A Life of Gen. Robert E. Lee | Page 8

appointment from
Virginia as a cadet at West Point. He obtained the appointment, and, in
1825, at the age of eighteen, entered the Military Academy. His
progress in his studies was steady, and it is said that, during his stay at
West Point, he was never reprimanded, nor marked with a "demerit."
He graduated, in July, 1829, second in his class, and was assigned to
duty, with the rank of lieutenant, in the corps of Engineers.
[Illustration: R.E. LEE, AS A YOUNG OFFICER New York D
Apololay & Co.]
He is described, by those who saw him at this time, as a young man of
great personal beauty; and this is probably not an exaggeration, as he
remained to the last distinguished for the elegance and dignity of his
person. He had not yet lost what the cares of command afterward
banished--his gayety and _abandon_--and was noted, it is said, for the
sweetness of his smile and the cordiality of his manners. The person
who gave the writer these details added, "He was a perfect gentleman."
Three years after graduating at West Point--in the year 1832--he
married Mary Custis, daughter of Mr. George Washington Parke Custis,
of Arlington, the adopted son of General Washington; and by this
marriage he came into possession of the estate of Arlington and the
White House--points afterward well known in the war.

The life of Lee up to the beginning of the great conflict of 1861-'65 is
of moderate interest only, and we shall not dwell at length upon it. He
was employed on the coast defences, in New York and Virginia; and, in
1835, in running the boundary line between the States of Ohio and
Michigan. In September, 1836, he was promoted to the rank of first
lieutenant; in July, 1838, to a captaincy; in 1844 he became a member
of the Board of Visitors to the Military Academy; in 1845 he was a
member of the Board of Engineers; and in 1846, when the Mexican
War broke out, was assigned to duty as chief engineer of the Central
Army of Mexico, in which capacity he served to the end of the war.
Up to the date of the Mexican War, Captain Lee had attracted no public
attention, but had impressed the military authorities, including General
Winfield Scott, with a favorable opinion of his ability as a
topographical engineer. For this department of military science he
exhibited endowments of the first class--what other faculties of the
soldier he possessed, it remained for events to show. This opportunity
was now given him in the Mexican War; and the efficient character of
his services may be seen in Scott's Autobiography, where "Captain Lee,
of the Engineers," is mentioned in every report, and everywhere with
commendation. From the beginning of operations, the young officer
seems to have been summoned to the councils of war, and General
Scott particularly mentions that held at Vera Cruz--so serious an affair,
that "a death-bed discussion could hardly have been more solemn." The
passages in which the lieutenant-general mentions Lee are too
numerous, and not of sufficient interest to quote, but two entries will
exhibit the general tenor of this "honorable mention." After Cerro
Gordo, Scott writes, in his official report of the battle: "I am compelled
to make special mention of Captain R.E. Lee, engineer. This officer
greatly distinguished himself at the siege of Vera Cruz; was again
indefatigable during these operations, in reconnoissance as daring, as
laborious, and of the utmost value." After Chapultepec, he wrote:
"Captain Lee, so constantly distinguished, also bore important orders
for me (September 13th), until he fainted from a wound, and the loss of
two nights' sleep at the batteries."
We may add here the statement of the Hon. Reverdy Johnson, that he
"had heard General Scott more than once say that his success in Mexico
was largely due to the skill, valor, and undaunted energy of Robert E.

Lee."
For these services Lee received steady promotion. For meritorious
conduct at Cerro Gordo, he was made brevet major; for the same at
Contreras and Cherubusco, brevet lieutenant-colonel; and, after
Chapultepec, he received the additional brevet of colonel--distinctions
fairly earned by energy and courage.
When the war ended, Lee returned to his former duties in the Engineer
Corps of the U.S.A., and was placed in charge of the works, then in
process of construction, at Fort Carroll, near Baltimore. His assignment
to the duty of thus superintending the military defences of Hampton
Roads, New York Bay, and the approaches to Baltimore, in succession,
would seem to indicate that his abilities as engineer were highly
esteemed. Of his possession of such ability there can be no doubt. The
young officer was not only thoroughly trained in this high department
of military science, but had for his duties unmistakable natural