At a time when it appears the world is ruled by political correctness & revisionist history, when the truth is hidden beneath lies and propaganda is being pushed as the truth, many enlightened individuals are remembering their past leaders. Could this be due to the complete lack of leadership in America today?
My friend, "General Lee" Matous, has submitted the following to the director of the Arlington National Cemetery.January 7, 2010
Arlington National CemeteryAttn: Mr. John Metzler, Superintendent
Arlington, VA 22211-5003
EVENT PROPOSAL:Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Birthday at the Arlington House
January 18th or 19th, 2010
Dear Superintendent Metzler:
Thank you for taking the time for your consideration of this event. Please consider this letter my proposal for an event to honor General Robert E. Lee’s 203rd birthday at the Arlington House on January 18 or 19, 2010.
I am a Civil War re-enactor, playing the part of Robert E. Lee in numerous re-enactments; I am a historian and present & past member of many historical societies, including but not limited to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Civil War Preservation Trust and Civil War Roundtables. From numerous discussions with members of these organizations, as well as members of the general public, I am astonished at how few individuals know the history of the Arlington House as the last true home of Robert E. Lee, and the origin of Arlington Cemetery.
HISTORY
Following is a brief history of the Arlington Estate, now known as Arlington National Cemetery, which evidences the meaning of Arlington to Robert E. Lee and his family, and the historical importance of the site:
Sources Cited:
Lee, Robert E., Captain, Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee by his son, Captain Robert E. Lee, New York: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., 1904 (herein “Recollections”).
Harwell, Richard, Lee, an Abridgment in One Volume of the Four-Volume R.E. Lee by Douglas Southall Freeman, New York: Charles Scriber’s Sons, 1961 (abridged from the four-volume edition of R.E. Lee by Douglas Southall Freeman, copyright 1934, 1935 Charles Scribner’s Sons (herein “Abridgment”).
Poole, Robert M., How Arlington National Cemetery Came to Be, Smithsonian Magazine, November 2009 (
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/64224692.html) (herein “Smithsonian”).
Narrative of Capt. Lee:
“I did not see my father again until he came to my mother at Arlington after the death of her father, G.W. P. Custis, in October 1857. He took charge of my mother’s estate after her father’s death, and commenced at once to put it in order – not an easy task, as it consisted of several plantations and many negroes. I was at a boarding-school, after the family returned to Arlington, and saw my father only during the holidays, if he happened to be at home. He was always fond of farming, and took great interest in the improvements he immediately began at Arlington relating to the cultivation of the farm, to the buildings, roads, fences, fields, and stock, so that in a very short time the appearance of everything on the estate was improved. He often said that he longed for the time when he could have a farm of his own, where he could end his days in quiet and peace, interested in the care and improvement of his own land. This idea was always with him. In a letter to his son, written in July, ’65, referring to some proposed indictments of prominent Confederates, he says: ‘ . . . As soon as I can ascertain their intention toward me, if not prevented, I shall endeavour to procure some humble, but quiet abode for your mother and sisters, where I hope they can be happy. As I before said, I want to get in some grass country where the natural product of the land will do much for my subsistence …’” Recollections, p. 20.
“Very soon after he assumed charge of Arlington, the place showed, in its improved condition, the effects of his energetic industry.” Recollections, p. 206.
“When Lee married Mary Custis, he married Arlington as well, and that, too, was to have a profound influence upon him. The estate was to bring much harassment of spirit, but it was to deepen his reverence for the Washington tradition. Mr. Custis himself was, of course, the nearest link with the first President. Many of the Washington relics were at Arlington. To come into its atmosphere was to Robert Lee almost like living in the presence of his foremost hero, his father’s old commander. ‘This marriage,’ wrote a kinsman-biographer, ‘in the eyes of the world, made Robert Lee the representative of the family of the founder of American liberty.’” Abridgment, p. 28-29.
“Lee departed from Arlington on the morning of April 22 [1861], never to enter its friendly portals again.” Abridgment, p. 113.
Letter of April 26, 1861 from Lee to his wife:
“… I am very anxious about you. You have to move and make arrangements to go to some point of safety, which you must select. The Mount Vernon plate and pictures ought to be secured. ….” Recollections, p. 29.
“Arlington was in the hands of enemies. His concern was for his invalid wife, not for himself. Mrs. Lee had been very loath to leave Arlington. Not until about May 14 did she betake herself temporarily to nearby Ravensworth. Even then she left many of the family’s possessions and some of the Washington relics within easy reach of marauders.” Abridgment, p. 129.
Letter of May 8, 1861 from Lee to his wife:
“… I grieve at the necessity that drives you from your home. I can appreciate your feelings on the occasion, and pray that you may receive comfort and strength in the difficulties that surround you. When I reflect upon the calamity impending over the country, my own sorrows sink into insignificance ….” Recollections, p. 30.
Narrative of Capt. Lee:
“… he was in constant correspondence with my mother, helping all he could in her arrangements for leaving her home. His letters show that he thought of everything, even the least, and he gave the most particular directions about his family, their effects, the servants, the horses, the farm, pictures, plate, and furniture.” Recollections, p. 31.
Letter of May 25, 1861 from Lee to his wife:
“ … I sympathise deeply in your feelings at leaving your dear home. I have experienced them myself, and they are constantly revived. I fear we have not been grateful enough for the happiness there within our reach, and our heavenly Father has found it necessary to deprive us of what He has given us. I acknowledge my ingratitude, my transgressions, and my unworthiness, and submit with resignation to what he thinks proper to inflict upon me. We must trust all then to him, and I do not think it prudent or right for you to return there, while the United States troops occupy that country.” Recollections, p. 32.
Letter of October 7, 1861 from Lee to his wife:
“ … 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 I thought our enemies would not make a vigorous move against Richmond, I would recommend to rent a house there.” Recollections, p. 50.
“Lee departed that same day, December 1 [1863]. Arriving in Richmond, he went to quarters his wife had rented on Leigh Street. They were in a two-story wooden house, a humble place compared with Arlington, but the first home of their own in which the members of the family had been able to gather since the outbreak of the war.” Abridgment, p. 359.
Capt. Lee’s narrative, discussing the scene at Appomattox Courthouse, April 9, 1865:
“In a few words: ‘Men, we have fought through the war together; I have done my best for you; my heart is too full to say more,’ he bade them good-bye and told them to return to their homes and become good citizens. The next day he issued his farewell address, the last order published to the army:
“After four years’ of arduous service, marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources. I need not tell the survivors of so many hard-fought battles, who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them; but, feeling that valour and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that would have attended the continuation of the contest, I have determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen. By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their homes and remain there until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed; and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you His blessing and protection. With an increasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration of myself, I bid you an affectionate farewell.” Recollections, pp. 153-154.
Capt. Lee said that all the children were baptized at Arlington by Rev. W.S. White, D.D., “the oldest Christian minister in the town”, “pastor of Christ’s Church, Alexandria, the trusted friend of my grandmother and mother.”
Recollections, p. 187, fn. 1.Capt. Lee states that his father lived at the Lexington (Va.) Hotel (Recollections, p. 187) until renovations of a house “assigned him” on the Washington College campus were completed (Recollections, p. 188). Lee supervised the renovations, and “everything down to the minutest detail was done by my father’s directions and under his superintendence. … The difficulties to be overcome were made greater by the scarcity and inaccessibility of supplies and workmen and the smallness of his means.” Recollections, p. 188. When his father and mother finally moved into the house, “[t]he floors were covered with the carpets rescued from Arlington – much too large and folded under to suit the reduced size of the rooms.”
Recollections, p. 203.“Mrs. Britannia Kennon, of Tudor Place, my mother’s first cousin … had saved for us a great many of the household goods from Arlington, having gotten permission from the Federal authorities to do so, at the time it was occupied by their forces.” Recollections, p. 190.
“The only effect of the amnesty proclamation on Lee was to make it possible for him to undertake the recovery of property seized at Arlington. The silver already had been sent to Lexington and was in daily use. Through the efforts of Mrs. Britannia Kennon, virtually all of the portraits at the Custis mansion had been removed to Tudor Place, Georgetown, and after the war had been forwarded. But the Washington relics had been left at Arlington in 1861. Some of them were stolen and carried away by individuals, as were the small personal belongings of the Lees, found in the house by marauding Federal soldiers. When General McDowell took over Arlington as a Federal post, the servant in charge told him of the depredations that had occurred. To save the remaining effects of Washington, General McDowell removed them to the Department of the Interior. Placed on exhibit at the Patent Office, with the legend ‘Captured at Arlington,’ they constituted a rather pitiful display – a pair of candelabra, part of a set of china that Lafayette had given Mrs. Washington, a punch bowl, a looking-glass, a washstand, a ‘dressing bureau’, a few of Washington’s tent poles and pins, a little of his bed clothing and a pair of his breeches, with a waistcoat – nothing that had any value apart from its association with the first President.” Abridgment, p. 553.
“Arlington, which had been sold for delinquent taxes on January 11, 1864, was now the property of the United States and had been set aside as a soldiers’ cemetery. The price paid was $26,860, but the money was merely transferred from one government account to another.” Abridgment, p. 555. “General Lee’s first impulse after the war had been to wait, trusting that his civil rights would be restored and that he could proceed to clear the estate, though, meantime, he asked a friendly attorney to investigate the case. As the prospect of a pardon faded out, he still hoped that he might redeem Arlington, which he assumed the government had sold in the belief that the estate was his. Lee could do nothing to prevent the award to the government of a tax-sale title, which was allowed on September 26, 1866.” Abridgment, p. 555.
Capt. Lee’s narrative:
“When my mother hurriedly left her home in the spring of 1861, she found it impossible to carry away the valuable relics of George Washington which her father had inherited from Mount Vernon, and which had been objects of great interest at Arlington for more than fifty years. After the Federal authorities took possession of the place, the most valuable of these Mount Vernon relics were conveyed to Washington City and place in the Patent Office, where they remained on exhibition for many years labeled ‘Captured from Arlington’. They were then removed to the ‘National Museum’, where they are now, but the card has been taken off. In 1869, a member of Congress suggested to my mother that she should apply to President Johnson to have them restored to her. In a letter from my father to this same gentleman, this bit of quiet humour occurs:
‘Lexington, Virginia, February 12, 1869.
‘ … Mrs. Lee has determined to act upon your suggestion and apply to president Johnson for such of the relics from Arlington as are in the Patent Office. From what I have learned, a great many things formerly belonging to General Washington, bequeathed to her by her father, in the shape of books, furniture, camp equipage, etc., were carried away by individuals and are now scattered over the land. I hope the possessors appreciate them and may imitate the example of their original owners, whose conduct must at times be brought to their recollection by these silent monitors. In this way they will accomplish good to the country ….’
“He refers to this same subject in a letter to the Honourable George W. Jones, Dubuque, Iowa:
‘In reference to certain articles which were taken from Arlington, about which you inquire, Mrs. Lee is indebted to our old friend Captain James May for the order from the present administration for their restoration to her. Congress, however, passed a resolution forbidding their return. They were valuable to her as having belonged to her great-grandmother (Mrs. General Washington), and having been bequeathed to her by her father. But as the country desires them, she must give them up. I hope their presence at the capital will keep in the remembrance of all Americans the principles and virtues of Washington ….’” Recollections, pp. 336-338.
Capt. Lee, discussing some photographs principally of General and Mrs. Washington, being “coloured” by his mother:
“These photographs that were being coloured by my mother were from the original portraits of General Washington by Peale and of Mrs. Washington by W-------. These paintings hung at Mt. Vernon until the death of Mrs. Washington, and were then inherited by my grandfather, Mr. Custis. They were at ‘Arlington’ till ’61, when they were removed to ‘Ravensworth’, where they remained until the end of the war.” Recollections, p. 354.
Letter from Lee to his wife, April 11, 1870:
“ … I presume the petition sent you for signature was the consequence. I do not know where this is a propitious time or not, and should rather have had an opportunity to consult friends, but am unable to do so. Tell Custis that I wish that he would act for me, through you or others, for it is mainly on his account that I desire the restitution of the property. I see that a resolution has been introduced into Congress ‘to perfect the title of the Government to Arlington and other National cemeteries,’ which I have been apprehensive of stirring, so I suppose the matter will come up anyhow. I did not sign the petition, for I did not think it necessary and believed the more I was kept out of sight the better. We must hope for the best, speak as little and act as discreetly as possible.” Recollections, p. 396.
“On July 14 [1870], he crossed the Potomac for the last time, southward bound. At the Mansion House in Alexandria, he put up for the night. On the 15th he had a conference with his old attorney, Francis L. Smith, about the possible recovery of Arlington, but he got little encouragement.” Abridgment, p. 575.
Letter from Lee to his wife, July 15, 1870:
“ … I have seen Mr. Smith† this morning and had with him a long business talk, and will see him again after seeing Cassius. The prospect is not promising …”
† Mr. Francis L. Smith was my father’s lawyer. The matter referred to which caused the remark, ‘The prospect is not promising,’ was the chance of getting back the estate of Arlington from the U.S. Government. Mr. Smith and Mr. Cassius Lee [father’s first cousin] were my father’s advisers in this matter.” Recollections, p. 414.
Excerpted from the Smithsonian article:
Custis Lee revived the campaign for Arlington—this time in court.
Asserting ownership of the property, Lee asked the Circuit Court of Alexandria, Virginia, to evict all trespassers occupying it as a result of the 1864 auction. As soon as U.S. Attorney General Charles Devens heard about the suit, he asked that the case be shifted to federal court, where he felt the government would get a fairer hearing. In July 1877, the matter landed in the lap of Judge Robert W. Hughes of the U.S. Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Hughes, a lawyer and newspaper editor, had been appointed to the bench by President Grant.
After months of legal maneuvering and arguments, Hughes ordered a jury trial. Custis Lee's team of lawyers was headed by Francis L. Smith, the Alexandrian who had strategized with Lee's father years before. Their argument turned upon the legality of the 1864 tax sale. After a six-day trial, a jury found for Lee on January 30, 1879: by requiring the "insurrectionary tax" to be paid in person, the government had deprived Custis Lee of his property without due process of law. "The impolicy of such a provision of law is as obvious to me as its unconstitutionality," Hughes wrote. "Its evil would be liable to fall not only upon disloyal but upon the most loyal citizens. A severe illness lasting only ninety or a hundred days would subject the owner of land to the irreclaimable loss of its possession."
The government appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court—which ruled for Lee again. On December 4, 1882, Associate Justice Samuel Freeman Miller, a Kentucky native appointed by President Lincoln, wrote for the 5 to 4 majority, holding that the 1864 tax sale had been unconstitutional and was therefore invalid.
The Lees had retaken Arlington.
This left few options for the federal government, which was now technically trespassing on private property. It could abandon an Army fort on the grounds, roust the residents of Freedmen's Village, disinter almost 20,000 graves and vacate the property. Or it could buy the estate from Custis Lee—if he was willing to sell it.
He was. Both sides agreed on a price of $150,000, the property's fair market value. Congress quickly appropriated the funds. Lee signed papers conveying the title on March 31, 1883, which placed federal ownership of Arlington beyond dispute. The man who formally accepted title to the property for the government was none other than Robert Todd Lincoln, secretary of war and son of the president so often bedeviled by Custis Lee's father. If the sons of such adversaries could bury past arguments, perhaps there was hope for national reunion.
PROPOSAL OF EVENTGeneral Robert E. Lee’s 203rd birthday will be on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. In many states of the South, Lee’s birthday is recognized as a State holiday, which is now in conjunction with Martin Luther King’s birthday – a Federal holiday on Monday. Over time, Lee’s birthday has been obscured as a result of the actions of political correctness. However, it is an absolute fact that Lee was a Christian man of great integrity, a man of incredible honor, and such honor to his sons who decided for the best interest not only of their father, but to this nation today. Though the Confederacy he so ably served lost in 1865, as stated above, he told his men “to return to their homes and become good citizens.” But Lee himself was unable to return home, as he had no home to which to return. However, the people of the south then, and many people today, still honor, respect and admire his strengths and values. The proposed event is contemplated not only in honor and respect of Lee the man, but also to acknowledge the values and principles to which he subscribed, and upon which this country was founded.
The proposed ceremony would be held either on Monday, January 18, 2010, or Tuesday, January 19, 2010, in front of the Arlington Mansion with your Honor Guards to be enjoined with the Confederate Honor Guards and to have a Confederate flag flown upon the flagpole immediately below the American flag. The choice of flag to be flown is as follows:
1. First National Confederate Flag (flag flown at Arlington 1861)
2. Second National Confederate Flag (1863)
3. Third National Confederate Flag (1864-65)
4. Confederate Battle Flag
5. General Robert E. Lee’s Headquarters Flag
The decision of which flag to fly will be made by you; please provide me with your choice and the dimensions of the flag along with your acceptance of this proposal. The flag will be manufactured and delivered by the Ruffin Flag Company in Georgia and will be delivered to VA.
The ceremony will occur at the normal time of raising the American flag. Proper salutes shall be delivered by the US and Confederate guards. Confederate/civilian period reenactors (both men and women) will be present, and it is requested after the raising of the Confederate flag, two Confederate Honor Guards shall stand at attention on each side of the flagpole, and will be properly rotated hourly. The flag will be taken down at the end of the day and provided/secured to me for proper placement for historical purposes.
As this is a historical event, it is requested that press/media outlet coverage be allowed. Press releases may be prepared and submitted by you and/or by historical societies who have an interest.
It is requested that tours be allowed in the Arlington Mansion for visitors and guests. Historical guest speakers in period attire may attend to speak about Lee and Arlington’s history, if requested.
CONCLUSION
It is my understanding that there has not been any such request or similar event ever conducted, except an event by the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1914, which honored the Confederate soldiers that are buried in Arlington Cemetery. This is NOT an issue of political correctness, but of historical merit. Because Confederate flags are flown in other National Battlefield Parks, this event would be no different from those conducted in those other Parks. As we discussed, this would be a positive event for the National Parks Service, it is a matter of honor and historical import, and it is therefore respectfully submitted that approval should be granted.
Your obedient servant,
Lee C. Matous
(Email) dixiesrebel@sbcglobal.net
PS: For your additional information, on June 29, 2004, I conducted a similar ceremony with regard to the return and re-dedication of the “Iron Cross” grave marker for Chief Stand Watie. Please see the website below:
http://www.paulridenour.com/ironcross.htm
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