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Preferred citation:"Robert E. Lee to Louisa Washington letters," WLU Coll. 0669, Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
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This collection consists primarily of six letters written from Robert E. Lee to Louisa Washington between September 1861 and December 1868. Louisa Washington was the eldest child of John Augustine Washington, III of Fauquier County, Va., the last Washington family descendant and private individual to own the Washington family estate Mount Vernon. A key subject of select letters is Colonel John A. Washington's death on September 13, 1861 while serving on the staff of General Robert E. Lee as his aide de camp. Washington was killed by Union soldiers while on a reconnaissance mission in western Virginia – a striking blow to Lee, as not only was Washington a lineal descendant of George Washington, but they had also become very close friends during their months together since the onset of the American Civil War. Included in this collection is Col. Washington's final dispatch written his hand and sent to Lee just before he died. Lee kept the final note throughout the Civil War until returning it to Louisa as a keepsake of her father. Another highlight is a letter in which Lee, upon Louisa's request, offers advice to her concerning a memorial inscription for her father's grave monument. Lee provides insights about memorial inscriptions including generally accepted protocols and his personal feelings on the subject.
Folder includes background information on Louisa Fontaine (Washington) Chew and her father John A. Washington, III and transcriptions of the letters.
Robert E. Lee sends to Louisa Washington her father's final hand written reconnaisance dispatch from moments before he was killed on September 13, 1865. In the accompanying letter, Lee shares that he had kept the dispatch with him for the entire war. The original dispatch describing his location and that of the Federal soldiers in the vicinity and his plan of action is written on a small memo book page. It is signed by Washington and docketed by Lee.