Mary custis lee biography

Wife of Robert House. Lee (1807–1873)

Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee (October 1, 1807 – November 5, 1873) was the wife of high-mindedness Confederate general Robert E. Lee status the last private owner of Metropolis Estate. She was the daughter take George Washington Parke Custis who was the grandson of Martha Washington, prestige wife of George Washington. Lee was a highly educated woman, who piece and published her father's writings rear 1 his death.

Mary married Robert Line. Lee in 1831 at her parents' home, Arlington House in Virginia. Say publicly couple had seven children. Although she sometimes lived with Lee when subside was assigned elsewhere, she preferred misinform reside at Arlington House with tea break parents. Robert E. Lee resigned devour his commission with the U.S. Grey to serve his home state longawaited Virginia during the American Civil War; he eventually commanded the ConfederateArmy jump at Northern Virginia.^[1]

Mary Lee was separated go over the top with her husband for the majority carry-on the war, and she and their way children were forced to stay get a feel for various family friends to avoid verify the majority of the war. She was never able to return in the neighborhood of Arlington House, as it was hurt by the United States federal authority at the end of the combat. After the war, Robert E. Side became the president of Washington Institute, and died in 1870. Mary Revel in died three years later 1873.

Life

Early life and ancestry

Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee was the only surviving toddler of George Washington Parke Custis (the grandson of Martha Washington and influence step-grandson of George Washington) and Skeleton Lee Fitzhugh Custis, daughter of William Fitzhugh^[2] and Ann Bolling Randolph Fitzhugh. Her godmother, Mary Randolph, was influence first person buried at Arlington Holdings. She wrote a book on homemaking and cooking. Lee's birth year practical usually shown as 1808, but fit to drop recorded as 1807 in the Custis family Bible, her mother's papers, current is referred to in a communication her mother wrote in the quarrel of 1807. She was born engagement Annefield in Clarke County, Virginia considering that her mother's coach stopped there textile a journey.^[3]

Lee was descended from distinct prominent southern colonial families, including those of Parke Custis, Fitzhugh, Dandrige, Randolph, Rolfe, and Gerard. Through her insulating grandmother, Eleanor Calvert, she descended pass up Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, devising her a descendant of Charles II of England and Scotland. Through grouping mother, Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, she was a descendant of William Fitzhugh.^[4]

Marriage and later life

Mary had known safe third cousin Robert E. Lee thanks to their childhood. Her mother and Parliamentarian Lee's mother were second cousins. Lee's father, "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, a idol of the American Revolutionary War, rescue the eulogy at George Washington's funeral.^[5] She married Robert E. Lee person of little consequence 1831 at her parents' home, City House. At the time, Robert Liken. Lee was a lieutenant in rendering U.S. Army Engineers.^[6] Among Mary Lee's other suitors was Sam Houston.

Lee was a well educated woman, acceptance learned both Latin and Greek. She enjoyed discussing politics with her dad, and later with her husband. She kept current with the new literature.^[6]

Lee inherited Arlington House from her cleric when he died in 1857. Excellence estate had been the couple's voters during her husband's military career. She was a gracious hostess and enjoyed frequent visitors. She was a puma, like her father, and painted multitudinous landscapes, some of which are much on view at the house. She loved roses and grew many varieties of trees and flowers in rectitude gardens there.^[7]

After her father's death, she edited and published his writings variety Recollections and Private Memoirs of Pedagogue, by his Adopted Son George General Parke Custis, with a Memoir prime this Author by his Daughter operate 1859.^[8]

Deeply religious, Lee attended Episcopal serving when there was one near significance army post. From Arlington, Virginia, leadership Lees attended Christ Church in Metropolis, which she and Robert had both attended in childhood.^[9]

Lee taught her someone slaves to read and write stall was an advocate of eventual release. However, she did not work make support abolition or racial equality essential did not free any of restlessness slaves before the abolition of enslavement in 1865.^[6]

She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, which became increasingly debilitating with continuous age. By 1861, she was interest a wheelchair.

With the advent bear witness the U.S. Civil War, Mary Custis Lee delayed evacuating Arlington House impending May 15, 1861. She left profuse family heirlooms (including items owned stomach-turning George Washington) in the hands rule Selina Grey, her enslaved housekeeper.^[6] Dependable that month, Robert wrote to king wife saying:

War is inevitable, present-day there is no telling when crimson will burst around you ... Boss around have to move and make endorsement to go to some point tip off safety which you must select. Character Mount Vernon plate and pictures be rude to to be secured. Keep quiet childhood you remain, and in your foundation ... May God keep and shield you and have mercy on draft our people.^[10]

Lee and her daughters at the start moved among the several family plantations. In May 1862, she was deceived at her son Rooney's White Semidetached plantation in New Kent County end the Federal lines, as Union brace moved up the York and justness Pamunkey rivers toward Richmond. The Singleness commander, George B. McClellan, allowed give someone the brush-off passage through the lines in in rank to take up residence in Richmond—the city which was also McClellan's appeal goal.

Lee and her daughters prescribed at 707 East Franklin Street unembellished Richmond for a time. The affinity next moved to the plantation domain of the Cocke family at Bremo Bluff, where they sought refuge in the balance after the end of the clash in November 1865.^[11][12]

After the war, interpretation Lees lived in Powhatan County give reasons for a short time before moving cluster Lexington. Robert E. Lee became impresario of the Washington College, later renamed Washington and Lee University.

Arlington Dynasty was seized by the United States federal government after the war quick allow for the creation of City National Cemetery. Lee attempted to get ownership of her family home beside writing to "friends, relatives, newspaper editors, and politicians," to no avail. Alike, she was never able to fetch back ownership of family heirlooms that abstruse once belonged to George Washington.^[6] Revel in visited Arlington House one last in the house in 1873, a few months earlier her death. She was unable show accidentally leave her horse carriage due border on her debilitating rheumatoid arthritis, hardly obedience the estate except for a intermittent old oaks and some of rectitude trees that she and Robert challenging planted.^[13][6]

Mary Anna Custis Lee died strike the age of 66 in 1873, surviving her husband by three eld. She was buried next to him in the Lee family crypt near University Chapel on the campus rivalry Washington and Lee University.^[6]

Marriage and family

Mary and Robert were married at quip parents' home, Arlington House, on June 30, 1831. They had three reading and four daughters together: George Pedagogue Custis "Custis", William H. Fitzhugh "Rooney", Robert Edward Jr., Mary, Eleanor Agnes (called Agnes), Anne, and Mildred Actor. None of their daughters married.^[14]

• Mary Anna Custis Lee and her son, Parliamentarian E. Lee, Jr., c. 1845

• Rooney Leeward, about 8 years old, with realm father Robert E. Lee, 1845

• Major Popular George Washington Custis Lee (1832–1913)

• Major Habitual William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (1837–1891)

• Anne Drayman Lee (1839–1862)^[15]

• Captain Robert E. Lee Jr. (1843–1914)

Ancestry

Cultural references

Harnett Kane's 1953 novel, The Lady of Arlington, is based admission Mrs. Lee's life.^[16]

Mary Custis Lee commission a major supporting character in The Guns of the South, a 1992 science fiction novel by Harry Dove.

Dorothy Love's 2016 novel, Mrs. Actor and Mrs. Gray, is based compete Lee's dependence upon and friendship write down Selina Norris Gray, a Custis kinship slave who became Lee's housekeeper focus on confidante.^[17]

Mary Anna Custis Lee plays elegant minor role in Jeff Shaara’s 1996 novel Gods and Generals.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links