On the Trail of Grant and Lee | Page 7

were those of a living presence in
the household of "Light Horse Harry;" and thus to young Lee he early
became the ideal of manhood upon which, consciously or
unconsciously, he molded his own character and life. But quite apart
from this, the careers of these two great Virginians were astonishingly
alike.

Washington's father had been married twice, and so had Lee's; each
was a son of the second marriage, and each had a number of brothers
and sisters. Washington lost his father when he was only eleven years
old, and Lee was exactly the same age when his father died. Mrs.
Washington had almost the entire care of her son during his early years,
and Lee was under the sole guidance of his mother until he had almost
grown to manhood. Washington repaid his mother's devotion by caring
for her and her affairs with notable fidelity, and Lee's tenderness and
consideration for his mother were such that she was accustomed to
remark that he was both a son and a daughter to her.
Washington's ancestors were notable, if not distinguished, people in
England; while Lee could trace his descent, through his father, to
Lancelot Lee, who fought at the battle of Hastings, and through his
mother to Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Neither man, however, prided
himself in the least on his ancestry. Indeed, neither of them knew
anything of his family history until his own achievements brought the
facts to light.
Washington was a born and bred country boy and so was Lee. Both
delighted in outdoor life, loving horses and animals of all kinds and
each was noted for his skillful riding in a region which was famous for
its horsemanship. There was, however, a vast difference between
Washington's education and that of Lee. The Virginian schools were
very rudimentary in Washington's day; but Lee attended two excellent
institutions of learning, where he had every opportunity, and of this he
availed himself, displaying much the same thoroughness that
characterized Washington's work, and the same manly modesty about
any success that he achieved.
By reason of his father's death and other circumstances Washington
was burdened with responsibility long before he arrived at manhood,
making him far more reserved and serious-minded than most school
boys. This was precisely the case with Lee, for his father's death, the ill
health of his mother and the care of younger children virtually made
him the head of the family, so that he became unusually mature and
self-contained at an early age. Neither boy, however, held aloof from
the sports and pastimes of his schoolmates and both were regarded as
quiet, manly fellows, with no nonsense about them, and with those
qualities of leadership that made each in turn the great military leader

of his age.
Never has history recorded a stranger similarity in the circumstances
surrounding the youth of two famous men, but the facts which linked
their careers in later years are even stranger still.


Chapter III

Lee at West Point
As his school days drew to a close, it became necessary for Lee to
determine his future calling. But the choice of a career, often so
perplexing to young men, presented no difficulty to "Light Horse
Harry's" son. He had apparently always intended to become a soldier
and no other thought had seemingly ever occurred to any member of
his family. Appointments to the United States Military Academy were
far more a matter of favor than they are to-day, and young Lee,
accompanied by Mrs. Lewis (better known as Nellie Custis, the belle of
Mount Vernon and Washington's favorite grandchild), sought the
assistance of General Andrew Jackson. Rough "Old Hickory" was not
the easiest sort of person to approach with a request of any kind and,
doubtless, his young visitor had grave misgivings as to the manner in
which his application would be received. But Jackson, the hero of the
battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, only needed to be told that
his caller was "Light Horse Harry's" son to proffer assistance; and in
his nineteenth year, the boy left home for the first time in his life to
enroll himself as a cadet at West Point.
Very few young men enter that institution so well prepared for military
life as was Lee, for he had been accustomed to responsibility and had
thoroughly mastered the art of self-control many years before he
stepped within its walls. He was neither a prig nor a "grind," but he
regarded his cadetship as part of the life work which he had voluntarily
chosen, and he had no inclination to let pleasure interfere with it. With
his comrades he was companionable, entering into all their pastimes
with zest and spirit, but he let it be understood, without much talk, that

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