That they have heard of the death of Gen. LEE with deep sorrow, and
mourn it as a calamity to his family, his friends, his country, and
to this university.
That they tender to his family these expressions of their
affectionate esteem for him as a personal friend as well as for his
service as a public man, and their sincere sympathy with them in
their peculiar and irreparable bereavement.
A copy. Teste:
JNO. L. CAMPBELL,
_Clerk of the Faculty_.
An intimate association with Gen. LEE in the Fifty-first Congress and as
members of the board of trustees of Washington and Lee University at
Lexington, Va., and in private life, enabled me to form a just estimate
of his character and of those personal qualities of head and heart that
made him beloved by all who really knew him. While they have been well
expressed in the foregoing minute, I may add from my own observations a
brief summary of his noble character. His mind was eminently practical,
and arrived at its conclusions more from an unerring instinct of justice
and common sense than through the exacting processes of logic. His
judgment was rarely at fault, for his intellect was not swerved by
passion or prejudice, but was held in perfect equipoise to receive the
truth on both sides of every question. His deference to the opinions of
others and his caution in seeking the views of those on whose discretion
he relied suggested to some who did not know him that he was hesitating
in temperament. This was not true. He sought all the light possible on
every subject patiently and earnestly, and when he arrived at his
conclusion no man adhered to it more tenaciously or enforced it more
earnestly.
As a speaker, Gen. LEE possessed many of the attributes of the orator, a
gift inherited from his grandfather, Light-Horse Harry Lee. He was
graceful in delivery, persuasive in manner, and forcible in argument.
His diction was pure, unpretentious, and simple. His speeches were
often embellished with references to ancient and modern history and
mythology with which he seemed to be very familiar.
Dutifulness, I believe, was the most prominent trait of his character.
It was the star by which his life was guided. Once persuaded that a
certain measure or a certain line of policy was right, and he was
unflinchingly firm in its support. No burden was too heavy, no privation
too severe, if only they were borne along the path of duty.
He exemplified in his life the noble utterance of his distinguished
father: "Duty is the sublimest word in the English language."
In politics he was a Democrat, but not a partisan, and he firmly
believed that the supremacy of his party was necessary for the good of
the country and the welfare of the people. His patriotism was exalted,
and his faith in the ultimate triumph of the right never wavered.
His manly appearance, his gracious but dignified manner, his courtly
bearing and pleasing conversation marked him as a gentleman of the "old
school," as one of nature's noblemen.
Any sketch of Gen. LEE would indeed be imperfect that failed to mention
his love for little children, and his friends will never fail to recall
the tender interest he always manifested in the children of their
families, especially in the youngest.
His life, Mr. Speaker, was a truly noble one. It was on the highest
plane. His character had no spot or blemish upon it that sweet charity
would now consign to oblivion, but it was robust, well-rounded, and
symmetrical, open as day. His ambition was not to attain but to deserve
the praise of the good, and that higher benediction, to be pronounced by
the final Judge of the world: "Well done, good and faithful servant;
enter thou into the joys of thy Lord."
He was an earnest believer in the Christian faith. The abstruse
doctrines of the church formed no part of his creed. His faith was in
the Christ the Saviour of mankind; a faith which illumined his pathway
in life, lightening his burdens, exalting his nature, and which
sustained him without fear when he met the last enemy of the race as he
walked through "the valley of the shadow of death." It was the faith of
a little child--
An assured belief
That the procession of our fate, howe'er
Sad or disturbed, is ordered by a Being
Of infinite benevolence and power,
Whose everlasting purposes embrace
All accidents, converting them to good.
His funeral and burial, Mr. Speaker, will never be forgotten by those
who witnessed it. The autumn sun was fast sinking behind the bright
curtain of the west, bathing "the mellow autumn fields" of Old Virginia
with its purple hues. Untrumpeted by official authority, scores of
friends from city, town, village, farm, and cabin gathered at
Ravensworth to pay the last sad honor to their beloved friend. White and
colored, rich and poor, high and low, soldiers, citizens, and statesmen,
all were there.
His body was borne from the house to the ivy-clad family graveyard by
the sturdy yeomanry of the neighborhood. In the presence of that vast
throng, with uncovered heads, his comrades, who had followed him on many
a hard-fought battlefield, performed the last sad rites, and with their
own hands filled his grave and planted upon it the "immortelles" of
their affection and devotion. Faces that never blanched amid the storm
of battle paled; hearts that never quailed in the presence of an enemy
broke in the presence of the last enemy of us all, and the silent,
pitiless tear which fell from the eye was hidden by the lengthening
shadows of the evening, which were fast gathering round the scene.
Beloved friend, farewell and hail!
Removed from sight, yet not afar,
Still through this earthly twilight veil
Thou beamest down, a friendly star.
The prophet's blessing comes to thee,
The crown he holds to view is thine;
Forever more thy memory
In heaven and in our hearts shall shine.