had
pretty close call with the Indian He
replied, Yes, he was big fellow, but
| was only getting my muscle up
with him, and feel now that l could
get away with half dozen like him
Later, OF my asking him how be had
succeeded in throwing the Iudian, he
said: 'He was very strong, as far as
brute strength went, but he knew
nothing Of the science of wrestling.
For a time, though, l thought he
would get me. when happened to
think of trick in wrestling which
learned during my school days IN
Virginia 1t was known as the Nir
ginia back heel I tried it on hlm
and fotched him"
The outbreak of the civil war found |
Fitzhugh Lee back q. West Point as
instructor in Cavalry tactics. He
promptly resigned, offered his servi
ces to his native state. served first on |
the staff of Gen. Ewell, then as lieu
tenant colonel of the First Virginia
cavalry, under j. E. B. Stuar. whom
he accompanied on his famous raid |
around McClellan's army in front of
Richmond On the promotion of
Stuart, Lee was chosen colonel, and |
later brigadier general under Stuart |
In 1865 the cavalry of the Army of
Northern Virginia was divided into |
two divisions, commanded respective
ly by Generals Wade Hampton and |
Fitzhugh Lee. Shortly after the
death of Stuart, Lee succeeded Hamp |
ton as commander of the cavalry of |
the Army of Northern Virginia, with |
the rank of major general.
Fitzhugh Lees gallant war record |
is matter of familiar history, both
written and unwritten. He was al
ways trusted, und frequently com
mended, by his superior officers, and
was the idol of his brave troopers.
He it was who blazed the way and
guided Stonewall jackson in the lat |
ter's great flank movement that won
for tine Confederate arms the battle of
Chancelorsyilia. AT Winchester, Sept.
10, 1864, he bad three horses killed
under him and was severely wound
ed. Anecdotes of"Fitz" Lees prov
ess abound in the various war histo
rIes and "reminiscences of soldiers. He
is often confounded with his cousin,
the late General W. H. Fitzhugh
(''RCOney'' Lee, the second son of
General Robert E Lee), who was also
a dashing cavalry officer
Like his chief, "Jeb'' Stuart, Fitz
hugh Lee was joyous and Ii ght
hearted trooper, ready to dance all
night after fighting all day In Jan
uary, ga, when the Confederate ca
valry was quartered at Charlottes
vile, the officers got up a grand bah
General Robert E. Lee wrote to his
Youngest son, then belonging to that
arm of the service:-
Tell Fitz grieve over the hard
ships and sutferings of his men in
their late expedition. j: * * 4 *
| am afraid he was anxious to get
back to the ball This is a bad time
for such things. We have too grave
subjects on hand to engage in such
trivial amusements. l would rather
hlsofficers should entertain themselves
in fattening their horses, healing
their men and recruiting their regi
ments. There are too many Lees on
the committee. ] like them oil to be
present at battles, but can excuse them
at balls"
The last fighting done by the Army
of Northern Virginia was the cavalry
charge headed by "Fitz" Lee, at Farm
vile, a few miles from Appomattox,
on the Sth of April, 1865. when the
Confederates were successful in Iriv-
ing back the federal cavalry division
of General Crook. Then Sheridan
and Ord came up. and ended the
hopeless struggle; and the next day
Grant and Lee settled the terms of
the surrender. At the campfire coun-
Gil of the Confederate leaders on the
night of the Sth, "Fitz" Lee had ask
ed, but was refused, permission to
extricate his cavalry in case of surren-
der, provided it was done before the
flag of truce should change the status.
He was afraid his men would lose
their horses-a fear which also Cd
pressed his uncle and commander,
General Robert f. Lee. But, ss his
tory has recorded in letters of gold,
General Grant magnanimously agreed
'tO let all men who claimed to own
horse or mule take their animals home
with them to work their little farms"
Before leaving Fitzhugh Lees war
rec ord, the temptation is irresisistible
to include here one or two of the
good stories which he himself tells
with infinite jest and humor
After Appomattox our trooper gen
eral was trudgiI g dejectedly back to
his farm in Stafford, when he met a
grayback with gun hurryiDg to the
front to rejoin his regiment.
"No use," said Fit" shaking his
head. Lee has surrendered"
"Whatf' exclaimed the soldier.
standing petritied. Did you say
Lee has surrendered? l don't be
lieve it. It's lie"
Upon the sad assurance being re
peated the poor fellow burst into
tears of modification and rag, and
bIurted out: "You can't make me !
believe that Uncle Robert ever sur
rendered, nohow. 1t must ha' been
that - - foxy 'Fitz' Leer'
Here Is another "reminiscences that
you'd just ought to- hear Fitz Lee
tell:
One OF the most devoted. thick and
thin adherents the Southern cause
ever had, was old Colonel NJ, of Vir- |
glnla. No matter how thick and black |
disaster lowered upon the Confederate
arms, the Colonel never saw any thing
but bright hope and absolute assur-
ance of triumphant success in the
near future. To make it appear so
to others he would imagine the most
ingenious lies-which. to do him
justice, he got to believe hlmself-re-
presenting the imitess resources of
the Southern Pc pie. At last, shortly
before Appomattox when defeat sim.