William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| William Henry Fitzhugh Lee | |
 Virginia Senator Representative of Virginia |
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| Virginia Senate | |
|---|---|
| In office | |
| 1875 – 1878 | |
| Born | May 31, 1837 Arlington House, Virginia |
| Died | October 15, 1891 Alexandria, Virginia |
| In office | |
| US House of Representatives – 1878 | |
| Preceded by | 1891 |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse | 1st Charlott Wickham, 2nd Mary Tab Bolling |
| Children | Robert Edward Lee, George Bolling Lee |
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (May 31, 1837 – October 15, 1891), 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.
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[edit] Early life
Lee was born in Arlington House, Virginia. He attended Harvard University, and then followed in his father's footsteps, entering the U.S. Army in 1857 as a second lieutenant. He served with the 6th U.S. Infantry under Albert Sidney Johnston, and participated in the Utah War against the Mormons. In 1859, he resigned from the U.S. Army to operate his plantation, "White House."
[edit] Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War Lee became a captain in the Confederate Army cavalry and was soon promoted to major. He initially served in western Virginia under the command of Brig. Gen. William Loring during 1861 and early 1862. He was then placed under the command of Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, becoming a lieutenant colonel, and later colonel in the 9th Virginia Cavalry.
After the Battle of South Mountain, Lee was promoted to brigadier general. He fought at Antietam under the command of Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, his cousin. He commanded the 3rd Brigade of Stuart's Cavalry Division at the Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He was wounded during combat at Brandy Station at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign and was captured by Union forces at Hickory Hill, Virginia, two weeks later, while recuperating. He was a prisoner of war in New York State until exchanged back to the Confederate Army on February 25, 1864. He was exchanged for captive Union Brig. Gen. Neal S. Dow. In April, he was promoted to major general and commanded a division in the Cavalry Corps during the breakout from Petersburg and the retreat of his father's army in the Appomattox Campaign. By the end of the war, he had risen to second-in-command of the Confederate cavalry. He surrendered along with his father at Appomattox Court House.
[edit] Post-War career
Lee returned to planting after the war. In 1875 he was elected to the Virginia Senate, serving until 1878. He was then elected as a Democrat to the US House of Representatives in 1887. He served in the House until his death. He died at "Ravensworth" near Alexandria, Virginia, and is interred in the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
[edit] Family
Lee married twice, first in 1859 to Charlotte Wickham, a descendant of attorney John Wickham. They had two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom died in infancy. Charlotte died in 1863.
On November 28, 1867, he married Mary Tab Bolling, a descendant of Colonel Robert Bolling and his second wife Anne Stith. They had two children: Robert Edward Lee, born 1870, and George Bolling Lee, born 1872.
Lee is the step-great-grandson of George Washington.
[edit] References
- Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
