Custis Lee Mansion 2

Custis Lee Mansion 2

“ARLINGTON HOUSE” COMPLETED. After the war, Custis resumed work on his

house, and the large center section and great portico were to have been

finished in 1817. “A house that any one might see with half an eye,” as

Robert E. Lee later described it, could not fail to attract attention,

and “Custis’ Folly” is first mentioned by a traveler in 1818. Although

the interior was never completed as planned and the rear was left

unstuccoed, “Arlington House” was soon considered one of the handsomest

residences about Washington. One early writer describes it as “a

noble-looking place, having a portico of stately white columns, which,

as the mansion stands high, with a back ground of dark woods, forms a

beautiful object in the landscape.”

 

 

THE MEMORY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON KEPT ALIVE AT ARLINGTON. “Arlington

House” now became the successor of Mount Vernon as the “Washington

Treasury,” as Custis termed it. His collection of Washington relics was

the largest in existence, and it filled the halls and rooms of the

mansion. The owner of these relics welcomed all who wished to view them,

and he never tired of entertaining his guests with tales of his early

years at Mount Vernon. Many distinguished men visited Arlington at one

time or other—Sam Houston, Daniel Webster, and Andrew Jackson, to name a

few. One of the most notable was General Lafayette, who twice was a

guest there when he toured the United States in 1824 and 1825. Custis

spent much time with the venerable marquis, and used the wealth of

reminiscenses he gained from the old soldier to write the delightful

_Conversations With Lafayette_, which was published in a local newspaper

in 1825. Encouraged by their favorable reception, he then began his own

_Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington_, which proved equally

popular and were widely reprinted in the newspapers of the period.

 

Even more successful were the dramas Custis wrote at this time, based on

heroic episodes in the Nation’s past or on inspiring contemporary

achievements. _The Indian Prophecy_ used an incident in Washington’s

early life as its theme and established a vogue for Indian plays which

lasted over 50 years; while the _Rail Road_ was the first one written on

that subject in America. Others dramatized such events as the battle of

Baltimore and the launching of a new warship. For 10 years his dramatic

pieces were staged from Boston to Charleston and did much to develop a

distinctive American drama.

 

[Illustration: _An early view of “Arlington House.”_ From an

engraving made about 1845.]

 

A man of culture, Custis used all of his abilities to perpetuate the

memory of Washington. He erected the first monument on the President’s

birthplace in 1816, wrote poems to celebrate his greatness, and painted

colorful battle pictures in which the great General was the central

figure. An accomplished orator, he was tireless in advocating the

principles of freedom for which Washington had fought, and planned to do

with his slaves as his foster father had done—free them after they had

been prepared to shift for themselves. Although he never held an

elective office, his influence was considerable and for the good.

 

[Illustration: _The tents used by General Washington during the

American Revolution were cherished relics at Arlington._ From B. J.

Lossing, “Arlington House,” _Harper’s Monthly Magazine_, VII (Sept.

1853), 444.]

 

 

HOME LIFE AT ARLINGTON. An equal source of inspiration at “Arlington

House” was the religious atmosphere of its home life. Mrs. Custis was a

devout Episcopalian, noted for her simplicity and piety. It was she who

influenced Robert E. Lee’s Sunday school teacher, Bishop William Meade,

to enter the ministry. Diligent where her husband was inclined to be

easy-going, Mrs. Custis was one with him in making Arlington free from

ostentation.

 

Kept unspoiled by her parents’ example, Mary Custis was given the

education deemed necessary for a young lady of her position, and as soon

as she was old enough herself taught the children of nearby families and

family servants. Though an only child, she never lacked companionship,

for usually the house overflowed with relatives and their children. The

Custises, too, often went visiting, especially to “Ravensworth,”

formerly the home of Mrs. Custis’ father and now owned by her only

brother. Here Mary must have played as a child with Robert E. Lee, for

he and his mother were also related to the Fitzhughs and often visited

at their estate. The Lees were familiar with Arlington as well, for

Robert was a favorite with the Custises from boyhood. He and Mary Custis

are said to have planted some of the trees in the vicinity of the house

when they were young.

 

[Illustration: _Title page of the 1830 edition of Curtis’ most

popular play._]

 

 

 

 

POCAHONTAS!

OR,

THE SETTLERS OF VIRGINIA,

 

 

A NATIONAL DRAMA,

IN THREE ACTS.

 

 

Performed at the Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, twelve nights,

with great success.

 

 

WRITTEN BY

GEORGE WASHINGTON CUSTIS, ESQ.

Of Arlington House. Author of the Rail Road, Pawnee Chief, &c. &c.

 

 

PHILADELPHIA EDITION.

© ALEXANDER, PR.

:::::::

1830.

 

 

MARRIAGE OF MARY CUSTIS AND ROBERT E. LEE. Childhood friendship turned

to love by the time Lee graduated from West Point and was assigned to

duty in the Corps of Engineers. Whenever possible he was at Arlington

courting Mary Custis, and in the summer of 1830 they became engaged.

 

The evening of the wedding, June 30, 1831, was one of steady rain, but

nothing could affect the warmth and happiness inside the friendly

portals of Arlington. The ceremony was formal and elaborate as befitted

the union of two of the most prominent families of Virginia. The happy

couple, surrounded by pretty bridesmaids and uniformed groomsmen, made a

picturesque scene.

 

[Illustration: _George Washington Parke Custis._ Engraved from the

portrait by Gilbert Stuart made about 1825.]

 

 

THE LEES AT FORT MONROE, 1831 TO 1834. Wedding trips not being customary

at that time, the young married couple stayed at Arlington until it was

time for them to go to Fort Monroe where Lee was stationed. At Christmas

they returned home, and, because of the bad weather, Mrs. Lee remained

there till spring. Furniture and choice provisions from the Custis farms

helped to make the Lee’s quarters at the fort more homelike, while Mrs.

Custis’ frequent letters lessened her daughter’s homesickness, as did

the whimsical, chatty ones her father wrote regularly to his “Dr Son &

Daughter.” In September of 1832, their first child was born there, a son

named George Washington Custis Lee, after his grandfather. Christmas

that year at Arlington was especially happy because of the new baby

(known familiarly as “Custis” Lee), and because Lee was unexpectedly

able to be there. The following year passed much the same way.

 

[Illustration: _Lieutenant and Mrs. Robert E. Lee in 1838._ From the

portraits by William E. West. U. S. Army Signal Corps photographs.]

 

 

LEE ON DUTY AT WASHINGTON, 1834 TO 1837. In the autumn of 1834, Lee was

transferred to Washington and with his family made his home at

Arlington. Sometimes his work kept him away overnight, but usually each

morning and afternoon he was to be seen riding between his office and

home. Lee disliked the office work which kept him in the city until the

middle of 1837, but life at Arlington was most pleasant. Mrs. Lee’s

parents idolized their little grandson, and for them Lee felt a growing

respect and affection. Custis was the nearest link to the first

President, and associating with him and living in the presence of so

many of the General’s personal belongings made Washington very close and

real to the young engineer, an example and influence that steadily

entered his soul.

 

Lee fitted easily into the quiet way of life at Arlington. Mrs. Lee and

her mother cared little for formal social affairs, preferring to be out

of doors gardening or riding about the estate when not entertaining

visitors. Mr. Custis was usually busy with his farm, and since he liked

to hunt, he might often be seen walking or riding about the estate with

his gun and dogs; evenings he spent with his family by the hearth, or

retired to his study to work on his literary efforts. Each morning and

evening the family and servants gathered for prayers, and grace was said

before each meal. On Sundays the family usually drove into Alexandria to

church, or held services at home if the roads were bad. Mrs. Lee, like

her father, was an amateur artist, an interest shared by her husband who

also occasionally assisted Mr. Custis in his business affairs or put his

engineering experience to use in making improvements.

 

Troubles there were, of course. Lee was away on a mission to Ohio and

Michigan when his second child, a daughter whom they named Mary, was

born in the summer of 1835. When he returned, he found his wife so

seriously ill that she was unable to walk for months. This was the first

of a series of illnesses which were to make her an invalid much of her

life.

 

Though this experience saddened Lee at the time, it made his home the

more dear to him. It was about this time that he wrote to a friend: “The

Country looks very sweet now, and the hill at Arlington covered with

verdure, and perfumed by the blossoms of the trees, the flowers of the

Garden. Honey-Suckles, yellow Jasmine, &c. is more to my taste than at

any other season of the year. But the brightest flower there blooming is

my daughter.... [I] hurry home to her every day.”

 

[Illustration: _View from Arlington about 1837._ From the original

lithograph in the New York Public Library.]

 

 

THE LEES AT ST. LOUIS, 1838 TO 1839. In 1837 another son was born, and

although Lee had received orders to report to St. Louis he was able to

remain at Arlington until he was assured the mother and baby were doing

well. Christmas he was home again, remaining there till spring so Mrs.

Lee and the two boys could return with him to St. Louis. Little Mary

stayed behind with her grandparents, which may have compensated them

somewhat for the absence of her parents the following Christmas.

 

Now a captain, Lee brought his family home in the spring of 1839 for

Mrs. Lee to await the arrival of their fourth child, though he could not remain for the event. Early in July, he heard a new daughter had joined the family circle, but not until Christmas did he get to see her.