Gen. Lee And His Family

A visit to the Arüngton mansión and surrouudmg estáte, a few days since, fil'ed us with oppressive and mehincholy reflaolions. Four years ago Eob-rt E Lee, thou a Lieutenaut Uolouel of the cavalry n tho Üuicu army, and now commander-in-ohiet of the rebel triny, was with his fainüy n tho happy pos aession of that rnagnifficent iaheritance. More than one-hulf oí tbe estato, oonsisting of u thousand aeres, was covured with a apleudid furest of ok and other tiinbiT, and the rich and productive fields adorned with the hand ot culture. To day what a ohauge I Tho venerable ancestral mansión, ereeted bv the honored son by adoption of the Father of bis Couutry, and for half a eentury his cultivated and deligh'.ful fcoine, is now in the centre of a vast oemetery of those who have fallen in the sorvicu ol their oountry. Two hundred and fifty acres of thia eslule surroundiuc the mansion have been permaueinly appropriated for burial purposos by the goveminent, aud inclosud by a substantial and haudsouia fenoe. Nearly five thouaatid soldiers have alrea(}y been buried there, and thp ouinber is duilj jrowing liirger. In 1853, Mrs. Cuntia, the moiher of klrs, Gen. Lee, died in the Arlington ïantii.n, and wus buried in a seíjuesterd and delightful grove near tliu man on : and in 1857 Mr. Ctmtig diod, and hia reniuius were depositud by her side, a vat concourse of persons uf evory rank testil'ying their reverunce for llm departed by their presencs at the obsequios. Mr. Cuatis luherited thís estáte frota his fatlier, who was the son oí Mrs. Gen'. Washington by a former husband. Süoii after his mother diod, ti 1802, he, then, about twonty-fife yearg oí ige, oatne here fmm Muunt Vernon, uud with hid youtig and accomplished wife tnok up thcir riwidenco in the Arliigtnu mansión, which he had then just eracíed, and which evertaore was their boau ti ful and cultivaled homo. Tho frnits of thia u:iion were four daugblers, all of hom died in infancy, except Mary Cuutis, the wüe of Gen. llobort $. Leè Mr. CustU' t'&ihor, John Parue Oustis, was an Aid-de-Camp tq Washington, and difd of camp fever in 1781, con tructed at the sioge of Yorktown, m the age of 27 yearn. He had marritd, at 19 lears of age, Kleanor Claveryf of Mouni Airy Md , a descoudant of tho sucoad Lord JJaltimore, wben but 15 yams of age, fiud at 23 eho was tbus made a widow with three children. Gan. Wush iDgtop hastened to Eltbaui Md., where tbu husband w:is siok, only tc sce hirn iü his dying moment.-', i his was the only Burviving uhild of Mrs. Washington, the diiughtor having died so'me ycart) bafore. IIo was deeplv afleoted. and, wooping, said to the mother : " I adopt tbe tvvo younger childron as niy own." Tlieso wero -Ëleanor Custis, then two and a half years of age, who diyd at seventecn of cdnsumptipn. nfl Georgts VVüühiugtou Piirku Cu.s'.is, tlu-n ?s cnonths old. Gen. Washington took uuearied pains in traiuiüg Üua son of his adoptiou, dewirintf to gh'e hiüi a Bolid and liberal eduoation; but bia cfforts f'iiled. Tho son was averse to Btudy, thouh possessod of gnod abili tio., and at twenty threo yo.irs ol age mairiod, and devoted h:s lifo pd vt-ry larga fortune, inherited from bis tatliei a_Ld mother, to agriculturo atid pleasant literary pursijitg, The inansior} is now occupied by the officer m oomninnd ot the po-t and kU subordinaos. Tho dióiiig haü i.s used uk an office Iu this r.ootii aru thret old Fashioriöd bob&rcnje.', contaiuin; some t'yui' faundrod voiuuias. irinoipallv old books- broken setu, aud of vprv small valuó. Thu adkfiiing tho hall js Dot oacnpiüd, thu oniy arliclo in jt being a ínahogauv sido boanl, wbioh come froin JCeuïifcrDop. In tlió jij'r' lor beyoud uro two sofas anti eis stufisd mahogany chaira, covered with soarlot valvct ; two marbletop tables, a sida bonid, and a pumo ttool, matching th chsiirs. Oa tho walls are several coaraa lurge portra is, and oue or two fine o paintiags. There are afso two engravings, of a elass'cal charaoter, hanging with fie rest. The room ia the southerly wing, uad -as'id by Gen. Lee for hú office, is now usod as a bcd-room ; and all the upper part of the mansion ia used fora liko purpose. The building is not iujured. The flower gardo has been euolosed by a nuw fenco, and la4 out and iastefully adornud this spriüg. Gen. iiobert Èdiaund Lee is the soa of Gen. Hticry Lue, of revolutionary memory, and known as "Light Horsa Harry, ' whose mother was tho beautiful Miss Grimes, Gen. Washingtou's first love, and whoin he celebrated as " the lowluad beauty." Gea. Harry Lee VAi twics married. By the first marriaga he had two childreu, Henry (au officer ia tü war ot Itirz) and Lucy. By the s.cond wife- a Miss Carter of Sbirley. - he bad five chilJren, two daughters Anuie and Mildred, and three sons, Th sona were Charles Carter, Robert ÍSd.. muod (the General), and Sidney Smith, the last-named, an officer n our navj, aud now in tha rebel navy. Gen. Robert E, Lee, was born ia 18Q8, and is conscquently, fifty-sovsa yeara of age. He graduated seoond iu his claasin 1829(Judge Charles Masoo. of thia city, aud formerly commiasioneP of patenta, standing first ia that clapa), and was assigned to the eng'neer corpa aa 2d lieutenant; ia 1835 assiatatit astronomer, fking the boundary between Ohio and Michigan ; in 1836" promotad lat lieutenant; captain ia 1838; chief engineor under Scott, in Mexico, and greatly distinguished, beiug promoted suocessively by merit, major, üeutennnt colonel, aud colonel, lor his gallantry in 1852 superintendent military acade' my ; n 1855 tranaferred aa lieutenant colonel of the new regimant nf cavalry Maroh 16tb, 1862, promoted colonel of the lst cavalry ; resigned April 26tli followiüg, and reluctantly eaibarked n the rebel lion. Thefolluwing nre tho children of Gen. leu : George Waahington Cuatis Lea, about thirty three yeara of age; Mary Custia Lee, about thirty; Willian Henry Fitzbugh Lee, about thirty ïeven ; Annie Loe died at Berkely Spring, in 1863, and would have hen now about twenty-five ; ignes Lep, about tfventy-three; Eobert E. Lee, about eighteen. None of them hava raarried except Willlam Henry FiUïugh, whoae wife, Misa Charlotte Wiek ham, diod at Richmond in 1863. Th ldeat aon, Goorge, graduatad at tha head of his olass at West Point, in 1854, nd was a first lioutenaot in the corps of ngineers when-he iollowed hig fatlwr nto the aouthern 8'ervice. William Ienry was farming upon tbö White ïouse estáte, wbich beiongcd to tha 3ustia ioheritance when th.9 war opened. 3e was oomrniasioned 2d lieutenant ia ,he 6th infantiy in 1857, but resigneoi i 1859. Robart waa at a military cbool in Virginia. The aons, t is wU inown, are all ofijcers in the rebellionv The three surviving daughtora are witliLeir motb,er, who, it is believod, haa I O f f ÉTi K i XT Y I i t k ot I .Urn aU KitiM Mr. Ctistis, at the time of hls deatht owriüJ some two hundred slaves, who, by bis svill, were to be free at the törminatioQ of five yeara froni Lis death, which period expircd Ootober lOth, 1862. The most of these slave were rept on the Whito Honse eatate, and all tho valuabje partion were cárrisd, south ; eomo twenty or more oíd ajen and wornen aod youug ohildren wora left at Arlington, Mr. Custis' mother owned the White House estáte, nnd r. sided thero wheu 6ho bacarne tba vrifa of Gen. Washington.