The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1908-06-06
GEN. STEPHEN D. LEE
GREAT CONFEDERATE SOLDIER
DIES AT vIcKsBURG.
COMMANDER OF VETERANS
Suffered Attack Of Acute Indigestion
At Union. Body Buried at His
Home in Columbus, Miss.
Last Sad Rites. !

Vicksburg, Miss. Gen. Stephen p.
Lee, commander-in-ehief of the United
Confederate Veterans, one OF the very
few surviving Confederate lleuten-
ant-generals, Vicksburg National park
commissioner, beloved and admired
by the entire nation, o.ed at 8 2 clock
Thursday morning the 26th ct the
home Of Capt. William 81 81
Gen. Lee came to Vicksburg the
week previous to attend the reunion
Of Lawler's brigade, three Iowa and
one Wisconsin regiments, and deiiv-
cred a fervid and patriotic address
during the reunion .Aercises. He
threw MS whole soul and energy into
this address, and when he returned to
the city about dark he was very tired.
He ate hearty supper, and severe
attack Of Indigestion followed.
DR.. Birchett was called in; ana
realized that Gen. Lee was a very sick
man, but the General apparently I'M.
proved in condition until Tuesday at
ternoon, when change FOR the worse
occurred, and from that time he sank
rapidly:
Gen. Lees only son, Blewett, arr
rived in a few hours from Chicago.
It is Eo exaggeration to say the
peueppes uesq seV puBIqlnoS eIoqA
by the death Of this great and good
man. Gen. Lee was enthusiastic tn his
efforts towards upbuilding the Vicks-
burg military park.
The funeral was held in Columbus
from the late reside..ce Of General
Lee, according to the burial rites OF
the Baptist church, Of which Gener-
al Lee was a member. =.
Possibly no man, either North Or
South, did more to bring the sections
together than Gen. Lee, and Ars brave
ness, patriotism and gentleness caus-
ed him to be beloved in the North as
well as in the South.
At the time Of his death Gen. Lee
was the ranking officer of the Con-
federacy. Two other lieutenant gem
erals Of the Confederacy still survive.
They are Gen. Alexander P. Stewart
Of Chattanooga, Tenn, and Gen. ST.
mon Bolivar Buckner, OF Kentucky,
but by virtue Of the precedence Of his
commission, Gen. Lee outranked both
of these.
General Lee, soldier, was born in
Charleston. S. c., September %, 1888.
His family was among the most dis
tinguished in the state. His grand.
father, Judge Thomas Lee, was Unit
ed States judge in South Carolina
during President Monroe's admins
tration, presiding during sthe nullif-
cation difficulties and was d strong
Union man. The grand son upon his
graduation in 1854, from the United
States Military Academy at West
Point, was assigned to the 4th artil-
lery, U. S. army, where he was first
lieutenant and regimental quartermas
ter, until 1861, when he resigned to
cast his lot with the south in the
Civil War; Previous to the reduction
Of Fort Sumpter, he was appointed
captain in the South Carolina army.
After the fall Of Fort Sumpter, Capt.
Lee was made quartermaster commits
sary and engineer disbursing officer
for the Confederate army in Charles
ton.
He was made brigadier general, No
vember 6, 1863, and ordered by Pres
ident Davis to Vicksburg, Miss, to
take command Of the garrison and
batteries holding the Mississippi Isr-
er at that paint He~-a-i.r -v-ssp 5lsss
a11y successful in many important en-
and after the fall Of
was exchanged and pro-
noted to major general, August 3,
1863, and placed in command Of all
the cavalry in Mississippi, Alabama,
West Tennessee and East Louisiana.
In February, 1865, Gen. Lee mar
ried Regina Harrison f Columbus,
Miss. Since the war Gen. Lee has la
bored energetically and constantly to
build up the waste lands of the south.
By profession he was a planter and
was president of the Mississippi Me-
shanical & Agricultural College, max
ing most successful record in this in
stitution.
Gen. Lee resigned the presidency
Of the A. & NJ. College to accept the
appointment as member of the
Vicksburg National Military Park
Commission, of which he was elected
chairman.
Dread is two-thirds Of life's suffer
inO