| Birth: | Jan. 19, 1807 | | Death: | Oct. 12, 1870 | 
Civil War Confederate General. He occupies a unique place in U.S. military history. Despite his affiliation with the Confederacy, he is often regarded as one of America's greatest soldiers. As head of the Army of Northern Virginia, Lee fought eight major campaigns. Although a Confederate Army General, he wore only the rank of Colonel on his uniform, the last rank he held in the US Army before he resigned to join the Confederacy. Of the eight campaigns, half of them: The Seven Days, 2nd Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, were noted victories. Of the other four campaigns, Gettysburg and Petersburg were decisive losses; the Antietam Campaign was unsuccessful, but not disastrous, and is considered a draw; and the Wilderness-Spotsylvania Campaign was considered a draw. During the last winter of the war, in February 1865, Lee was named General-in-Chief of all of the Southern armies. But the appointment came too late; by that time, there was little that he could do to prevent the collapse of the Confederacy. Two months later, on April 9, 1865, Lee was forced to surrender at Appomattox Court House. His post-war years were spent as President of little Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), 1865-1870. On September 28, 1870, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in the college presidents' residence. The next ten days showed a steady improvement. However, on October 12th, during the worst rainstorm and flooding in Virginia history, he suddenly became worse, and with his last words, "Strike the Tent", he quietly and peacefully expired. The first building constructed by the General as head of the college was the chapel and the regents decided it was to be his burial place. A casket for Lee had to be retrieved from those that had been washed down stream because of the flooding. The only useable one was short, so the General's boots were removed so that he would fit. His body was embalmed at the residence, dressed in his military uniform, placed in the retrieved casket and taken to the College Chapel for viewing. The day prior, a funeral procession of enormous proportions was formed at the Episcopal church (Robert E. Lee was a member). At the head of the procession was a brass band with muffled drums, followed by a hearse (minus the body as it remained in the College Chapel) and behind came "Traveler," the Generals famous horse, and finally thousands of people from every walk of life. After parading around town and through the College it ended at the College Chapel with concluding cannon fire by cadets from the nearby Virginia Military Institute. All were permitted to pass by the bier of the General. The following day, a service was conducted and the body was placed beneath the chapel floor. In 1883 Lee's remains were transferred to a newly built family crypt in the lower level of the chapel; a cenotaph marks his original gravesite. When Mrs. Lee passed on, her body was entombed next to her husband's and each of the remaining six children was laid to rest there as well. Their daughter, Annie Carter, remained in a cemetery in North Carolina where she died during the Civil War. In 1994 she was disinterred and reinterred in the Lee Chapel thus reuniting her with the Lee family. Even Traveler, after being mounted and displayed for a time, was removed and buried a few yards away.
Family links:
Parents:
Henry Lee (1756 - 1818)
Ann Hill Carter Lee (1779 - 1829)
Spouse:
Mary Anne Randolph Custis Lee (1808 - 1873)
Search Amazon for Robert Lee | | | Burial:
Lee Chapel Museum
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Lexington (Lexington City County)
Lexington City
Virginia, USA
*Former burial location |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Feb 03, 1999
Find A Grave Memorial# 4469 |
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Added by:
Burl Kennedy
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