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 Robert Edward Lee
N 37° 47.255 W 079° 26.546
17S E 637147 N 4183389
Commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War.
Waymark Code: WM1669
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 01/28/2007
Views: 216
Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807 at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and was the youngest son of Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee. He entered West Point in 1825 and graduated second in his class in 1829. In 1831 he married Mary Custis, the daughter of George Washing Park Custis, who was the adopted son of President George Washington. In 1852 he was appointed superintendent the United States Military Academy at West Point. With the secession of Virginia in 1861 Lee resigned his commission and went on to assume command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. He commanded Confederate Forces until August 9, 1865, when he surrended his army to General U. S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. Following the Civil War, General Lee became President of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, which known today as Washington and Lee University, a position that he held until his death. General Lee suffered a stroke in September 1870 and a few days later contracted pneumonia. On October 12, 1870, General Robert E. Lee died at his home on the campus of Washington College. He was buried on October 15, 1870 in the Lee Family Crypt in Lee Chapel in Lexington, Virginia. One of the most detail accounts of General Lee’s funeral was documented in a letter from V. M. I. Cadet William Nalle to his mother dated October 16, 1870. Cadet Nalle’s letter can be viewed here courtesy of the Virginia Military Institute: ( visit link) The Coordinates for this waymark were taken at the entrance to Lee Chapel. No photography of any type will be allowed in Lee Chapel. The interior photos included with this waymark were taken in 2004 prior to this restriction. Please be respectful and honor this requirement. Confederate goliath reports that during his visit of September 20, 2008, photographs were permitted in the area of the Lee Family Tomb. NOTE: SINCE THIS WAYMARK WAS CREATED PHOTOGRAPHY INSIDE OF LEE CHAPEL AND THE TOMB AREA IS PROHIBITED. TO LOG A VISIT TO THIS WAYMARK PLEASE SUBMIT A RESPECTFUL PHOTO TAKE AT THE ENTRANCE TO LEE CHAPEL. RESPECT THE RESTRICTIONS AND NO INTERIOR PHOTOS, PLEASE.
Description:
Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807 at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and was the youngest son of Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee. He entered West Point in 1825 and graduated second in his class in 1829. In 1831 he married Mary Custis, the daughter of George Washing Park Custis, who was the adopted son of President George Washington. He served bravely during the Mexican War achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before returning to Washington where he resided in Arlington House. In 1852 he was appointed superintendent of West Point, during which time his son G. W. Custis Lee, his nephew, Fitzhugh Lee and J. E. B. Stuart, served as cadets and all went on to became general officers during the Civil War.
His military service to the United States ended with the secession of Virginia in 1861. He resigned his commission, and left Arlington House, never to return, and made his way to Richmond where he was made a major general in the Virginian forces. A few weeks later he became a brigadier-general, and on May 31, 1862, General Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Over seeing the Confederate Army during the long war took General Lee to the Battlefields at Gettysburg, Antietam, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Petersburg. It was at Petersburg in April 1865 the General Lee realized the war would soon be lost as he began to retreat west toward Appomattox.
On April 9, 1865, in the house of Wilmer McLean, Union General U. S. Grant met with General Lee to discuss the terms of surrender. During the early afternoon General Lee accepted the terms and surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia. Following the surrender General Lee lived for a few months Powhatan County, and in August 1865, he received, and accepted an offer to become President of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. General Lee moved to Lexington and lived the rest of his life on the Campus of what is today known as Washington and Lee University.
On September 28, 1870 General Lee suffered a stroke and a few days later contracted pneumonia. On October 12, 1870, at a few minutes past 9 a.m., General Robert E. Lee died quietly at his home in Lexington. General Lee is buried in the Lee Family Crypt in Lee Chapel on the Campus of Washington and Lee University.
Date of birth: 01/19/1807
Date of death: 01/12/1870
Area of notoriety: Historical Figure
Marker Type: Tomb (above ground)
Setting: Indoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: April 1 - October 31; Monday-Saturday. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m, Sunday. 1 p.m.- 5 p.m. and November 1 - March 31: Mon-Sat. 9 a.m.- 4p.m., Sunday 1 p. m - 4 p.m.
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location. When logging your visit, please provide a note describing your visit experience, along with any additional information about the waymark or the surrounding area that you think others may find interesting.
We especially encourage you to include any pictures that you took during your visit to the waymark. However, only respectful photographs are allowed. Logs which include photographs representing any form of disrespectful behavior (including those showing personal items placed on or near the grave location) will be subject to deletion.
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