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HISTORIC FET
ARLINGTON
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Historic
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A HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL CEMETERY FROM ITS ESTABLISHMENT TO THE PRESENT TIME, WITH SKETCHES OF THE HISTORIC PERSONAGES WHO OCCUPIED THE ESTATE PREVIOUS TO ITS SEIZURE BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT-PARKE CUSTIS AND HIS TIMES-THE CAREER OF LEE, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF LIFE IN VIRGINIA DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE CENTURY.
BY KARL DECKER AND ANGUS McSWEEN.
PUBLISHED BY THE DECKER AND McSWEEN PUBLISHING COMPANY, WASHINGTON, D. C.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1892, by KARL DECKER and ANGUS McSWEEN, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
GIBSON BROTHERS, PRINTERS AND BOOKBINDERS. WASHINGTON D. C.
PREFACE.
In presenting this work to the public the authors feel that not- withstanding the labor and care exercised in its preparation the subject is one which is capable of still greater development. A complete history of the famous old place would be a history of the development of American political institutions and customs, the history of modes and fashions now long extinct, and the intel- lectual, moral, and industrial changes that have taken place in the land from the time the colonists first severed with their swords the knot that bound them to Great Britain, and set up a people's government under the protecting folds of the stars and stripes. For with all this is Arlington closely associated.
In the present volume the authors have endeavored to show the historic importance of the place, and in doing so present for the first time an authentic account of Parke Custis and the state of society during his lifetime, together with such portions of the his- tory of General Lee as are connected with the estate. The occu- pation of Arlington by the Federal troops, its seizure by the United States, the legal proceedings by which the Government . perfected its title, the establishment of the national cemetery and its growth to the present time, are all described in the work with a completeness of detail such as the subject demands.
The fact that so little was known, or could be learned, by the general public concerning Arlington caused the authors to under- take the publication of this volume, and they feel assured that its value to every student of American history, as well as to the many whose comrades and relatives lie beneath the Arlington sod, will be recognized and appreciated. In preparing the work the au- thors obtained their information from the records of the War De-
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partment, the personal recollections of men now living who were connected with some of the different phases of Arlington history, and from the collection of historic documents in the possession of Dr. Joseph M. Toner. They have spared neither effort nor expense to secure information and can present the work feeling confident of its accuracy in every detail. The authors have been materially assisted in their work by Quartermaster-General Batchelder, U. S. A .; Dr. Toner, Supt. Commerford, of the national cemetery, and others.
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I
PAGE. L-
Arlington.
CHAPTER II
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The founding of Arlington and early life of Custis.
CHAPTER III . 28 . -
Custis' life at Arlington-His associates and customs-The Wash- ington relics.
CHAPTER IV .
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Lee at Arlington -- Genealogy and early career-His service in the Mexican War.
CHAPTER V
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Seizure and occupation of Arlington by Federal forces-First inter- ment.
CHAPTER VI .
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Establishment of the National Cemetery-Bodies of soldiers col- lected on the battle-fields and buried at Arlington.
CHAPTER VII
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The Government's title to Arlington and how obtained-Interesting legal documents.
CHAPTER VIII 86
The National Cemetery-A general description of Arlington, with an account of some of the distinguished soldiers buried there.
CHAPTER IX .
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Decoration Day and its customs-Some noted orations-Lincoln's Gettysburg address -- Ingersoll's prose-poem over the soldier dead.
CHAPTER I.
ARLINGTON.
Arlington. The nation's monument to its immortal dead.
How imposing in its sublimity ; how inspiring in its associa- tions. Here, after life's fitful fever, rest thousands of those whose blood was shed that the Union might live. .
Historic memories cluster thickly round the name, and it is hallowed by the sacrifices of a nation's homes.
There was scarcely a household but felt the impress of the iron hand of War, and now that Peace has spread her mantle o'er the land, healing the battle scars and bringing reconciliation to the sections, there is scarcely a home in which the thoughts of some within do not turn lovingly to the spot where fathers, brothers, husbands, or sweethearts of the days gone by repose in peace- ful slumber. In many a household the empty chair by the fire- side still brings tears and heartaches to gray-haired mothers and widowed wives, and to such the intelligence that once again the patriotic men and women of the nation's capital have strewn with flowers the graves of the soldier dead at Arlington comes with a softening touch, easing the reawakened pain and causing hearts to swell with grateful impulse. Still does the grandfather tell the orphan boy how his soldier father served his country well, and then the story, oft repeated, ends in one sad phrase, " he lies at Arlington."
Thus from each section of the land, still sorrowed by the inter- necine strife, a nation in its sadness turns towards Arlington, and in thought pronounces a benediction o'er the graves. No worthier sepulchre for those who fell in battle could be found. No better monument could be erected to their eternal fame.
This beautiful necropolis of the nation's berros lies empowered amid the majestic oaks that crown the Virginia hills sweeping away to the south and west of the National Capital. From the portico of the old mansion a panorama is unfolded that is worthy a pilgrimage from the antipodes. To the north, rising back from
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the river in terraced hills, lies Georgetown, the ancient and honored burg whose wharves once gave welcome to shipping from far distant foreign ports, and whose stately colonial society, tinged with a courtliness bred of constant contact with the English shores, included the oldest and most famous names in our country's history. Here rise the sturdy granite towers of the Georgetown University, bearing proudly the crown of a hundred years of useful existence.
Extending away to the east, in the alluvial basin of the Poto- mac, lies the National Capital, its imposing structures of marble and granite gleaming in the broad glare of sunlight. To the soyth, across the sterile, barren plains, rise the spires of Alex- andria, while nearer battle-scarred earthworks, silent relics of the great cordon of Union armies that lay around Washington, rear their now peaceful fronts, covered with sod and growths of brush. Every foot of ground for miles around was part of the scene of the great drama of civil war.
The national cemetery lies on the ancient Georgetown and Alexandria pike that a century ago formed a means of communi- cation between these then thriving towns. The land sweeps back in graceful ascent, forming wide, sloping lawns leading up to the graceful structure that crowns the topmost height.
Here every year come thousands to pay their quota of the nation's debt to the dead. Men, women, and children in an end- less procession pass through the portals of the national cemetery and, stealing from the bustling world in which they move, spend moments of silent reverence among the dead. No one enters who does not realize more fully than before the heroism of those whose monuments they view, and few there are whose patriotic impulses are not quickened and their sentiments ennobled by a contempla- tion of the scene presented.
The long rows of white headstones and the imposing shafts of marble and granite that stretch away in picturesque order, on every hand bring recollections of a scene far different, and before the mind passes in'ichiew memories of battles fought, where glo- rious deeds but led to death ; where, for the cause they loved, these men gave up their lives. And as these recollections of the past transform the sleeping dead once more into the living heroes, the marble slabs and the inscriptions that they bear change also,
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and from the sterile name and date that mark each stone ap- pears the record of the soldier's glory.
But not alone does Arlington bring up memories of the war. For fancy, wandering back to days before the civil strife, beholds scenes of homely gayety about the mansion ; sees throngs of men distinguished in their time pass and repass between the columns of the spacious portico, and conjures up a picture of a genial host exercising the truest spirit of hospitality in the days when Virginia was noted alike for the treatment accorded the stranger and the ability of her men.
Not a stone or a tree on the old estate but is associated with recollections of the noblest period of the nation's history. We see the lofty example and precepts of Washington finding later expres- sion in his foster-son, George Washington Parke Custis. About Custis we see assembled at Arlington a band of guests composed of men distinguished in the history of the country. We see the progress of the nation reflected in the personnel of those who wander beneath the forest groves of the old estate.
Lafayette gives place to men like Webster and Henry Clay, and they are in turn succeeded by Lee and those who gathered about that gallant officer before the secession of States brought war be- tween the sections.
The sorrow of a nation, when the death of Custis, the last sur- viving member of the Mount Vernon household takes place, is shown at Arlington in the assemblage that gathers about his grave, and nowhere does the gloom and sorrow which preceded the civil war settle with stronger effect than at Arlington. We see Lee, flushed with success as a soldier of the Union, struggling between love for his native State and his duty to the Government he had served so well. We see the termination of his career at Arlington in the letter of resignation which he forwards to his old com- mander. We see the despairing departure from the scenes he loved so well, and find the home that had been bright through generations deserted and buried in gloom.
The scene changes, and we see the forests of the estate leveled, and from every hillside spring white tents peopled by men in war- like garb. We hear the clank of sabre, and the forceful tramp of booted officers echoing through the dismantled rooms of the old house. Earthworks spring up on every side, bristling with guns,
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and the native silence of the hills are awakened by the blast of bugles and the hoarse tones of command. We mark the progress of the Union forces in the camp life at Arlington. We see the tents that erstwhile sheltered strong and courageous men made now the resting-place of sick and wounded. We see them as they are brought from distant battle-fields and hear their groans, while in and out among them rush the busy surgeons.
Then one by one the yellow mounds come into view to mark the resting-places of the dead. We see them accumulate in num- ber, till thousands upon thousands of those who fell are laid beneath the sod of Arlington. We realize that without preconcep- tion or plan the estate has reached its highest destiny in the Lostablishment of a national cemetery. We see it grow in beauty and in grandeur till it becomes a glowing tribute to the valor of those who died in battle, and to it living soldiers look with pride where they, too, will find a worthy sepulchre. We see the nation's most honored heroes laid to rest on the beautiful slope before the mansion, and with swelling hearts watch the pageant that attends these final ceremonies. We see in each recurring year old and young assemble at these graves to deck them with the fairest flowers, and see the outflow of the nation's worthiest sentiment in the pride and care bestowed upon the graves.
To the thousands of visitors to Arlington the spot where stands. the grave of Gen. Sheridan is one of greatest interest, and few there are who do not pay their tribute of respect to the worth and courage of so brave an officer.
The ceremonies attending the burial of Sheridan at Arlington were of such an imposing character and were so widely heralded forth to the world through the columns of the press that the inci- dent marks one of the most noted dates in the history of the cemetery.
On the hot August day when the body of Sheridan was borne to the tomb the streets of Washington resounded again to the heavy cher of cavalry troops, the dull rumbling of guns and caissons, and the marching and countermarching of regiments of infantry in solemn cadence. The long funeral procession passed slowly toward Arlington through the streets of Washington, the waving plumes of the cavalry and the glistening lines of bayonets mingling softly with the fluttering bits of crape that decked hel- met and gun-barrel.
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The burial services are memorable as being among the most im- posing ever witnessed. Thousands gathered on the sloping hill- side, surrounding the great hollow square formed by the military escort, and bowed in silent reverence as the brief words of the solemn burial service floated out upon the still air. Many there were who remembered the first burial at Arlington in the days of the war and the contrast was forced home when, as the body was lowered into the grave, the sharp rattling fire of the rifles rang out- in successive salutes to the dead leader and hero. Slowly the white smoke lifted and settled among the tree-tops, slowly the vast throng dispersed, and Arlington was left with its immortal dead.
As evening drew on, all evidence of metropolitan life vanished from the solemn scene. A solitary sentinel paced with slow step along the brow of the hill, his feet slashing with a drear, weird sound through the soaked and sodden grass as he passed the newly-made yellow mound standing out in relief against the dull monochrome of the misty gray sky. Overhead a few heavy- winged crows flapped lazily to the nests in the trees below the house, and dark, mysterious bats whirled quickly and silently about through the gloom-stricken trees and darker shadows of the now deserted portico.
Gradually all sight of the city faded from view, and Arlington seemed to withdraw an immeasurable distance from the busy walk of life, and carry its treasured dead with jealous care into the' sanctity of the forest primeval .. Slowly the heavy, sodden trees seemed to close in upon the grave and its occupant, and long, ghostly shadows fell across it from these guards of nature. The heavy-winged messengers of night flew drowsily along, causing the sentinel ever and anon to start in nervous fear. The drab pillars stood out from the mansion in ghostly relief, and the whole scene- was a study in dull gray.
Again, when the great Admiral was laid to rest, vast crowds thronged the hillsides of Arlington and performed the last offices of friendship and admiration. These two, Sheridan and Porter, lie side by side at Arlington and as the dial of inexorable time strikes off the hours of the few remaining great ones of our nation's saddest war, they too will lie on the sloping hillside that looks toward Washington.
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This is the Arlington of to-day, rich in memories, hallowed by associations ; the mausoleum of the greatest and the bravest; the ast dread assembly ground where meet the rank and file of American valor in brotherly comradeship.
Over the officers who lie at Arlington there are imposing monuments, with lengthy inscriptions setting forth their valorous deeds and praiseworthy achievements. Over the private soldier, who lies with his comrades under long lines of green mounds in regimental array, there is only a small slab, bearing a name and date, with scant room for an epitaph. At every roadside and at every by-path leading into the general sections, however, are tablets bearing an epitaph greater in language and sentiment than the mere empty words of ordinary eulogium.
These are stanzas from the great elegiac poem of Col. Theodore O'Hara :
THE BIVOUAC OF THE DEAD.
The muffled drum's sad roll has beat The soldier's last tattoo ; No more on life's parade shall meet That brave and fallen few.
On Fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread, And Glory guards with solemn round The bivouac of the dead.
No rumor of the foe's advance Now swells upon the wind ; No troubled thought at midnight haunts Of loved ones left behind.
No vision of the morrow's strife The warrior's dream alarms ; No braying horn nor screaming fife At dawn shall call to arms.
The neighing troop, the flashing blade, The bugle's stirring blast ; The charge, the dreadful cannonade, The din and shout are past.
Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead, Dear as the blood ye gave ; No impious footsteps here shall tread The herbage of your grave.
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Nor shall your glories be forgot While Fame her record keeps, Or Honor points the hallowed spot Where Valor proudly sleeps.
Nor wreck, nor change, nor Winter's blight, Nor Time's remorseless doom, Shall dim one ray of holy light That gilds your glorious tomb.
CHAPTER II.
THE FOUNDING OF ARLINGTON AND EARLY LIFE OF CUSTIS.
Way back in the early years of the century George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted son of George Washington, built Ar- lington House and established the estate in which the National Cemetery now stands. It stands as a connecting link between the historic time of struggle, in which the Government was first estab- lished, and the Jater and equally important years of strife that saw the principles for which the colonists fought once more trium- phant, and the fabric of Constitutional Government more firmly based upon a federation of loyal States.
With every important epoch in the history of the country Ar- lington has had its connection. It brings forth recollections of Washington as vividly as phantoms of the past century.
The life of its owner and founder is one of the brightest in- stances of what a country gentleman of seventy-five years ago could be. It was the home of General Robert E. Lee while he was one of the most distinguished officers of the United States Army, and finally, surrounded by the graves of those immortal heroes of the Civil War, it stands out a monument to American patriotism and courage.
It would be difficult to tell in exactly what connection Arling- ton appears most interesting, and only by relating its history in what might be termed chronological order can a full appreciation of its historical importance be obtained. It was known and held as an estate by various persons long before the Revolution, having been originally a portion of a grant made by Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia, to Robert Howsen, in 1669. After that it passed into the Alexander family, from which the city of Alexan- dria took its name, and from the Alexanders it was purchased by John Parke Custis, the son of Martha Washington, and the im- mediate ancestor of George Washington Parke Custis. It is with the life of the latter that the history of the estate properly begins.
Born and reared under the most remarkable circumstances, and surrounded by all that was best in the way of colonial refine-
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. ment and culture, George Washington Parke Custis stamped the impress of his own character upon the home he established. The location and architecture of the house indicate culture and refined comfort, while the immensity of the estate, the beauty of the lawns, the broad and well-kept drives, and the ample provis- ion everywhere for the comfort of both man and beast show the indelible traces of the genial and hospitable gentleman.
In many respects the founder of Arlington was a remarkable man. He had good attainments and displayed much originality of thought, and force of expression, both in his writings and speeches, but he was lacking in ambition and accomplished very little.
Over his early training, Washington had exercised the closest supervision. Having devoted all the best years of his own life to the service of his country, the great patriot was anxious that this his adopted son should be so reared that both in the legislative halls and on the field of battle he would be able to serve the Re- public, not so much with honor to himself as with profit to the nation. But in Custis, Washington's hopes were never realized. Always a lover of his country, he was willing at any time to take up arms in her defence, but he cared nothing for the turmoil of public life and preferred the soft arts of peace, and the quiet se- clusion of his beautiful country home, to the vain search for glory on the tented field, or a factional strife for political supremacy.
The Custis family was one of the oldest in the country at the time of the Revolution, and, in the owner of Arlington, was com- bined with the Parke family of Virginia. For generations pre- ceding the final separation of the colonies from the mother country, the scions of these two families had distinguished them- selves, both at home and abroad, and with each successive achievement had won renown and wealth for themselves, and had added lustre to the fame of colonial chivalry. As early as 1687 we find that a commission was granted Major General John Custis, by Johannes, Lord Howard of Effingham, His Majesty's Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, as collector of customs in cer- tain sections of Virginia. A grandson of this General Custis mar- ried the daughter of Daniel Parke and brought about a union of these two leading families.
Daniel Parke was at this time the most distinguished and one
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of the most remarkable men that the colonies had produced. He was born in Virginia, but passed most of his life in England. He distinguished himself as a soldier, and at the battle of Blenheim served as an aide-de-camp to the Duke of Marlborough. When the great battle had been fought and won, it was Col. Parke that Marlborough selected to bear the tidings to the Queen of England. At the time, such a commission was esteemed a high honor, and it was customary for the Queen to present the bearer of such in- telligence with a reward of £500. Col. Parke, however, was a wealthy man, and cared little for money. He requested that in- stead of a purse the Queen present him with a portrait of herself ; this she consented to do, and among the treasures which the Colonel afterwards prized most highly was a painting of Queen Anne, done in miniature and set with diamonds. Col. Parke was afterwards commissioned a general and appointed Governor of the Leeward Islands, a promotion that cost him his life.
An old book now in the possession of the Misses Lee, and for many years on the bookshelves at Arlington, written by George French, contains an account of the administration of Col. Parke at Antigua and of the soldierly manner of his death.
A rebellion had risen in Antigua and Col. Parke had be- come obnoxious to a seditious faction. Against overpowering odds he waged unsuccessful battle until, driven back to his house, bereft of his command, he found himself, with scarcely a second, in a personal defence. He defied the whole strength of the rebels, however, until at last he received a shot in the thigh, which, though not mortal, disabled him and he fell into the enemy's hands. The story of his death is best told in the graphic words of the homely but thrilling narrative of the ancient chronicler :
" They had now an opportunity to send him away to what place and in what manner they think fit, but instead thereof they use him in the utmost contempt and inhumanity. They strip him of his clothes, kick, spurn at, and beat him with the butts of their muskets, by which means, at last, they break his back. They drag him out into the streets by a leg and arm, and his head trails and beats from step to step of the stone stairs at the en- trance of his house, and he is dragged on the coarse gravelly street, which raked the skin from his bones.
" These cruelties and tortures force tears from his eyes, and in
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this condition he is left expiring, exposed to the scorching sun, out of the heat of which he begs to be removed. The good- natured woman, who, at his request, brought him water to quench his thirst, is threatened by one Samuel Watkins to have a sword passed through her for her humanity, and the water is dashed out of her hands.
" He is insulted and reviled by every scoundrel, in the agonies of death, but makes no other return but these mild expressions : ' Gentlemen, if you have no sense of honor left, pray have some of humanity.' He gratefully owns the kindness of friends and prays God to reward those who stood by him that day. At last he was removed into the house of one Mr. John Wright, near the place where he lay, and there recommending his soul to God with some pious ejaculations, he pays the great debt of nature, and death, less cruel than his enemies, put a period to his suf- ferings.
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