When the subject of the Civil War and the Lee family comes up, most Americans conjure up an image of General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate soldiers he led during the war.
The story of some other Lees, however, ask us to expand our thoughts on the family.
Cassius Lee (1808-1890), a cousin of Robert E. Lee, owned slaves, but opposed succession. When the war winds blew in 1861, Cassius left his Menokin farm overlooking Washington and went up north.
Born and educated in Alexandria and the University of Virginia, Cazenove Gardner Lee (1850-1912) , son of Cassius, married a member of the famed DuPont family, and lived and practiced law in Washington.
Perhaps the most intriguing river-crossing Lee of all was Samuel Philips Lee (1812-1897). Born in Fairfax County near present day Dulles, and a third cousin of Robert E. Lee, he commanded Union ships in the Civil War, rose to the rank of Admiral afterward, and lived near the White House and Silver Spring.
Although she was a Lee only by the bonds of marriage, his wife Elizabeth Blair Lee (1818-1906), adds something to this story.
I had not hear of her until reading a wonderful book, “The Civil War Letters of Elizabeth Blair Lee, Wartime Washington,” edited by Virginia Jeans Laas.
Lee, born in Kentucky, wrote almost a thousand letters to her husband while he was serving the Union navy during the war. Laas chose about 350 to tell the story of their correspondence. T
The strength of the book are Laas’s footnotes, numerous and insightful.
Smart and wise, Elizabeth had the credentials to get her ears and eyes close to the inside stories in Washington. Her grandfather was Colonel Nathaniel Gist, who participated in Braddock’s March, whose "Forward March!" was heard in the front of John Carlyle’s palatial mansion in Alexandria in 1755.
Her father was Francis Preston Blair, an editor for the Washington Globe who had the ear of President Jackson, President Van Buren, and President Lincoln. Blair played a role in forming the Republican Party and could have been called the "First Advisor."
Elizabeth's mother Violet was no shrinker when it came to opinion and subtle influence.
They say the mark of a good leader is someone who listens. When she was young, Elizabeth listened to conversations between her father and President Jackson.
Elizabeth was close to the White House not only in access, but in physical location. In 1836, her father acquired a house just 500 feet from the White House, one that became known as the Blair House. In 1859, Blair built a new town house beside it for Elizabeth and Samuel, which became known as the Lee House.
To read these letters is to see a poignant running account of Washington during the war torn years. Elizabeth’s (she addressed her letters - “Dear Phil” - and signed them - “Lizzie)” longing and concern for Samuel is quite apparent. He was away the entire time, commanding Union ships in Charleston and elsewhere in the South.
Elizabeth stayed busy gathering news, raising their son Blair, taking care of household matters, and traveling northward when fears of attack by the rebels gripped the capital city.
In mid-April she consoled the widowed Mr. Lincoln after he was assassinated.
She writes:
My Dear Phil,
I did not leave Mrs. Lee until after six. I was so weary from 24 hours of unflagging watching.
Perhaps apocryphal, there’s a quote attributed to Samuel.
When I find the word Virginia in my commission, I will join the Confederacy.
Elizabeth’s words to her husband were meant for his eyes only, but we can now see them as memorable thoughts.
In March 1862, concerned about Samuel and the country as a whole, she wrote:
This wicked Conspiracy! how many hearts it has mourning and broken.
Even after a distinguished life of leadership in her golden years, Elizabeth was tied to her husband’s past. One obit headline said,
Elizabeth Blair Lee, of Famous Family.
But her obituary was a long one, and concluded with:
Very few women have had so broad a political experience, and it is doubtful if any other American woman has been so conversant for so long a period.
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