Year: 1870

mcst illustlious man Of the age
is no more! The Christian
soldier, whose valor, skill and
noble character was the ad-
ministrNtion of the world, has
gone from among us. In a
quiet village Of that noble old
State, Virginia, he so loved,
and,e,, mon I. J, !. .thl,e pages Of whose
history he carved his immortal
name in imperishable deeds,
Gen, Robert e. Lee breathed
LIS last.


His veterans, who are scat.
tered far and wide over the
land, and who idolizpd him, will
feel most the weight Of this
crushing offiiction, which has
come upon the South; but his
people who loved him us q ia.
ther, will mourn his loss, and
like Rachel, refuse TO be COM
torted while those who were
SO often opposed to him on
many a hotly contested field,
will lay upon his grave the
tribute of honor for the brave
and the good, due 50 noble a
soul, once their foe.


From every quarter of the
civilized world will come words
of sympathy for the bereaved
South as she weeps beside the
grave Of her most beloved son,
and mankind will bear witness
to the Christian purity Of his
public and private life, the un.
selfshness Of his patriotism, and
the incompatible brilliancy,
marvellous skill and matchless
valor Of his military achieve
ments in the field.


AT this late hour we cannot
enter into an extended biogra-
ply of the Great Captain. His
history and his fame are "as
familiar as household words"
throughout the length and
breadth Of the land. Suffice
it to say that he came Of a
family famous in the annals of
the country which was Of Eng
lish extraction, and traced its
descent from one Of the noblest
houses Of England. The early
career of General Lee, first, rs
q cadet at West Point, where
he graduated at the head Of his
class with the highest honorS,
and subsequently as an officer
during the Mexican war, in
which he won many laurels, are
known to US all. His career
during the late war, his heroic
struggles against overwhelming
odds, for four bloody years, and
his final surrender at Appomat.
tox, where, with the sympathy
and respect of the world, he
sheathed with honor and for
ever, that sword which he had
drawn in defence Of his people,
are now matters of history
Having done his duty to the
best Of his ability, lie retired
into private life, and set about
at once restoring peace and
order by his example, and in
devoting himself to the educa-
tion Of the youth Of the South.


Since the close of the war he
had been living simply and
unostentatiously at Lexington,
Virginia, where, as President
of Washington College, his
duties were often onerous, but
were nevertheless performed
with that scrupulous integrity
with which he was accustomed
always to attend to the small
est details.


Never was there n more
sublime spectacle of moral he
roism witnessed than that OF
Robert e. Lee at lexington
He once said that duty is the
noblest word in the English
language" and well did he il.
lustrate his belief in his own
actions. The foundation of his
character was truth, and the
corner stone, honor. In person
he was one of the handsomest
men Of his day; his manners
were simple, yet polished and
courtly to the highest degree.
There was an habitual gentle.
ness, kindness, repose and dig
nifty about him, which was at