From Camp on Sewell’s Mountain--Quotation from Colonel Taylor’s
book--From Professor Wm. P. Trent--From Mr. Davis’s Memorial
Address--Defense of Southern ports--Christmas, 1861--The General visits
his father’s grave--Commands, under the President, all the armies of the
Confederate States
The season being too far advanced to attempt any further movements away
from our base of supplies, and the same reasons preventing any advance
of the Federal forces, the campaign in this part of Virginia ended for
the winter. In the Kanawha Valley, however, the enemy had been and were
quite active. Large reinforcements under General Rosecrans were sent
there to assist General Cox, the officer in command at that point.
General Loring, leaving a sufficient force to watch the enemy at Cheat
Mountain, moved the rest of his army to join the commands of Generals
Floyd and Wise, who were opposing the advance of Cox. General Lee, about
September 20th, reached General Floyd’s camp, and immediately proceeded
to arrange the lines of defense. Shortly after his arrival there he
wrote to my mother at the Hot Springs:
“Camp on Sewell’s Mountain,
“September 26, 1881.
“I have just received, dear Mary, your letter of the 17th and 19th
instants, with one from Robert. I have but little time for writing
to-night, and will, therefore, write to you.... Having now disposed
of business matters, I will say how glad I am to hear from you, and to
learn that you have reached the Hot in safety, with daughter and Rob. I
pray that its healing waters may benefit you all. I am glad to hear of
Charlotte and the girls, and hope all will go well with them. I infer
you received my letter before leaving Valley Mountain, though you did
not direct your letter ‘via Lewisburg, Greenbrier County,’ and hence its
delay. I told you of the death of Colonel Washington. I grieve for his
loss, though trust him to the mercy of our Heavenly Father. May He have
mercy on us all.
“It is raining heavily. The men are all exposed on the mountain, with
the enemy opposite to us. We are without tents, and for two nights I
have lain buttoned up in my overcoat. To-day my tent came up and I am in
it. Yet I fear I shall not sleep for thinking of the poor men. I wrote
about socks for myself. I have no doubt the yarn ones you mention will
be very acceptable to the men here or elsewhere. If you can send them
here, I will distribute them to the most needy. Tell Rob I could not
write to him for want of time. My heart is always with you and my
children. May God guard and bless you all is the constant prayer of
“Your devoted husband,
“R. E. Lee.”
To my mother, still at the Hot Springs:
“Sewell’s Mountain, October 7, 1861.
“I received, dear Mary, your letter by Doctor Quintard, with the cotton
socks. Both were very acceptable, though the latter I have not yet
tried. At the time of their reception the enemy was threatening an
attack, which was continued till Saturday night, when under cover of
darkness we suddenly withdrew. Your letter of the 2d, with the yarn
socks, four pairs, was handed to me when I was preparing to follow, and
I could not at the time attend to either. But I have since, and as I
found Perry in desperate need, I bestowed a couple of pairs on him, as
a present from you, the others I have put in my trunk and suppose they
will fall to the lot of Meredith [His cook--a servant from the White
House], into the state of whose hose I have not yet inquired. Should any
sick man require them first, he shall have them, but Meredith will
have no one near to supply him but me, and will naturally expect that
attention. I hope, dear Mary, you and daughter, as well as poor little
Rob, have derived some benefit from the sanitary baths of the Hot. What
does daughter intend to do during the winter? And, indeed, what do you?
It is time you were determining. There is no prospect of your returning
to Arlington. I think you had better select some comfortable place in
the Carolinas or Georgia, and all board together. If Mildred goes to
school at Raleigh, why not go there? It is a good opportunity to try a
warmer climate for your rheumatism. If I thought our enemies would not
make a vigorous move against Richmond, I would recommend to rent a house
there. But under these circumstances I would not feel as if you were
permanently located if there. I am ignorant where I shall be. In the
field somewhere, I suspect, so I have little hope of being with you,
though I hope to be able to see you.... I heard from Fitzhugh the other
day. He is well, though his command is greatly reduced by sickness. I
wished much to bring him with me; but there is too much cavalry on this
line now, and I am dismounting them. I could not, therefore, order more.
The weather is almost as bad here as in the mountains I left. There was
a drenching rain yesterday, and as I had left my overcoat in camp I was
thoroughly wet from head to foot. It has been raining ever since and is
now coming down with a will. But I have my clothes out on the bushes and
they will be well washed.
“The force of the enemy, by a few prisoners captured yesterday and
civilians on the road, is put down from 17,000 to 20,000. Some went as
high as 22,000. General Floyd thinks 18,000. I do not think it exceeds
9,000 or 10,000, though it exceeds ours. I wish he had attacked us, as
I believe he would have been repulsed with great loss. His plan was to
attack us at all points at the same time. The rumbling of his wheels,
etc., was heard by our pickets, but as that was customary at night in
the moving and placing of his cannon, the officer of the day to whom it
was reported paid no particular attention to it, supposing it to be a
preparation for attack in the morning. When day appeared, the bird had
flown, and the misfortune was that the reduced condition of our horses
for want of provender, exposure to cold rains in these mountains,
and want of provisions for the men prevented the vigorous pursuit and
following up that was proper. We can only get up provisions from day to
day--which paralyses our operations.
“I am sorry, as you say, that the movements of the armies cannot keep
pace with the expectations of the editors of papers. I know they can
regulate matters satisfactorily to themselves on paper. I wish they
could do so in the field. No one wishes them more success than I do and
would be happy to see them have full swing. I hope something will be
done to please them. Give much love to the children and everybody, and
believe me.
“Always yours,
“R. E. Lee.”
Colonel Taylor, in his “Four Years with General Lee,” says:
“We had now reached the latter days of October. The lateness of the
season and the condition of the roads precluded the idea of earnest,
aggressive operations, and the campaign in western Virginia was
virtually concluded.
“Judged from its results, it must be confessed that this series of
operations was a failure. At its conclusion, a large portion of the
State was in possession of the Federals, including the rich valleys of
the Ohio and Kanawha rivers, and so remained until the close of the war.
For this, however, General Lee cannot reasonably be held accountable.
Disaster had befallen the Confederate arms, and the worst had been
accomplished before he had reached the theatre of operations; the
Alleghanies there constituted the dividing line between the hostile
forces, and in this network of mountains, sterile and rendered
absolutely impracticable by a prolonged season of rain, Nature had
provided an insurmountable barrier to operations in this transmontane
country.... It was doubtless because of similar embarrassments that the
Federal general retired, in the face of inferior numbers, to a point
near his base of supplies.”
Professor William P. Trent, in his “Robert E. Lee,” after describing
briefly the movements of the contending armies, writes:
“There was, then, nothing to do but to acknowledge the campaign a
failure. The Confederate Government withdrew its troops and sent them
elsewhere. Lee, whom the press abused and even former friends began to
regard as overrated, was assigned to command the Department of South
Carolina, Georgia, and Florida; and her western counties were lost to
the Old Dominion forever. It must have been a crushing blow to Lee at
the time, but he bore it uncomplainingly.... And when all is said, no
commander, however great, can succeed against bad roads, bad weather,
sickness of troops, lack of judgement and harmony among subordinates,
and a strong, alert enemy. Yet this is what Lee was expected to do.”
Mr. Davis, in an address before a memorial meeting at Richmond in 1870,
speaking of General Lee in this campaign, said:
“He came back, carrying the heavy weight of defeat, and unappreciated by
the people whom he served, for they could not know, as I knew, that, if
his plans and orders had been carried out, the result would have been
victory rather than retreat. You did not know it; for I should not have
known it had he not breathed it in my ear only at my earnest request,
and begging that nothing be said about it. The clamour which then arose
followed him when he went to South Carolina, so that it became necessary
on his departure to write a letter to the Governor of that State,
telling him what manner of man he was. Yet, through all this, with a
magnanimity rarely equalled, he stood in silence, without defending
himself or allowing others to defend him, for he was unwilling to offend
any one who was wearing a sword and striking blows for the Confederacy.”
After returning to Richmond, my father resumed his position as advisor
and counsellor to Mr. Davis. From there he writes to my mother, who had
left the Hot Springs and gone on to “Shirley,” on James River:
“Richmond, November 5, 1861.
“My Dear Mary: I received last night your letter of the 2d, and would
have answered it at once, but was detained with the Secretary till after
11 P. M. I fear now I may miss the mail. Saturday evening I tried to
get down to you to spend Sunday, but could find no government boat going
down, and the passenger boats all go in the morning. I then went to
the stable and got out my horse, but it was near night then and I was
ignorant both of the road and distance and I gave it up. I was obliged
to be here Monday, and as it would have consumed all Sunday to go and
come, I have remained for better times. The President said I could
not go to-day, so I must see what can be done to-morrow. I will come,
however, wherever you are, either Shirley or the White House, as soon as
possible, and if not sooner, Saturday at all events.... I am, as ever,
Yours,
“R. E. Lee.”
The day after this letter was written, my father was ordered to South
Carolina for the purpose of directing and supervising the construction
of a line of defense along the southern coast. I give here several
letters to members of his family which tell of his duties and manner of
life:
“Savannah, November 18, 1861.
“My Dear Mary: This is the first moment I have had to write to you,
and now am waiting the call to breakfast, on my way to Brunswick,
Fernandina, etc. This is my second visit to Savannah. Night before last,
I returned to Coosawhatchie, South Carolina, from Charleston, where I
have placed my headquarters, and last night came here, arriving after
midnight. I received in Charleston your letter from Shirley. It was a
grievous disappointment to me not to have seen you, but better times
will come, I hope.... You probably have seen the operations of the
enemy’s fleet. Since their first attack they have been quiescent
apparently, confining themselves to Hilton Head, where they are
apparently fortifying.
“I have no time for more. Love to all.
“Yours very affectionately and truly,
“R. E. Lee.”
“Charleston, November 15, 1861.
“My Precious Daughter: I have received your letter forwarded to Richmond
by Mr. Powell, and I also got, while in the West, the letter sent by B.
Turner. I can write but seldom, but your letters always give me great
pleasure. I am glad you had such a pleasant visit to ‘Kinloch.’ I have
passed a great many pleasant days there myself in my young days. Now
you must labour at your books and gain knowledge and wisdom. Do not mind
what Rob says. I have a beautiful white beard. It is much admired. At
least, much remarked on. You know I have told you not to believe what
the young men tell you. I was unable to see your poor mother when in
Richmond. Before I could get down I was sent off here. Another forlorn
hope expedition. Worse than West Virginia.... I have much to do in this
country. I have been to Savannah and have to go again. The enemy is
quiet after his conquest of Port Royal Harbor and his whole fleet is
lying there. May God guard and protect you, my dear child, prays your
“Affectionate father,
“R. E. Lee.”
The above letter was written to his youngest daughter Mildred, who was
at school in Winchester, Virginia. Two of my sisters were in King George
County, Virginia, at “Clydale,” the summer home of Dr. Richard Stuart,
with whose family we had been a long time intimate. From there they
had driven to “Stratford,” in Westmoreland County, about thirty miles
distant, where my father was born. They had written him of this trip,
and this is his reply:
“Savannah, November 22, 1861.
“My Darling Daughters: I have just received your joint letter of October
24th from ‘Clydale.’ It was very cheering to me, and the affection and
sympathy you expressed were very grateful to my feelings. I wish indeed
I could see you, be with you, and never again part from you. God only
can give me that happiness. I pray for it night and day. But my prayers
I know are not worthy to be heard. I received your former letter in
western Virginia, but had no opportunity to reply to it. I enjoyed it,
nevertheless. I am glad you do not wait to hear from me, as that would
deprive me of the pleasure of hearing from you often. I am so pressed
with business. I am much pleased at your description of Stratford and
your visit. It is endeared to me by many recollections, and it has been
always a great desire of my life to be able to purchase it. Now that we
have no other home, and the one we so loved has been foully polluted,
the desire is stronger with me than ever. The horse-chestnut you mention
in the garden was planted by my mother. I am sorry the vault is so
dilapidated. You did not mention the spring, on of the objects of my
earliest recollections. I am very glad, my precious Agnes, that you
have become so early a riser. It is a good habit, and in these times for
mighty works advantage should be taken of every hour. I much regretted
being obliged to come from Richmond without seeing your poor mother....
This is my second visit to Savannah. I have been down the coast to
Amelia Island to examine the defenses. They are poor indeed, and I have
laid off work enough to employ our people a month. I hope our enemy will
be polite enough to wait for us. It is difficult to get our people to
realise their position.... Good-bye, my dear daughters.
“Your affectionate father,
“R. E. Lee.”
To his daughter Annie:
“Coosawhatchie, South Carolina, December 8, 1861.
“My Precious Annie: I have taken the only quiet time I have been able to
find on this holy day to thank you for your letter of the 29th ulto. One
of the miseries of war is that there is no Sabbath, and the current of
work and strife has no cessation. How can we be pardoned for all our
offenses! I am glad that you have joined your mamma again and that some
of you are together at last. It would be a great happiness to me were
you all at some quiet place, remote from the vicissitudes of war,
where I could consider you safe. You must have had a pleasant time at
‘Clydale.’ I hope indeed that ‘Cedar Grove’ may be saved from the ruin
and pillage that other places have received at the hands of our enemies,
who are pursuing the same course here as the have practised elsewhere.
Unfortunately, too, the numerous deep estuaries, all accessible to their
ships, expose the multitude of islands to their predatory excursions,
and what they leave is finished by the negroes whose masters have
deserted their plantations, subject to visitations of the enemy. I am
afraid Cousin Julia [Mrs. Richard Stuart] will not be able to defend
her home if attacked by the vandals, for they have little respect for
anybody, and if they catch the Doctor [Doctor Richard Stuart] they
will certainly send him to Fort Warren or La Fayette. I fear, too, the
Yankees will bear off their pretty daughters. I am very glad you visited
‘Chatham’ [the home of the Fitzhughs, where my grandmother Custis was
born]. I was there many years ago, when it was the residence of Judge
Coulter, and some of the avenues of poplar, so dear to your grandmama,
still existed. I presume they have all gone now. The letter that you and
Agnes wrote from ‘Clydale’ I replied to and sent to that place. You know
I never have any news. I am trying to get a force to make headway on our
defenses, but it comes in very slow. The people do not seem to realise
that there is a war.
“It is very warm here, if that is news, and as an evidence I inclose
some violets I plucked in the yard of a deserted house I occupy. I wish
I could see you and give them in person.... Good-bye, my precious child.
Give much love to everybody, and believe me,
“Your affectionate father,
“R. E. Lee.”
From the same place, on December 2d, he writes to my mother:
“I received last night, dear Mary, your letter of the 12th, and
am delighted to learn that you are all well and so many of you are
together. I am much pleased that Fitzhugh has an opportunity to be with
you all and will not be so far removed from his home in his new field
of action. I hope to see him at the head of a find regiment and that he
will be able to do good service in the cause of his country. If Mary and
Rob get to you Christmas, you will have quite a family party, especially
if Fitzhugh is not obliged to leave his home and sweet wife before that
time. I shall think of you all on that holy day more intensely than
usual, and shall pray to the great God of Heaven to shower His blessings
upon you in this world, and to unite you all in His courts in the world
to come. With a grateful heart I thank Him for His preservation thus
far, and trust to His mercy and kindness for the future. Oh, that I were
more worthy, more thankful for all He has done and continues to do for
me! Perry and Meredith [his two coloured servants] send their respects
to all....
“Truly and affectionately,
“R. E. Lee.”
From the same place, on Christmas Day, he writes to my mother:
“I cannot let this day of grateful rejoicing pass, dear Mary, without
some communication with you. I am thankful for the many among the past
that I have passed with you, and the remembrance of them fills me with
pleasure. For those on which we have been separated we must not repine.
Now we must be content with the many blessings we receive. If we can
only become sensible of our transgressions, so as to be fully penitent
and forgiven, that this heavy punishment under which we labour may
with justice be removed from us and the whole nation, what a gracious
consummation of all that we have endured it will be!
“I hope you had a pleasant visit to Richmond.... If you were to see this
place, I think you would have it, too. I am here but little myself. The
days I am not here I visit some point exposed to the enemy, and after
our dinner at early candle-light, am engaged in writing till eleven or
twelve o’clock at night.... AS to our old home, if not destroyed, it
will be difficult ever to be recognised. Even if the enemy had wished
to preserve it, it would almost have been impossible. With the number
of troops encamped around it, the change of officers, etc., the want of
fuel, shelter, etc., and all the dire necessities of war, it is vain
to think of its being in a habitable condition. I fear, too, books,
furniture, and the relics of Mount Vernon will be gone. It is better
to make up our minds to a general loss. They cannot take away the
remembrance of the spot, and the memories of those that to us rendered
it sacred. That will remain to us as long as life will last, and that
we can preserve. In the absence of a home, I wish I could purchase
‘Stratford.’ That is the only other place that I could go to, now
accessible to us, that would inspire me with feelings of pleasure and
local love. You and the girls could remain there in quiet. It is a poor
place, but we could make enough cornbread and bacon for our support, and
the girls could weave us clothes. I wonder if it is for sale and at how
much. Ask Fitzhugh to try to find out, when he gets to Fredericksburg.
You must not build your hopes on peace on account of the United States
going into a war with England [on account of the Trent affair]. She will
be very loath to do that, notwithstanding the bluster of the Northern
papers. Her rulers are not entirely mad, and if they find England is
in earnest, and that war or a restitution of their captives must be the
consequence, they will adopt the latter. We must make up our minds to
fight our battles and win our independence alone. No one will help
us. We require no extraneous aid, if true to ourselves. But we must be
patient. It is not a light achievement and cannot be accomplished at
once.... I wrote a few days since, giving you all the news, and have now
therefore nothing to relate. The enemy is still quiet and increasing in
strength. We grow in size slowly but are working hard. I have had a day
of labour instead of rest, and have written intervals to some of the
children. I hope they are with you, and inclose my letters....
“Affectionately and truly,
“R. E. Lee.”
In the next letter to my mother he describes a visit to the grave of
his father at Dungeness, on Cumberland Island, Georgia. Dungeness
was presented to General Nathaniel Green by the State of Georgia for
services rendered her in the Revolution. General Henry Lee, returning
from the West Indies, where he had been for some months on account of
his health, landed there, and in a few days died, March 15, 1818. He
was most kindly cared for by the daughter of his old commander, and
was buried there in the garden of Dungeness. At the time of my father’s
visit the place belonged to a great-nephew of General Green, Mr.
Nightingale.
“Coosawhatchie, South Carolina, January 18, 1862.
“On my return, day before yesterday, from Florida, dear Mary, I received
your letter of the 1st inst. I am very glad to find that you had a
pleasant family meeting Christmas, and that it was so large. I am truly
grateful for all the mercies we enjoy, notwithstanding the miseries of
war, and join heartily in the wish that the next year may find us
at peace with all the world. I am delighted to hear that our little
grandson [his first grandchild--son of my brother Fitzhugh. He died in
1863] is improving so fast and is becoming such a perfect gentleman. May
his path be strewn with flowers and his life with happiness. I am very
glad to hear also that his dear papa is promoted. It will be gratifying
to him and increase, I hope, his means of usefulness. Robert wrote me he
saw him on his way through Charlottesville with his squadron, and that
he was well. While at Fernandina I went over to Cumberland Island and
walked up to ‘Dungeness,’ the former residence of General Green. It was
my first visit to the house, and I had the gratification at length of
visiting my father’s grave. He died there, you may recollect, on his
way from the West Indies, and was interred in one corner of the family
cemetery. The spot is marked by a plain marble slab, with his name, age,
and her daughter, Mrs. Shaw, and her husband. The place is at present
owned by Mr. Nightingale, nephew of Mrs. Shaw, who married a daughter
of Mr. James King. The family have moved into the interior of Georgia,
leaving only a few servants and a white gardener on the place. The
garden was beautiful, inclosed by the finest hedge I have ever seen. It
was of the wild olive, which, in Mrs. Shaw’s lifetime, during my tour of
duty in Savannah in early life, was so productive, had been destroyed
by an insect that has proved fatal to the orange on the coast of Georgia
and Florida. There was a fine grove of olives, from which, I learn, Mr.
Nightingale procures oil. The garden was filled with roses and beautiful
vines, the names of which I do not know. Among them was the tomato-vine
in full bearing, with the ripe fruit on it. There has yet been no frost
in that region of country this winter. I went in the dining-room and
parlour, in which the furniture still remained.... The house has never
been finished, but is a fine, large one and beautifully located. A
magnificent grove of live-oaks envelops the road from the landing to the
house.... Love to everybody and God bless you all.
“Truly and faithfully yours,
“R. E. Lee.”
From the same place there is another letter to my mother:
“Coosawhatchie, South Carolina, January 28, 1862.
“I have just returned from Charleston, and received your letter of the
14th, dear Mary.... I was called to Charleston by the appearance off the
bar of a fleet of vessels the true character and intent of which could
not be discerned during the continuance of the storm which obscured the
view. Saturday, however, all doubt was dispelled, and from the beach on
Sullivan’s Island the preparations for sinking them were plainly seen.
Twenty-one were visible the first day of my arrival, but at the end
of the storm, Saturday, only seventeen were seen. Five of these were
vessels of war: what became of the other four is not known. The twelve
old merchantmen were being stripped of their spars, masts, etc., and by
sunset seven were prepared apparently for sinking across the mouth of
the Maffitt Channel, they were placed in a line about two hundred yards
apart, about four miles from Fort Moultrie. They will do but little harm
to the channel, I think, but may deter vessels from running out at
night for fear of getting on them. There now seem to be indications of a
movement against Savannah. The enemy’s gunboats are pushing up the creek
to cut off communication between the city and Fort Pulaski on Cockspur
Island. Unless I have better news, I must go there to-day. There are so
many points of attack, and so little means to meet them on the water,
that there is but little rest.... Perry and Meredith are well and send
regards to everybody....
“Very truly and sincerely yours,
“R. E. Lee.”
It was most important that the defenses of Charleston and Savannah
should be made as strong as possible. The difficulties in the way were
many and great, but General Lee’s perseverance overcame most of them.
The result was that neither of those cities fell till the close of the
war, and a region of country was preserved to the Confederacy
necessary for the feeding of its armies. Of course all of this was not
accomplished by my father alone in the four months he was there; but the
plans of defense he laid down were successfully followed.
While in Savannah, he writes to my mother:
“Savannah, February 8, 1862.
“I wrote to you, dear Mary, the day I left Coosawhatchie for this place.
I have been here ever since, endeavouring to push forward the work for
the defense of the city, which has lagged terribly and which ought to
have been finished. But it is difficult to arouse ourselves from ease
and comfort to labour and self-denial.
“Guns are scarce, as well as ammunition, and I shall have to break up
batteries on the coast to provide, I fear, for this city. Our enemies
are endeavouring to work their way through the creeks that traverse
the impassable marshes stretching along the interior of the coast and
communicating with the sounds and sea, through which the Savannah flows,
and thus avoid the entrance of the river commanded by Fort Pulaski.
Their boats require only seven feet of water to float them, and the tide
rises seven feet, so that at high water they can work their way and rest
on the mud at low. They are also provided with dredges and appliances
for removing obstructions through the creeks in question, which cannot
be guarded by batteries. I hope, however, we shall be able to stop them,
and I daily pray to the Giver of all victories to enable us to do so....
I trust you are all well and doing well, and wish I could do anything to
promote either. I have more here than I can do, and more, I fear, than I
can well accomplish. It is so very hard to get anything done, and while
all wish well and mean well, it is so different to get them to act
energetically and promptly.... The news from Kentucky and Tennessee is
not favourable, but we must make up our minds to meet with reverses and
overcome them. I hope God will at last crown our efforts with success.
But the contest must be long and severe, and the whole country has to go
through much suffering. It is necessary we should be humbled and taught
to be less boastful, less selfish, and more devoted to right and justice
to all the world.... Always yours,
“R. E. Lee.”
To my mother:
“Savannah, February 23, 1862.
“I have been wishing, dear Mary, to write to you for more than a week,
but every day and every hour seem so taken up that I have found it
impossible.... The news from Tennessee and North Carolina is not all
cheering, and disasters seem to be thickening around us. It calls for
renewed energies and redoubled strength on our part, and, I hope, will
produce it. I fear our soldiers have not realised the necessity for the
endurance and labour they are called upon to undergo, and that it is
better to sacrifice themselves than our cause. God, I hope, will shield
us and give us success. Here the enemy is progressing slowly in his
designs, and does not seem prepared, or to have determined when or
where to make his attack. His gunboats are pushing up all the creeks and
marshes of the Savannah, and have attained a position so near the river
as to shell the steamers navigating it. None have as yet been struck. I
am engaged in constructing a line of defense at Fort Jackson which, if
time permits and guns can be obtained, I hope will keep them out. They
can bring such overwhelming force in all their movements that it has the
effect to demoralise our new troops. The accounts given in the papers of
the quantity of cotton shipped to New York are, of course, exaggerated.
It is cotton in the seed and dirt, and has to be ginned and cleaned
after its arrival. It is said that the negroes are employed in picking
and collecting it, and are paid a certain amount. But all these things
are gathered from rumour, and can only be believed as they appear
probable, which this seems to be.... I went yesterday to church, being
the day appointed for fasting and prayer. I wish I could have passed it
more devoutly. The bishop (Elliott) gave a most beautiful prayer for the
President, which I hope may be heard and answered.... Here the yellow
jasmine, red-bud, orange-tree, etc., perfume the whole woods, and the
japonicas and azaleas cover the garden. Perry and Meredith are well. May
God bless and keep you always is the constant prayer of your husband,
“R. E. Lee.”
To his daughter Annie:
“Savannah, March 2, 1862.
“My Precious Annie: It has been a long time since I have written to
you, but you have been constantly in my thoughts. I think of you all,
separately and collectively, in the busy hours of the day and the silent
hours of the night, and the recollection of each and every one whiles
away the long night, in which my anxious thoughts drive away sleep. But
I always feel that you and Agnes at those times are sound asleep, and
that is immaterial to either where the blockaders are or what their
progress is in the river. I hope you are all well, and as happy as
you can be in these perilous times to our country. They look dark at
present, and it is plain we have not suffered enough, laboured enough,
repented enough, to deserve success. But they will brighten after
awhile, and I trust that a merciful God will arouse us to a sense of our
danger, bless our honest efforts, and drive back our enemies to their
homes. Our people have not been earnest enough, have thought too much
of themselves and their ease, and instead of turning out to a man,
have been content to nurse themselves and their dimes, and leave the
protection of themselves and families to others. To satisfy their
consciences, they have been clamorous in criticising what others have
done, and endeavoured to prove that they ought to do nothing. This is
not the way to accomplish our independence. I have been doing all I can
with our small means and slow workmen to defend the cities and coast
here. Against ordinary numbers we are pretty strong, but against the
hosts our enemies seem able to bring everywhere there is no calculating.
But if our men will stand to their work, we shall give them trouble and
damage them yet. They have worked their way across the marshes, with
their dredges, under cover of their gunboats, to the Savannah River,
about Fort Pulaski. I presume they will endeavour to reduce the fort and
thus open a way for their vessels up the river. But we have an interior
line they must force before reaching the city. It is on this line we are
working, slowly to my anxious mind, but as fast as I can drive them....
Good-bye, my dear child. May God bless you and our poor country.
“Your devoted father,
“R. E. Lee.”
Soon after this letter was written my father was recalled to Richmond,
“and was assigned on the 13th of March, under the direction of the
President, to the conduct of the military operations of all the armies
of the Confederate States” [“Four Years with General Lee”]. My mother
was still at the White House, my brother’s place on the Pamunkey, and
there my father wrote to her:
“Richmond, March 14, 1862.
“My Dear Mary: I have been trying all the week to write to you, but have
not been able. I have been placed on duty here to conduct operations
under the direction of the President. It will give me great pleasure to
do anything I can to relieve him and serve the country, but I do not see
either advantage or pleasure in my duties. But I will not complain, but
do my best. I do not see at present either that it will enable me to see
much more of you. In the present condition of affairs no one can foresee
what may happen, nor in my judgement is it advisable for any one to make
arrangements with a view to permanency or pleasure. The presence of some
one at the White House is necessary as long as practicable. How long it
will be practicable for you an Charlotte to remain there I cannot say.
The enemy is pushing us back in all directions, and how far he will be
successful depends much upon our efforts and the mercy of Providence. I
shall, in all human probability, soon have to take the field, so for
the present I think things had better remain as they are. Write me your
views. If you think it best for you to come to Richmond I can soon make
arrangements for your comfort and shall be very glad of your company and
presence. We have experienced a great affliction both in our private and
public relations. Our good and noble Bishop Meade died last night. He
was very anxious to see you, sent you his love and kindest remembrances,
and had I known in time yesterday I should have sent expressly for you
to come up. But I did not know of his wish or condition till after the
departure of the cars yesterday. Between 6 and 7 P. M. yesterday he sent
for me, said he wished to bid me good-bye, and to give me his blessing,
which he did in the most affecting manner. Called me Robert and reverted
to the time I used to say the catechism to him. He invoked the blessing
of God upon me and the country. He spoke with difficulty and pain, but
was perfectly calm and clear. His hand was then cold and pulseless, yet
he shook mine warmly. ‘I ne’er shall look upon his like again.’ He
died during the night. I presume the papers of to-morrow will tell you
all....
“Very truly and sincerely,
“R. E. Lee.”
The next day he again writes to my mother.
“Richmond, March 15, 1861.
“My Dear Mary: I wrote you yesterday by mail. On returning to my
quarters last night after 11 P. M. Custis informed me Robert had
arrived and had made up his mind to go into the army. He stayed at
the Spottswood, and this morning I went with him to get his overcoat,
blankets, etc. There is great difficulty in procuring what is good.
They all have to be made, and he has gone to the office of the
adjutant-general of Virginia to engage in the service. God grant it may
be for his good as He has permitted it. I must be resigned. I told him
of the exemption granted by the Secretary of War to the professors and
students of the university, but he expressed no desire to take advantage
of it. It would be useless for him to go, if he did not improve himself,
nor would I wish him to go merely for exemption. As I have done all in
the matter that seems proper and right, I must now leave the rest in the
hands of our merciful God. I hope our son will do his duty and make a
good soldier.... I had expected yesterday to go to North Carolina this
morning, but the President changed his mind. I should like to go to see
you to-morrow, but in the present condition of things do not feel that I
ought to be absent.... I may have to go to North Carolina or Norfolk
yet. New Berne, N. C., has fallen into the hands of the enemy. In
Arkansas our troops under Van Dorn have had a hard battle, but nothing
decisive gained. Four generals killed--McIntosh, McCullogh, Herbert, and
Slack. General Price wounded. Loss on both sides said to be heavy....
“Very truly yours,
“R. E. Lee.”