The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-04
Gen, LEES BURIAL
True Story of the Finding
Of the Coffin.
How it Was Discovered During Flood and
Brought From The Island to the Main
land by an Expert Swimmer.

State Superintendent of instruction
Toon has been seeking the true story of
the burial of Gen. Robt. e. Lee and has
succeeded in securing it from Lexington.
the Journal of Education" the following
item:
General R. f. Lee died October II,
1870. at Lexington, Va, which was at
the time of the great flood in the James
river and it's tributaries. The North river
at Lexington was very much swollen,
bridges washed out, water in canal too
high to be used, and Lexington cut off
from the outside world. There was not a
coffin in the city, nor material to make
one the people were wild. Search par
ties went out to see what could be found.
Stranded on the river bank with other
drift was long box, which. on being
opened, was found to contain a handsome
coffin. This was dried, refined, and used.
1t was afterward discovered to have come
from warehouse up the river, which
had contained a stock of collins, but the
building and its contents had been washed
away earlier in the flood Lee and jack
son are both buried at Lexington, though
Valentines famous recumbent statue Of
Lee marks his resting place in the Wash
ington and Lee University. At the time
of the finding of the coffin the people
were quite superstitious about it
Wishing to obtain verification of this
story If it was true. Gen. Toon wrote to
Mr.. II. ST. G. Tucker, the acting president
of Washington and Lee University, and
Ill .s,.xx ftfev frlyt
Mr.. w. G. Mcdowell, who was student
at Washington and Lee University in 1870.
Mr.. Mcdowell says:
'tMr. H. st. G. Tucker, acting president
of Washington and Lee University, hand
ed me your letter and asked me to an
swer it; as he is not acquainted with the
facts, and | am; being student at Wash
ington and Lee University at the time.
There is some truth in the article or
clipping you sent, but it is greatly exag-
gcrated At the time Gen. R. E. Lee
died there was a great flood in the North
River, branch of the James, at Lexing
ton. C. M. Koones and Brother were the
undertakers at Lexington, and they had
stored in A. Alexander on the banks of
the river warehouse a half dozen metallic
burial cases, which they had not been able
to haul up to their store on account of the
rain. At that time. it was quite usual
to use metallic cases; now they are sell
dom used, they had plenty of fine wooden
collins on hand, but a metallic case was
required, and must be had. The ware
house had been washed away and with it
the cases. So Messrs. Koones sent one of
their workmen, Erasmus Root, down the
river to see if he could discover any of
the missing cases; Root was an expert
swimmer and discovered one on an ISL
and, he carried rope, swan to the
Island, tied the rope around the box, and
dragged the coffin across the river and
brought it to Lexington and Gen. Lee
was buried in it. That is all there is
in this tale. / did not hear OF the super
stition of the people. In fact, very few
at the time knew what had happened. One
would think from the clipping that Wash
ington and Lee University is not in Lex
ington; it crowns one of our most beauti-
full hills, and Gen. Lee, his wife and Miss
Agnes Lee are buried in a mausoleum,
which is an annex to the chapel which ne
built Valentines parcophagus is in the
room above his tomb and shows in rear
of the chapel rCstrum