Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-06-07
V|CT|MOF WAR MOB
Whose Name is Linked in Several
Ways With That Of George
Washington.

Washington.
Light Horse Harry" Lees body Is
coming back to Virginia There is
nothing more interesting than that
In the news of the day II Is
long and strange exile which this
great Virginian has had from his
native state; and nothing could be
stranger. for that matter, than the
chance which left his bones on lonely
Cumberland Island. off the coast Of
Georgia. It seems quite remarkable
that the yirginans should have left
the ashes OF the father OF their still
greater hero, Robert f. Lee, so long
in exile.
When Light Horse Harry began
his brilliant service in the Reyolu-
tionary war as captain OF. Virginia
cavalry, he was but twenty years
cid 1t was in 1876, and he vas born
in Westmoreland county, on his
,-&father's estate. in 1856. For bis dash.
ing feats with the legion which soon
came under his command, Congress
voted him gold medal. He was the
only cavalry commander who was
leo much for Tarleton's dragons.
A heroic warrior, he became states
man after the war, and ii was he
who, in delivering in behalf of Con.
gress, eulogy OF the dead Wash.
. ington. used the words First in war,
first in peace. and first in the hearts
/ of his eountrymen." IT was az STRAIT
ford. his estate in Virginia, that his
son. Robert Edward. the great
leader OF the Confederacy, was born
I in 1907.
But about that strange chance
which left Light Horse Harry's
homes on far Cumberland Island Lee
had brother who lived In Balti-|
more, and he happened to be in that
! city in 1912. when mob, inflamed
by war feeling, made an attack on
the office of the Federalist paper, the
Federal Republican, which had been
/ active in opposing the war Gen.
Lee. who was then in private life,
! was personal friend of the editor
s of the paper. and he stood forth IN
the street facing the mob, in an en-
. deavor to protect his friends prop
erty from destruction. He was struck
8 hy the mob and received injuries from
! which he never recovered He lived
Z for six years in III health, and in
! 1915, went to the West indies in the
/. hope of recovering his strength. Tae
/. attempt was vain. Returning he
stopped at the house OF the daughter
. of his old friend, Gen. Nathaniel
! Greene. of Cumberland Island, and
{ died there. In those days it was prac4
4 tically impossible to transport tho
bodies of the dead for any consider
8 able distance Light Horse Harry was
. buried. therefore, under the spreading
expresses and live oaks of Cumberland
$ Island. and. there his ashes have re-
NAMED ever since They are at last
: 10 be transferred to Virginia, presum-
4 ably to lie by the side OF the remains
= Of his famous son,
: The name of Lee was linked in
more ways than one with that OF
! Washington. AS everybody knows,
Robert f. Lees wife was Mary Ran
dolph Curtis Lee. the only daughter
of George Washington Parke Curtis
The adopted son of George Washing
ton and the grandson of Washing
'ron's wife. II was through her that
Robert E. Lee came into possession OF
arlington But this was not the
only sentimental connection between
the two families. In his boyhood
George Washington was desperately
in love with a Rowland beauty who
figures in many dolelul passages in
his early journals and letters. The
sentiment survived in him until after
he had entered young manhood, and
e he often bemoaned his wound I'd
heart" for his affection was not re-