The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-29
HEARTS OF THOUSANDS IN SOUTH ARE BOWED
 WITH GRIEF AT EVEN
Veteran Soldier, Scholar and Business Man, General Lee Was Loved and Honored in All His Life and
 His Memory Will Be
 Ever Revered.

vicksburg, Miss, May 2S.-within sight of the fields on which he had fought his hardest battles during the Civil War, and on the same ground where he had well comed and entertained his former foes less than a week ago, Gen. S. D. Lee, commander -chief of the United Con- federate Veterans, and one of the last three surviving lieutenant generals of the Confederacy, died here today in the Vicksburg National military park at the official residence of the park commission. Immediately following the death of Gen. eral Lee the sad intelligence was fla he'd to all parts of the country and from early this morning until late tonight mes sages of condolence and sympathy con- iinued 10 pour in. From Montgomery, Ala, the cradle of the Confectionery, where it's government was first organ ized; from Richmond, Va, the stronghold of the southland during the greater part of the bloody strife; from New Orleans, the headquarters of the United Confed crate Veterans, and from many other cities, not only in the south, but in the north and west. expressions of sorrow 4HQ DTleI eulOSleS were Itctfed. SdiupS and other Confederate organizations as well as many prominent persons, includ- Ing the President ofsrthe United States, were quick to convey their expressions of sympathy to the bereaved family and the surviving comrades Of the great cap tain and their msssages were among the first received
 All arrangement for the funeral were completed tonightA nd an order bearing upon this was issu l by Adjutant Gen eral Mickle from he headquarters of the veterans at New Orleans, at the di- rection of Gen. w. l.. Cabell of Dallas, Tex, who in accordance with the by laws of the organization. assumes the office of lieutenant general commanding. Following the issuance of this order Gen. eral Micxle left New Orleans for Co., lumbus, Miss, where the funeral will be held next Saturday afternoon at o'clock. The funeral train will leave Vicksburg tomorrow at a. m., arriving at Colum- pus later in the day, where it will be met by several thousand veterans, many of whom are now on their way to pay their last respects to their former com mander
 The funeral will be held from the late residence of General Lee according to the burial rites of the Baptist church, pf which General Lee was a member The part which the veterans will take in tle funeral will be under the direction of Mai Gen. Robert Lowry, commanding the department of Mississippi of tne United Confederate veterans.
 Cause of Death.
 Overexertion last Thursday in the ceremonies attendant upon the reunion of Iowa and Wisconsin veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic at Vicksburg brought about General Lees illness Following the reception of the northern ve,itors in which General Lee took a leading part, he suffered an at tack of acute indigestion, but later rallied and during the past week showed much improvement. Yesterday afternoon he again collapsed and grew gradually weaker until death relieved his suffering shortly after o'clock this morning. At the time of his death General Lee was the ranking officer of the Confederacy. Two other lieu tenant generals of the Confectionery still survive They are Gen. Alexander F. Stewart of Tennessee and Gen. Simon Boliver Buckner of Kentucky, but by virtue of the precedence of his com mission, General Lee outranked Doth of these
 General Lee was one of the South Carolina Lees. He was born in that state in 1883. He received his ap- pointment to the United States Mili- tary academy at West Point and grad uated at that institution, receiving hts commission in the artillery
 At the outbreak of the civil war, General Lee resigned his commission in tie United States army and entered the Confectionery. He served with the Confederate army in Virginia until after the battle of Antietam, when he was made brigadier general and sent to Vicksburg.
 In Siege of vicksburg.
 General Lee played a prominent part in the siege of Vicksburg and following the fall of that city was taken pris- oner. He was later exchanged and promoted to the rank of major gen. eral and ordered to the south Invest. He was subsequently assigned to the Army of Tennessee with the rank of lieuten- ant general and served up until the close of hosti1ities. At the close of the war General Lee devoted himself to the education of southern youth as president of the Mississippi Agricult- ural and Mechanical college.
 On the death of Gen. John B. Cor don General Lee was unanimously chos- en commander chief of the United Confederate veterans and was always the most conspicuous figure at the annual reunions of that organization. Just before his death he was making
 
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