George Washington Custis Lee
Encyclopedia
George Washington Custis Lee (September 16, 1832 – February 18, 1913), also known as Custis Lee, was the eldest son of Robert E. Lee
and Mary Anna Custis Lee
. He served as a Confederate
general in the American Civil War
, primarily as an aide-de-camp
to President Jefferson Davis
, and succeeded his father as president of Washington and Lee University
in Lexington, Virginia
.
, then sent a letter to General Winfield Scott
on his son's behalf. Zachary Taylor
then nominated Lee to West Point. Lee was then accepted to West Point, at age seventeen.
. Lee graduated first in his class of forty-six, in 1854. Other members of his class included Major General J.E.B. Stuart
, Major General William Dorsey Pender
, Brigadier General John Pegram
, Brigadier General James Deshler
, Colonel and Acting Brigadier General Horace Randal, and Brigadier General John Villepigue
.
Second Lieutenant
. He served primarily in California, Georgia, and Florida during his time in the U.S. Army. In 1855, he was given the rank of Second Lieutenant
in the Regular Army. In 1859, Lee was commissioned a full First Lieutenant
. Lee was then stationed in Washington D. C., during the period of secession and Fort Sumter
. He then resigned from the U.S. Army, in the spring of 1861 after Virginia
seceded from the Union. He resigned about two weeks after his father had done the same. Lee then offered his services to his father's
Virginia state forces.
. At the end of August 1861, Lee was offered and accepted the position of aide-de-camp
to Confederate President Jefferson Davis
. He was then promoted to the rank of Colonel
. Lee served in his position for the next three years of the war. He was often sent on missions to assess the military, and would then return to report to Davis. When Robert E. Lee
became the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
, Custis Lee had constant contact with his father. In 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign
, Lee was put in charge of supervising the engineers at Drewry's Bluff. In June 1863, he was promoted to Brigadier General. Lee was discouraged from taking a field command by Davis, but encouraged by his father. Lee asked his father for a field command, but his father replied that his highest duty was obedience to his superiors. For the most part, he obeyed Davis, but during the Battle of Gettysburg
, Lee was given the command of the troops in Richmond. In 1864, Lee was placed in command of Richmond's local defenses against General Grant
and General Benjamin Butler
. He did so well that he was given command of Richmond's eastern defenses at Chaffin's Bluff
. Lee remained at Chaffin's Bluff
throughout the next months, and in 1864, he was promoted to Major General. Shortly before the end of the war, he commanded troops in the field and was captured at Sayler's Creek
, three days before his father surrendered to Lt. Gen.
Ulysses S. Grant
at the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virgina (see: Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
).
. Lee held this position until the death of his father. Between 1871 and 1897, Lee served as the ninth president of Washington and Lee University
. In 1877, after his father's death, Custis Lee sued in a case that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court to regain title to the family mansion
, Arlington House and plantation, which had become Arlington Cemetery. Lee's case, United States v. Lee
(106 U.S. 196), was decided in his favor by a 5–4 vote, in 1882. Lee won both the house and the 1100 acres (4.5 km²) surrounding the mansion. In 1883, Lee sold Arlington House
to the United States Government for $150,000. In 1897, Lee resigned as president of Washington and Lee University
. He then moved to the home of his late brother, Major General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
, Ravensworth Mansion
. Lee died on February 18, 1913 in Alexandria, Virginia
, and is buried in the Lee Chapel
, near his family members.
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
and Mary Anna Custis Lee
Mary Anna Custis Lee
Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee was the wife of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.-Biography:Mary Anna Custis Lee was the only surviving child of George Washington Parke Custis, George Washington's step-grandson and adopted son and founder of Arlington House, and Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, daughter...
. He served as a Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
general in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, primarily as an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
, and succeeded his father as president of Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
in Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
.
Early life
Lee was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia. He was educated at numerous boarding schools, to prepare him in his father's footsteps. He was educated at the classical school of Reverend George A. Smith, in his younger years. He then entered the mathematical school of Benjamin Hallowell. Lee was not given admission to West Point, at age sixteen. Lee's father, Robert E. LeeRobert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, then sent a letter to General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
on his son's behalf. Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
then nominated Lee to West Point. Lee was then accepted to West Point, at age seventeen.
West Point
From 1850 to 1854, Lee attended West Point. During his first year, Lee excelled both academically and militarily. Toward the end of his first year he was almost expelled, when alcohol was found in his room. He claimed that he did not put it there, and got away with only minor punishments. He did well his second year also. At the beginning of his third year, his father became the Superintendent of West PointSuperintendents of the United States Military Academy
The commanding officer of the United States Military Academy is its Superintendent. This position is roughly equivalent to the chancellor or president of an American civilian university. The officer appointed is by tradition a graduate of the United States Military Academy, commonly known as "West...
. Lee graduated first in his class of forty-six, in 1854. Other members of his class included Major General J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
, Major General William Dorsey Pender
William Dorsey Pender
William Dorsey Pender was one of the youngest, and most promising, generals fighting for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life:...
, Brigadier General John Pegram
John Pegram (general)
John Pegram was a career soldier from Virginia who served as an officer in the United States Army and then as a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He became the first former U.S...
, Brigadier General James Deshler
James Deshler
James Deshler was a career United States Army officer and a graduate of West Point. He was a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War and died on the field of battle.-Early life and career:...
, Colonel and Acting Brigadier General Horace Randal, and Brigadier General John Villepigue
John Bordenave Villepigue
John Bordenave Villepigue was a career U.S. Army officer who served on the Western Frontier and became a Confederate general in the American Civil War...
.
United States Army
Lee was then commissioned in the Corps of Engineers, as his father before him. He was given the rank of brevetBrevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
. He served primarily in California, Georgia, and Florida during his time in the U.S. Army. In 1855, he was given the rank of Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Regular Army. In 1859, Lee was commissioned a full First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
. Lee was then stationed in Washington D. C., during the period of secession and Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
. He then resigned from the U.S. Army, in the spring of 1861 after Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
seceded from the Union. He resigned about two weeks after his father had done the same. Lee then offered his services to his father's
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
Virginia state forces.
Civil War
Lee served in the Virginia state forces, until July 1861. At that time he was given a commission as a Captain in the Confederate Army. During the next few months, Lee worked in the Confederate engineers corps. He spent his time constructing fortifications for the new capital city, RichmondRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. At the end of August 1861, Lee was offered and accepted the position of aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
. He was then promoted to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. Lee served in his position for the next three years of the war. He was often sent on missions to assess the military, and would then return to report to Davis. When Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
became the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
, Custis Lee had constant contact with his father. In 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
, Lee was put in charge of supervising the engineers at Drewry's Bluff. In June 1863, he was promoted to Brigadier General. Lee was discouraged from taking a field command by Davis, but encouraged by his father. Lee asked his father for a field command, but his father replied that his highest duty was obedience to his superiors. For the most part, he obeyed Davis, but during the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, Lee was given the command of the troops in Richmond. In 1864, Lee was placed in command of Richmond's local defenses against General Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
and General Benjamin Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)
Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts....
. He did so well that he was given command of Richmond's eastern defenses at Chaffin's Bluff
Chaffin's Bluff
Chaffin's Bluff is located in Henrico County, Virginia, United States, along the James River. Chaffin's Bluff on the north side of the river opposite Drewry's Bluff, long-considered a major defense point of the river below Richmond...
. Lee remained at Chaffin's Bluff
Chaffin's Bluff
Chaffin's Bluff is located in Henrico County, Virginia, United States, along the James River. Chaffin's Bluff on the north side of the river opposite Drewry's Bluff, long-considered a major defense point of the river below Richmond...
throughout the next months, and in 1864, he was promoted to Major General. Shortly before the end of the war, he commanded troops in the field and was captured at Sayler's Creek
Battle of Sayler's Creek
-External links:* * : Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news...
, three days before his father surrendered to Lt. Gen.
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
at the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virgina (see: Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
The Appomattox Court House National Historical Park is a National Historical Park of original and reconstructed nineteenth century buildings. It was signed into law August 3, 1935. The village was made a national monument in 1940 and a national historical park in 1954...
).
Postbellum career
In late 1865, Lee was hired as a professor at the Virginia Military InstituteVirginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
. Lee held this position until the death of his father. Between 1871 and 1897, Lee served as the ninth president of Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
. In 1877, after his father's death, Custis Lee sued in a case that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court to regain title to the family mansion
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, formerly named the Custis-Lee Mansion, is a Greek revival style mansion located in Arlington, Virginia, USA that was once the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It overlooks the Potomac River, directly across from the National Mall in Washington,...
, Arlington House and plantation, which had become Arlington Cemetery. Lee's case, United States v. Lee
United States v. Lee
United States v. Lee, 106 U.S. 196 , is a 5-to-4 ruling by the United States Supreme Court which held that the Constitution's prohibition on lawsuits against the federal government did not extend to officers of the government themselves. The case involved the heir of Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of...
(106 U.S. 196), was decided in his favor by a 5–4 vote, in 1882. Lee won both the house and the 1100 acres (4.5 km²) surrounding the mansion. In 1883, Lee sold Arlington House
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, formerly named the Custis-Lee Mansion, is a Greek revival style mansion located in Arlington, Virginia, USA that was once the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It overlooks the Potomac River, directly across from the National Mall in Washington,...
to the United States Government for $150,000. In 1897, Lee resigned as president of Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
. He then moved to the home of his late brother, Major General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry General in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.-Early life:Lee was born at Arlington House in...
, Ravensworth Mansion
Ravensworth (plantation)
Ravensworth was an 18th-century plantation near Annandale in Fairfax County, Virginia. Ravensworth was the Northern Virginia residence of William Fitzhugh, William Henry Fitzhugh, Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, and William Henry Fitzhugh Lee...
. Lee died on February 18, 1913 in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, and is buried in the Lee Chapel
Lee Chapel
Lee Chapel is a National Historic Landmark in Lexington, Virginia, on the campus of Washington and Lee University. It was constructed during 1867-68 at the request of Robert E. Lee, who was President of the University at the time, and after whom the building is named...
, near his family members.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals