Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-19

the command of the troops of the state A
short time prior to his resignation, in a
letter to his at West Point, Gen. Lee
pointed out that he did not believe that
secession was the policy that should be
carried out by the leaders of the southern
confederacy. He said: Secession is moth
ing but revolution. The trainers of our
Constitution never exhausted so much la
Dor, wisdom and forbearance in its forma-
ton and surrounded it with so many guards
and securities if it was intended to be
broken by every member of the confed-
eracy at will
But the fact remained that, though Gen.
Lee was opposed to secession. he had been
educated in the atmosphere of a family
that believed in the doctrine of the SOW
ere:gnty of the state and of the obedience
of the citizens to the state in preference to
the national government.
When the war between the states began
and brother was arrayed against brother,
Gen Lee was fiftyfour years of age. His
face was tinted with the rudy glow Of
health, and spiritually and morally he was
splendid example of manhood Vir-
ginia's proudest blood traversed his veins
and he drew from a knighty race all Of
their virtues and inherited none of their
vices. He was honest to fault, sincere,
simple, magnanimous, refined, courteous
and dignified. Upon more than one occa-
sion he had told his that duty was the
sublimest word in the language of the
race.
Nobleness of Sincerity.
1t has been said of him that he loved the
Union with a nobleness of sincerity. He
thought that slavery as an institution was
a moral and political evil He had SOL
dier's devotion to his flag and a warm
personal attachment for Gen. Scott He
due to the aggression of the north, but he
did not think that the evils were great
enough to resort to the remedy of revo-
luton, and to him secession was nothing
else.
In 1861 he wrote: Still a union that
can only be maintained by swords and
bayonets and in which strife and civil
are to take the place of brotherly love
and kindness. has no charm for me If
the union is dissolved end the government
disrupted, shall return to my native state
and share the miseres of my people and,
save in defense, will draw my sword upon
none"
Richard Henry Lee was the father of
Gen. Lee. He was best known as Light
Horse Harry" and was an admirable sire
Of an admirable son. 1t he who. in
1776, moved that the resolution be adopted
reciting that these united colonies are,
and of right ought to be- free and indie
all allegiance to the British crown, and
that all political connection between them
and the states and Great Britain is, and
ought to be, totally dissolved"
On his mothers side he had the lineage
Of the Carriers, who, together with the
Fitzhughs. did much in conjunction with
Thomas Fairfax toward the establishment
of the Virginia of the early days.
Passing his childhood in the cultivated
section of tidewater Virginia, Lee later
after graduating from West Point entered
the army. In 1892 he lead to the altar the
daughter of George Washington Parke Gus
tbs, the adopted son of Gen. Washington.
Character of Lee.
The character of Lee is ilumined by pc
culiar radiance in the southern mind today
because of his great personal charm. For
ty years have come and gone since our
meeting" Sir Garnet Wolseley wrote in his
autobiography. which gives an account of
his meeting with Lee during the civil war,
yet the majesty of his manly bearing,
the genial winning grace the sweetness
of his smile and the impressive dignity of
his old-fashioned style of dress come back
to me among the most cheerful Of my
recolleetions." Paul Hayne saw Lee at
Charleston in 1851 and afterward said that
he was the most striking figure he had ever
encountered and was every inch a gentle
man and a soldier. When Sidney Lanier
saw Gen. Lee he was at Petersburg in the
dark hours of the confederacy. He was at
religious services and, according to Laner
he seemed at the time like some majestic
god presiding at terrible yet sublime
contest of human passion" Gen. Horace
Porter has contrasted the personality of
Gen. Lee with that of Gen. Grant. Porter
was an aid to Grant at Appomattox and
was present at the surrender of the south
ern chieftain.
Describes the Surrender.
Porter describes the scene, as follows:
There was table in the far corner with
a marble top, almost square, scalloped a
little on the corners, close to which Lee was
sitting. Grant was seated beside a small
oval-shaped wooden table in the middle of
the room. The two distinguished COM
manders were about eight feet apart and
facing each other.
THE contrast between these illustrious
men was singularly striking. Gen. Grant
was forty-three years of age, quite slim
ana weighed only 100 pounds. He was five
feet eight inches in height, with shoulders
slightly stopped. He wore soldiers blouse
and soldiers trousers, with nothing to In
dictate his rank but the shoulder straps of
lieutenant general. His SLOUGH hat was
lying on the table. He had on a pair of
partly worn brown-colored thread gloves,
which he took off soon after he went into
the room He was without sword, sash or
spurs. He wore a pair of ordinary top
boots with his trousers inside. These, as
well as his clothes, were spattered with
mud. His hair was a dark brown, with no
trace of gray.
Lee was sixteen years his senior. He
stood six feet one inch in height He wore
a uniform of confederate gray, but
lOHeu up 10 the throat, ana a handsome
sword and sash. The sword wSs of eX-
ceedingly fine workmanship. 1t had been
presented to him by some ladies in Eng
land who sympathized with his cause. His
full beard and hair were in color silver
gray. He had a thick head of hair, eX-
cept in front, where 1t had become a little
thin. His spurs were handsome and had
very large rowels He wore pair of top
boots which seemed to be perfectly new
and which were stitched with red silk.
His gray hat, matching in color his uni
form and pair of gray gauntlets, appar-
emily new, had been thrown on the table
by his side.
"A stranger. seeing the marked differ
ence in the attire of the two men, might
very naturally have come to the conclusion
that Grant was the conquered and Lee the
victor. Col. Marshall, when 1 asked him
afterward how it came that on this Sun
day morning they appeared in such fine
clothes, prepared apparently to go to
church, while We were in condition that
scarcely rose to the dignity Of even the
Shabby genteel,' explained that they were
pressed SO closely that they had to aban-
don their baggage, and those who had more
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