The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-29
FUNERAL TAKES PLACE
COLUMBUS, SATURDAY
General Cabell, Assuming Cons
mand, Formally Announces
General Lees Death and Pays
High Tribute to Him.
Was Here at Reunion.
His Career.
x1cKsBURG. MISS. May 2s.--.
Northumberland Stephen

NJ D. Lee, of Columbus. Miss.
commander-in-chief Of the
United Confederate yeterans,
answered his last roll call to-day.
Cerebral hemorrhage was the cause OF
his death.
General Lee died at the official resi-
dence of the vicksburg National Park
Commission, of which he was mem
ber He was stricken last Friday
night consequent upon an exhaustive
speech welcoming four regiments of
Iowa and Wisconsin soldiers, whom he
had fought upon the Vicksburg battle-
| field forty-five years ago.
Tho emotion and excitement over
| mastered him. and finally he became i'll
enough to take to his bed. He rallied
alternately since then, and yesterday
passed into a state of coma growing
gradually weaker. His body will ba
taken on special train tomorrow to
Columbus, Miss. The funeral probably
will be held Saturday.
General Lees sister, Mrs. James
Harrison, OF Columbus. was at his bed
side 1.-THE time OF his death. Blewitt
Lee. son. who Is general attorney OF
the Illinois Central at Chicago, is en-
route from Chicago.
President Roosevelt. who was
| C.
among the first to send condolences.
Directed Firing of First Shot.
An incident In connection with Gem
eral Lees military career not generally
known. is the fact that he directed
the firing of the first shot fired In
the war. He was one OF the two off,
GERS of tho South Carolina trops senot
by General Beauregard to demand this
surrender of Fort Sumter, and upon re-
fusal of this demand he ordered the
nearest battery to fire on the fort.
AT the time of his death. although
not the ranking officer of the Confed.
| cracy, General Lee was commander in
chfef of the Confederate Veterans.
"a ACKNOWLEDGMENT A. p. Stewart, Of
/ is ranking officer, but on,
'ttacceunt of his tnfirmitfes he has not
taken an active part in the a FAIRS 80
t-i organization for many years.
Funeral mt Columbus Saturday.
] Al arrangements for the funeral ot
deneral Lee were completed Tonight
and an order bearing on this was issued
by Ad1utant-GeneralN MIcl<le, from
nnsaaquarters of the veterans at New
orleans. at the direction OF General w
L. Cabell. of Dallas, Tex. who. In q =.
cordance with the bylaws of the or.
sanization, assumes the office of lien.
.enant-general commanding. General
Mickle left New Orleans for columhms
MISS" where the funeral will be heII
next saturday afternoon at o'clock
Ihe funeral train will leave vic1Ss :
burg tomorrow at z o'clock, arrttina
az ,Coiumbus later in the day, where H
4 VIII be met by several thousand vet !.
Grams. }"e.
| The funeral will be held from the
iate residence of General Lee. accord :
ing 70 the burial rites of the BAPTIST
Church. of which General Lee was .
1 rf tat.
WIN take in the funeral will be nm {
ger the direction OF Major General
Robert Lowry, commanding the Da-
partment of Mississippi, of the IJnited
4 confederate Veterans. =
For HI. Successor.
NEW ORLEANS. LA, May 2s.-The
close approach of the Birmingham re.
union has made 1t Imperative. accord :
ing 20 veterans at the headquarters
mere that the choosing of General Lees
successor should not now be discussed
But three names have been considered
General W. a. Cabell, commanding
4 the Trans Mississippi Departments; Gen-
eral Clement a. Evans, of Atlanta, and
General George w Gordon. of Tens
& nessee All three of the officers held
the rank OF brigadier-general in the
Confederate Army.
Mrs. p. A. S. Vaught. president OF
the New Orleans Chapter. Daughters
of the Confederacy. announced to-day
! that It was from the New Orleans chap-
ter that General Lee received his cross
Of honor which was presented to him
here June s. 1902.
4 General Cabell to-day wired William
=. Mickle, adiutant- general and chief
Of staff, to the effect that Majors Gen-
eral Robert Lowry, commanding the
Mississippi Division be directed to take
charge of all arrangements for the
funeral