“Strike the tents...”

Today, we remember the second greatest man ever to walk the face of the earth, Gen. Robert Edward Lee, who died this day in 1870.

"Lexington, Va., Oct. 13, 1870 --"This community was plunged into profound sorrow upon the announcement of the death of Gen. Lee. There was a general suspension of the duties of Washington College, the Virginia Military Institute, and the minor schools, and they will not resume again until after the final interment of the great chieftain. Every business house in the community was closed, and crape affixed to the doors, and a general expression of deep grief was visible in every face. Washington College, the College Chapel, the Virginia Military Institute, and the Episcopal Church, of which Gen. Lee was a communicant, were draped in mourning a few hours after his death. Gen. Lee had been almost entirely unconscious since Monday night last, and he expired very peacefully and quietly at 9-1/2 o'clock Wednesday morning.. He was first taken sick on Wednesday evening, Sept. 28, while just about to set down to tea, when he suddenly sank in his chair insensible. A reaction soon followed, and in the course of the next ten days he steadily improved, until it was hoped that he was out of danger, but on Monday evening he became suddenly and rapidly worse, and continued to sink until Wednesday morning. During the early part of his sickness he slept much and spoke but little, but was rational when he awoke, and always recognized those who approached him. At times his mind seemed, for a little while, to wander, and on several occasions reverted to the army. He once ordered his tent to be struck, and at another time desired that Hill should be sent for. He suffered but comparatively little pain during his whole sickness."

In the autumn of 1870, while serving as president of Washington College, Lee regularly experienced fatigue, shortness of breath with exertion, and chest pains. Previous diagnoses included “rheumatism” and “pericardial inflammation” On the 28th of September, 1870, after laborious attention to his duties during the early part of the day, General Lee attended, in the afternoon, a meeting of the Vestry of Grace Church, of which he was a member. Over this meeting he presided, and it was afterward remembered that his last public act was to contribute the sum of fifty-five dollars to some good object, the requisite amount to effect which was thus made up.

After the meeting, General Lee returned to his home, and, when tea was served, took his place at the table to say grace, as was his habit, as it had been in camp throughout the war. His lips opened, but no sound issued from them, and he sank back in his chair, and “bowed down, looking very strange and speaking incoherently.”, and was taken to his bed.

The painful intelligence immediately became known throughout Lexington, and the utmost grief and consternation were visible upon every face. It was hoped, at first, that the attack would not prove serious, and that General Lee would soon be able to resume his duties. But this hope was soon dissipated. The skillful physicians who hastened to his bedside pronounced his malady congestion of the brain, and, from the appearance of the patient, who lay in a species of coma, the attack was evidently of the most alarming character.

The most discouraging phase of the case was that, physically, General Lee was--if we may so say--in perfect health. His superb physique, although not perhaps as vigorous and robust as during the war, exhibited no indication whatever of disease. His health appeared perfect, and twenty years more of life might have been predicted for him from simple reference to his appearance.

The malady was more deeply seated, however, than any bodily disease; the cerebral congestion was but a symptom of the mental malady which was killing its victim. From the testimony of the able physicians who watched the great soldier, day and night, throughout his illness, and are thus best competent to speak upon the subject, there seems no doubt that General Lee's condition was the result of mental depression produced by the sufferings of the Southern people. Every mail, it is said, had brought him the most piteous appeals for assistance, from old soldiers whose families were in want of bread; and the woes of these poor people had a prostrating effect upon him. A year or two before, his health had been seriously impaired by this brooding depression, and he had visited North Carolina, the White Sulphur Springs, and other places, to divert his mind. In this he failed. The shadow went with him, and the result was, at last, the alarming attack from which he never rallied. During the two weeks of his illness he scarcely spoke, and evidently regarded his condition as hopeless. When one of his physicians said to him, "General, you must make haste and get well; Traveller has been standing so long in his stable that he needs exercise." General Lee shook his head slowly, to indicate that he would never again mount his favorite horse. He remained in this state, with few alterations in his condition, until Wednesday; October 12th, when, about nine in the morning, in the midst of his family, the great soldier tranquilly expired.

The rains and flooding were the worst of Virginia’s history that day. The church bells rang as the sad news passed through Washington College, Virginia Military Institute, the town of Lexington and the nation. Cadets from VMI College carried the remains of the old soldier to Lee Chapel where he laid in state.

Memorial meetings were held throughout the South and as far North as New York. At Washington College in Lexington eulogies were delivered by: RGeneral Lee died at his home at Lexington , Virginia at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 12, 1870. His last great deed came after the War Between the States when he accepted the presidency of Washington College, now Washington and Lee University. He saved the financially troubled college and helped many young folks further their education.

The headline from a Richmond newspaper read:

“News of the death of Robert E. Lee, beloved chieftain of the Southern army, whose strategy mainly was responsible for the surprising fight staged by the Confederacy, brought a two-day halt to Richmond’s business activities.”
The United States flag, which Robert E. Lee had defended as a soldier, flew at half mast in Lexington , Virginia and throughout the United States.

Some write that Robert E. Lee suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on September 28, 1870, but was thought to greatly improve until October 12th, when he took a turn for the worse. His condition seemed more hopeless when his doctor told him, “General you must make haste and get well – Traveller has been standing too long in his stable and needs exercise.”

Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Cadet William Nalle said in a letter home to his mother, dated October 16, 1870:

“I suppose of course that you have all read full accounts of Gen Lee’s death in the papers. He died on the morning of the 12th at about half past nine. All business was suspended at once all over the country and town, and all duties, military and academic suspended at the Institute, and all the black crape and all similar black material in Lexington, was used up at once, and they had to send on to Lynchburg for more. Every cadet had black crape issued to him, and an order was published at once requiring us to wear it as a badge of mourning for six months.” (You can read the entire letter on the Virginia Military Institute website.)

President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew and appreciated our nation’s rich history. President Eisenhower was criticized for displaying a portrait of Robert E. Lee in his office. This was part of his response:

“Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by this nation.”

Robert E. Lee was the hero of the Southern people and admired both North and South of the Mason-Dixon Line. Many thousands witnessed Lee’s funeral procession marching through the town of Lexington , Virginia, with muffled drums and the artillery firing as the hearse was driven to the school’s chapel where he was buried. In 1870, the City of Lexington and Washington & Lee University understood, appreciated, and honored Robert E. Lee for his courage, devotion to God and country, and unwavering Christian character.

“He possessed every virtue of other great commanders without their vices. He was a foe without hate; a friend without treachery; a victor without oppression, and a victim without murmuring. He was a public officer without vices; a private citizen without reproach; a Christian without hypocrisy and a man without guile. He was a Caesar without his ambition; Frederick without his tyranny; Napoleon without his selfishness; and Washington without his reward. He was obedient to authority as a servant, and loyal in authority as a true king. He was gentle as a woman in life; modest and pure as a virgin in thought; watchful as a Roman vital in duty; submissive to law as Socrates; and grand in battle as Achilles!”

-War Era Georgia Senator Ben Hill’s tribute to Gen. Robert E. Lee

“His noble presence and gentle, kindly manner were sustained by religious faith and an exalted character”

-Sir Winston Churchill on the Character of Gen. Robert E. Lee

“I was raised by one of the greatest men in the world. There was never one born of a woman greater than General Robert E. Lee, according to my judgement. All of his servants were set free ten years before the war, but all remained on the plantation until after the surrender.”

-William Mack Lee (Robert E. Lee’s black servant)