Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-01-18

W lSb writes VI Otus l9c
A few weeks ago stood for the frs,
time upon the stems Of his beautiful
Arlington. The Potomac of history
and soDg rolled at my feet, and just
across the river glittered a world city 10
its maguificeDce. As l gezsd upon the
panorama, with its cloudcspped shaft
10 honor of another, but not greater,
patriot, 10 the foreground, l saw not
the enemy's graves scattered thick
around me, l thought only Of him
whose mstcnlts3 aud immortal spirit so
dominated the sCens 90 10 eclipse ell
else. Beyond the massive columns OF
the porlico l looked up al the widows
and wondered from which one be bad
oitenest looked out upon this fsirest
picture In all the lsnd. Then my
thoughts travelled TO that quiet retreat,
far away from his lordly Arlington,
where 10 supreme digoity and with q
resignation little less than divine, be
gave those last years TO training the
youth OF his Stste-refusing the riches
that Eoglaud ard his devoted South
eagerly offered him. l turned away
sad az heart, and yet With thrill OF
pride and eXaltation 10 the majesty Of
the man who had counted this regal
estate and the highest military honors
of the other side as nothing when duty
was 10 the balance.
1t is impossible to speak OF Gen. Lee
without seeming to deal in fyPeroole.
Above the ordinary size, his proper
lions were perfect. HE features ere
too we'll known to need description,
out no representation of Gen. Lee
which l have ever seen properly con-
geys the light aad s0ilness OF bis eye,
the tenderness and intellectually OF bis
mouth, or the indescrbsble refinement
4 bis face. have seen all the great
IN q of our times, except Mr. Lin
ooln, and have DO hesitation In
aylng that Robert +. Lee was incon n
oaraby the grestes,- looking Ran / ever
saw, Every man in his army believed
that be was the greatest man alive.
Their faith 10 him alone kept that army
together during the last six months OF
lts existence. Whatever greatness was
accorded to bin was not OF his oWn
seeking. He vas less OF an actor than
Any man | ever saw. But the impress
,ion made by bis presence and by hls
leadership upon sll who came ia con-
tact with him can be described by no
other term than that of grandeur.
When | have stood at evening and
watched the great clouds banked 10 the
west, and tinged by evening sunlight;
when on the western plains l have
looked at the peaks OF the Rocky
Mountains outlined against the eky
wnen, in midocesU, have seen the
limitiess waters encrcli0g ue, unbound
ed save by the iDfnite horzon-tbe
grandeur, the vastness OF these have
invariably suggested thoughts OF Gen.
Robert Z. Lee. When be said that the
career of the Coofederacy was ended;
that the hope of an independent gov
srnment must be abandoned; that ell
had been done which mortals could ac-
compish against the power oil over
@helming numbers and resouTcesi and
that the duty OF the future WAS to
abandon the dream of a Confedersey
and to render new and cheerful
allegiance to reunited government
his utterances were accepted as true ss
Holy Writ. No other human being
upon earth, no other earthly power,
could have compelled such prompt ac-
ceptsnce OF that final and irreversIOle
judgment.
OF Gen. Lees military greatness, alb.
solute or relative, shall not speas; Of
nis moral greatness l need not. The
man who could go stamp his impress
upon h s nation, rendering ell others
insignificant beside him, and yet die
without an enemy; the soldier who
could make love for bis person 8 sub
stitute for pay and clothing and food,
and could by the constraint OF that love
hold together a naked, starving band,
and transform it into 3 fighting army
the heart which, after the failure OF It's
great eDdeavor, could break In silence
and die without the utterance OF one
word Of bitterE ess-such q man, sucn q
soldier, such q heart must have been
great indeed. great beyond the power
OF eulogy.