Lee, Robert E., 1807-1870 to William Fitzhugh (Rooney) Lee
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05979 Author/Creator: Lee, Robert E., 1807-1870 Place Written: Camp Orange, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 24 April 1864 Pagination: 2 p. ; 25.4 x 20.3 cm. Order a Copy
General Lee offers condolence to his son Rooney on the death of his wife, Charlotte Wickham, from tuberculosis. Although Lee mourns her death, he maintains that "we cannot indulge in grief however mournful yet pleasing." Lee experienced a series of profound personal loss during the war; along with the death of his daughter-in-law, his daughter Annie and two of his grandchildren also died. But Lee's dedication to duty remained firm, and was demonstrated in his advice to his bereaved son. He urged Rooney to return to his brigade, reminding him that "Our Country demands all our thoughts, all our energies. To resist the powerful Combination now forming against us, will require every man at his place."
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