Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-03
Your aHectionate father.
To G. w. Custis Lee"
Sun DOES NOT PRINT
FROM ORIGINAL L,u~T,rr r,

Tho sun did not profess TO print
from the original letter This has
never been produced. nor has its alb
sence been accounted for. The cor
respondent sent IN an alleged COPY"
and the paper used that and no one
now connected with the sun has any
information as to the source whence
this copy came
On December 2. 1864, the Duty Let
ter appeared In the Richmond Wing
exactly as above. but without credit
10 the Sun or to any other paper ON
December TO- II appeared again in the
tsemweekly) Sentinel OF Richmond,
va. with erroneous credit to the Phil
aoe!phla inquirer. The Sentinel in its
next issue. December 20, publishes n
reputation OF the whole matter which.
mad II beep generally known, would
have forestalled any sort of credit 70
the authenticity of the Duty Letter.
ana me whole matter might well. by
this time, have been forgot. But the
issue Of the Sentinel was unnoted nm
III 1913, when Louis X. Gould Esq.
called the attention of Professor Graves
TO this most important piece OF evil
dence which In the phrase OF the dis
cusSion Is known as Reputation Let
ter The Sentinel denounces the orig
inal publication as Yankee foruerv"
and, withholding the name of the writ
er OF the Reputation" declares that
u comes from source entitled TO
KNOW This letter is as follows:
nave read the published letter said
TO have been written by General r r
Lee There is nothing about Il thar
can be recognized as genuine by any
one familiar with his style. He never
dated any of his letters Arlington
House. In April. 1852. he never had
belonged to any regiment. and could
not. therefors. have been about TO
search for 1t in New Mexico. He was
transferred to the cavalry In 1856. and
had previously been In the engineer
corps In the spring OF 1852 he was
engaged In the construction Of the
fort at Sellers Point Flats (near Balti
more)' and preparing to go to West
Point as superintendent of the military
academy there. He has never been to
Ne" Mexico. This plain statement OF
facts is made to furnish another ex-
ample or the mendacity of our enemies,
ana no" they publish things that are
been no object In this publication but
to amuse the people. So far. it is
harmless deception, yet the cause Of
truth needs this refutation."
Evidence. both Internal and external
makes it quite certain that the repudia-
ton letter was either written by Gem
eral Lee or with his consent, and after
consultation with him by some one
very near to him. He was at the time
of It's appearance In the neishborhood
OF flchinohd' In MS own phrase, writ
ten just two days before the appear.
ance Of the duty letter." EVERYTHING
at this time is quiet in the departments
of Virginia and North Carolina" and
he had opportunity to examine the
papers; Mrs, Lee and her three daugh
tiers were living I'm Richmond: General
Custis Lee was stationed there; other
Lees were in the vicinity, officers in the
Confederate army, and all investiga-
tion has failed to show flaw in the
complicated statement OF facts con-
tanned in the reputation letter. If IL
be conceded that 1T was the work Of
General Lee, the investigation stops