Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Barbara Kawamoto. Robert E. Lee’s Birthday "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore Since I was in high school I nearly always write something about the brave and courageous General Robert E. Lee and of latter years I have displayed the Confederate Battle Flag on his birthday. Last night (Wednesday) I spoke to the Sampson County Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans on the subject of "the Family of Robert E. Lee." There are so many historic shrines in Virginia, which are associated with the life of General Lee and are visited by thousands who admire this Southern hero. Many biographies have been written on General Lee and the most famous are the four volumes by Douglas Southall Freeman called "Lee’s Lieutenants" and is found in most public and college libraries. General Lee’s birthplace, "Stratford," in Westmoreland County, Virginia, was built in 1725 by a brother of the general’s forefather. General Lee was born in the same room in which his two grand uncles, Francis Lightfoot Lee and Richard Henry Lee, both signers of the Declaration of Independence, were born. This ancient house is open to the public and is located on the Potomac River very near "Wakefield," the birthplace of President George Washington. General Lee’s father, Major General Henry (Lighthorse Harry) Lee, was a lieutenant colonel during the American Revolution, and was governor of Virginia and a member of Congress. He died when young Robert E. Lee was eleven (11) years old. The young Lee was bred to "many memories of high deeds and to fine conceptions of patriotic service." When Lee was young, his family moved to historic Alexandria, Virginia, and today, at least two houses in which they lived are still standing, as well as Christ Episcopal Church, where they attended religious services. He received his early education here under excellent teachers. It was from here that he was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He was graduated from West Point in 1827 without receiving a single demerit and second in his class. He received a commission as second lieutenant in the U. S. Army Engineers and for a time was stationed at Fortress Monroe, Virginia (fort still standing), and in Washington, D.C. In 1831, young Lee was married to Mary Ann Randolph Custis (1808-1873) of Arlington, the only daughter of George Washington Parke Custis, who was the grandson of Mrs. Martha Washington and the adopted son of President Washington. Arlington was built in 1804 by Mr. Custis and is now a public shrine. The Lees made their home at Arlington. This handsome plantation was seized by the United States government illegally in 1861. It was converted into a national cemetery. The U.S. Congress later reimbursed the Lee family for the loss of this estate. All seven of the Lee children were born here: George W. Custis Lee (1832- 1913), major general, C.S.A., president of Washington and Lee University; William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (1837-1891), major general, C.S.A., member of U.S. Congress; Robert Edward Lee, Jr., (1843-1916), captain, C.S.A.; Mary Custis Lee (1835-1918), never married; Anne Carter Lee (1839-1862), died unmarried at Warrenton, N.C.; Eleanor Agnes Lee (1841-1873), died unmarried; Mildred Chiles Lee (1846-1905) died unmarried. General Custis Lee died unmarried, but the two brothers, both married and had children. In the capitol building in Richmond, there is a bronze statue of General Lee marking the spot on which he accepted the command of the Army of Northern Virginia. There are many artifacts relating to General Lee in the Confederate Museum in Richmond. In 1865, General Lee accepted the presidency of Washington College at Lexington, Virginia. Later it was renamed Washington and Lee University. The two homes in which he lived are still standing as well as the Lee Chapel which he had built. General Lee died on October 12, 1870. He and his immediate family are buried in marble vaults in the basement of the chapel. The museum in the chapel contains many Lee artifacts as well as some of the relics and portraits from Mount Vernon. General Lee has been long recognized as one of the world’s great Christian generals and certainly as a real hero among patriotic Southerners. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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