Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-01-26
GEN. ROBERT {. LEE
AND HIS UNIFORM
Hero of Confederacy Deserves
Place in Hall of Fame
ESTIMATE BY A N0RTHERNER
No President Since the War Would
Have Objected


For nearly four years l hoped for
the winging or the capture of the |
South's greatest soldier, Gen. Rob-
ert E. Lee, writes Lieut.. Col. ]. A.
Watrous.
In battle to the left of Peters
burg in Gen. Grants closing cam
paign, one of Gen Lees sodi-r-
shCt my horse, and dozen more of
them, few feet away, with guns
aimed where they would do me
$40 harm, if discharged, demand
ed surrender.
Within three quarters of an hour
| stood face to face with the great
Confederate soldier.
When. in a gentle voice, full of
".i.,.y, : Cd vot.e,,
IA YORK uraj r a;.d a>l.d: Az,
you badly wounded. major?" and
the major said he was, and Lee re-
piled, Il am sorry, l am sorry, ma.
jor; take good care Of him. gentle
IN f.. ! ..rt6 il s.lutins ,Le eue
my's leader, great man with a
gentle kindly heart.
A moment later the idol OF the
Uonfederacy, VI th his staff aud o..
cort, was hurryirg TO the flee
where a portion of Gen Warren >
Fifth Corps as driving the Con
federate Gen. McGowau's division
back to White Oak road
The next morning while or de
jec'ed band of prisoners was on -
way to Petersburg, Gen. Lee, his
staff and escort were met. They
we're riding rapidly. for already
Sheridan had begun his successful
attack at Five Forks. l recall my
feeling as looked into the troubled,
anxious face of the speeding general
that forenoon in 1865, when 7 said
to friend, Il hope Gen. Lee S army
will be soundly whipped to-day and
that our folks will do nothing worse
than capture him."
have related these incidents for
the purpose Of saving that while
they lead to growth of admiration
for the man Lee and the General
Lee, the man and the general, who
OF the most critical moment OF his
military life could ask dying sol
der what he asked the New York
major, and then, with as much sym
pathy as a fond mother might ad
dress a dying son, say 4 am sorry
l am sorry" has nothing whatever
to do with my firm belief that NJ
Northern soldier or citizen should
raise voice or put an obstacle ir
the way of placing a statue of Gen
Lee in the Hall of Fame at Wash
ington. There are many reasons
why l give expression to this be-
lief. In the first place, the law O
Congress gives each State the right
to place in the Hall of Fame statues
of two persons chosen by the State
Nothing is said as to how the sta
tues shall be made-how clad. Whar
pleased Illinois should have beer
accepted. Wisconsin choose Pert
Marquette, and in the garb of {
Catholic missionary priest. A few
people criticised Wisconsin for the
selection, particularly the garb il
which the statue appeared, but Wis
consin had her way as she should
have done.
Virginia, withou5 a dissenting
voice, chose George Washington
and Robert f. Lee. Does it not 20
without saying that these are tive
of the greatest Virginians?
1t is insisted by some that tn,
statue OF Gen. Lee would not exhib
it the Confederate uniform. Vir
ginia chose Lee in his uniform an,
Washington in his. Both, it is true
|, wore the uniforms lighting thei
respective countries.
PROFESSIONALLY it was a sourc
of real pleasure to every virginia.
, who served with Gen. Lee should no
exhibit the Confederate soldier
/ and the south, generally, that Vii
ginia desired that the statue of Ger
Lee should show him in the uniforr