On a hillside in Virginia high above the Potamac River, overlooking Washington D.C., stands Arlington House, the mansion intended to be a living memorial to George Washington. It was built by his adopted Grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, in 1785, where his wife Mary Lee Fitzhugh lived and were buried together on the property. Their only child Mary Anna, married her childhood friend and distant cousin, Robert E. Lee. They lived in the house until 1861, when Lee was named Major General of the Virginia Military. Fearing for his wife's saftey and anticipating the loss of their family inhertance he wrote to Mary Anna saying, "war is inevitable, and there is not telling when it will burst around you.. you have to move and make arrangements to go to some point of saftey which you must select. The Mount Vernon plate and pictures ought to be secure. Keep quite while you remain, and in your preparations, may God keep and preserve you and have mercy on all our people".
As for Arlington House, Brig. General Meigs, who commanded Arlington House, had appropriated the grounds for use as a union cemetery. Yankees were buried in Mrs. Lee's rose garden out of revenge, not honor. His idea was to render the house uninhabitable should the Lee family ever attempted to return. The U.S. Supreme Court returned the property to Custis Lee. On March 3,1883, Congress purchased the property from Lee for $150,000.
They never returned to their beloved Arlington..........
On the morning of Wednesday, October 12th, 1870, General Robert E. Lee, passed away from pneumonia following a stroke that had occured two weeks earlier. During the last two weeks of his life, Lee's wife, Mary Anna, described her husband's last two weeks in a letter to a dear friend.
General Lee suffered a stroke after attending a meeting at his church. He returned home to have tea with his family. Mary remarked," you have kept us waiting a long time, where have you been"? He did not reply. Instead, he stood as if he was about to say Grace, but he did not utter a word. Lee quietly sat back down in his seat with a breath of resignation. Mrs. Lee said, "that look was never to be forgotten, and I have no doubt he felt that his hour had come.......
The doctor arrived and Mary explained that, "he never smiled and rarely attempted to speak, except in his dreams, and then he wandered to those dreadful battlefields". At one point Lee began to feel better. A doctor said, "you must soon get out and ride your favorite gray! " referring to Traveller." The General did not reply as he closed his eyes and shook his head emphatically. In his final hours, Lee slept a great deal. It became certain it was hopeless. His pulse was weak and rapid as his breathing grew heavier. He still recognized his family and loved having them around. Slightly after nine o' clock on the morning of October 12th, he at last sank into rest as his eyes closed to the world. The old hero lost his final battle as a deep sigh drew across his face. "What a glorius rest was in store for him", said Mrs. Lee. General Lee's last words that are documented were "Tell Hill he must come up. Strike the tent."
–Robert E. Lee, October 12, 1870
Copyright: Freda Mincey Burton
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