The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-01-29
a Northern Tribute to Lee.


universally loved as Robert T.. Lee,
and his memory will ever be cherished
by them as that of the ideal hero and
gentleman. The passions of civil war
are now almost entirely etfaccd, and l
sincerely hope that before another de-
cade shall have passed there will be
erected on Seminary Hill, by the joint
appropriation Of the States Of Virginia
and Pennsylvania, an equestrian statue
of Lee corresponding with the statue
of Meade on Cemetery Hill"
These are the words Of Col. a. II.
Mcclure: the veteran editor, who was
one Of the founders Of the Republican
party and a staunch partisan of Abra-
ham Lincoln. In the series Of arti-
clcs, Random Rccollcctions of Half
Century which Col. Mcclure is
writing, he dcvotcs paper to Gen.
Lee. This is the birthday Of Gen.
Lee and it will be appropriate to con-
slider the notable tribute paid the
Southern chioftain by such typical
Northern writer as Cci. Mcclure.
The Pennsylvania editor states that
he was not personally acquainted with
Gen. Ice, but had often seen him in
Washington before the war. OF this
period of Gen. Lees career, Col. Nc
Clure says:
"For year or more before our
Civil war the citizens of and visitors
In Washington were often attracted by
q solitary horscman on the streets OF
the capital. He was known as one Of
the handsomcst of our prominent men,
rode with superb grace and was as
modest and unassuming in manner as
he was elegant in form and action.
This man was Robert Il. Leo, then
lieutenant colonel of the Second rcgi-
ment of cavalry, who, after having
served with his regiment in Texas for
a considerable period, was called to
Washington in 1859 to join the staff
Of Gen. Winfield Scott. It was his
usual custom to ride on horseback
from his magnificent estate and pala-
tial mansion, known as Arlington, on
the southern side of the Potomac, to
the headquarters Of the army, and re-
turn in the evening. That he attract
ed attention on the streets of the capi-
tai was not source of qualification to
him, as he was one Of the most unprc-
tentious of gentlemen and he rarely
rode through the great thoroughfares.
Lee was then regarded as the most
accomplished of the younger soldiers
of, the United States army. He was
man Of exquisite form and feature, in
the full vigor of manhood, had won
promotion in Mexico on several battle
fields, and when the fearful storm of
civil war broke upon the country the
conviction was universal among those
responsibly connected with the army
that Col. Lee was the best equipped
OF all our many gallant soldiers to
command the Union army. Within
two weeks after the Inauguration of
Lincoln he promoted Lieut.. Col. Lee
TO the position of colonel Of the First
cavalry. He was not only thorough
~ educated and experienced soldier,
but he was pronounced by Nicolay and
Hay in the "Life of Lincoln" as
man ''of fine presence, ripe judgment
and mature manhood" It was an
open secret before war was precipita-
ted by the firing upon Sumter that
Col. Lee would be assigned to the
command Of thc Union army in the
field when war came, which was then
accepted as inevitable. He was known
to bc opposed to secession, and he did
not conceal his views on the subject.
A few weeks before his resignation
from the army he wrote to his Oldest
son, George Washington Parke Custis
Lee, a graduate of West Point and
major in the army: Secession is
notnlng but revolution. The trainers
OF our constitution never exhausted SO
much labor, wisdom and forbearance
In its formation and surrounded it
with so many guards and securities if
it was intended to be broken by
every member Of the Confederacy at
will" But, while Lee was very ear
nestly opposed to secession, he had
been educated in support of the doc
trine of the sovereignty Of the State
and Of the obedience of the citizens to
the State as paramount to obedience
to the national government.
Col. Mcclure quotes Gen. Gamer
son, then secretary of war, and his
assistant, Col. Scott, with whom he