The Tupelo journal., 1908-06-05
GEN.. S. D. Lee IS DEAD
PASSES AWAY PEACEFULLY AT
vICKsBURG, MISS.
Death Comes Near Battlefield Most
Connected With His Name-Gen.
Leo Was Ono Of Only Three Sur
viving Confederate Generals.

and clivalrous soldier, and beloved
by every man, woman and child Of
Dixie Land, answered the last roll cal
a few seconds before 6 o'clock this morn
ing. His death was painless and he
passed peacefully into the Valhalla OF
the .South's immortals.
DIR. j. A. X. Birchett, his physician
states that the specific cause of his
death was cerebral hemorrhage and
stroke of apoplexy affecting his left
side. This was caused by an overtax
ing exhaustion in greeting and welcom
ing here last Friday four regiments OF
Iowa and Wisconsin soldiers which met
in reunion.
Gen. Lee met then for the first time
after the war men whom he had fought
on the battlefield forty-ive years be
fore. He was overjoyed, especially at
meeting Col. w. H. Needham of Iowa
the only Federal soldier who had broken
into Confederate lines in the assault
on Vicksburg and escaped with his life
His heart was stirred with powerful
overmastering emotion, he thrilled with
e~loquence and delivered by ia,
the most powerful brotherly address ever
made by him.
1t completely exhausted him. The in
tense heat of the day affected him. Re
turning to his hotel, he ate a hearty
meal. Friday night he was seized with
acute indigestion. Saturday he rallied
Monday evening his recovery seemed sc
sure that he planned to leave here Tues
day. Tuesday evening he collapsed. He
a state of coma. The hand OF
paralysis was upon him. His mind wan
dered. At times there seemed to be
signs of returning consciousness. 1t was
evident Wednesday afternoon that he
was to die. He grew weaker during the
night and died as morning came.
A special train will leave with the
at 7:20' o'clock tomorrow morning
over the Alabama & Vicksburg for Co
lumbus via Meridian. The ~sorrowine
and an official escort will &C
with the train.
1t was fitting that his life should end
here on the mightiest battlefield of the
for it was in the Vicksburg cam.
paign he won his spurs and revealed an
intrepid gallantry unexcelled by any
warriors of history. 1t was within a
few miles of Vicksburg that he won his
greatest battle, Chickasaw bayou, and
decisively defeated the Northern gen
eral, w. T. Sherman.
Work Of Last Yea.
The latter years of his life were al
most completely wrapped up in the de
velopment of the Vicksburg National
Military park, of which he was a com.
missioner. The last ten years of his
life he dedicated to the beautiful work
of more closely reuniting the blue and
the gray in the common brotherhood OF
man. The scores of reunions held here
gave him a national field for this glori
Gus promotion and he had come to be
known to more surviving Federal sol
diers as a p~eacemaker than any other
Southern commander. Resolute, daring
the great seige, his signal defeat
of Sherman at C~hickasaw bayou put of
the seige of Vicksburg for months.
Gen. Lee died at the official residence
of the National Military Park commits
sion, of which he was a member. Chair
w. T. Rigby Immediately notified
his fellow commissioners and the wa,
department.
Gen. Lee had prepared his annual ad
dress to the United Confederate Veter
ans, which was to have been delivered
in early June at Birmingham. 1t is the
grandest paper ever prepared by hin
and will be published.
Casket Draped in Loved Flag.
The casket of Gen. Lee is wrapped il
a Confederate flag. Hundreds of Vicks
burg citizens paid their last respects
kilograms Of coincidence poured in from
the most distinguished men of the ma
ton, and especially the South. TIL,
public schools of the city were closed
Mayor Griffith issued an official procla
nation and wired President Roosevelt.
The ladies' organizations were tender
in their tributes, and the room where hi
sleeps is banked with flowers from tn,
Daughters of the Confederacy, Ladies O
the Confederate Memorial associatio,
and Daughters of Veterans.
He was an intimate friend of Presi
dent Roosevelt of late years. The presi
dent had a great affection for the great
est living Mississippian. He was tn
personal escort to President Roosevelt
on his visit here last October, and t,
Mrs. Roosevelt when she came here t,
board the yacht Mayflower in April.
Flags are at half-mast at Nationa
Park headquarters and draped flags ar,
seen everywhere here.