Difference between revisions of "Henry Lee III"

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==Early Life==
 
==Early Life==
  
Henry Lee III was born at Dumfries in northern Virginia on January 29, 1756. His parents were Henry Lee II and Lucy Grymes Lee, both of them descended from English [[Cavalier]] settlers of the 17th century and thus part of the "First Families of Virginia" aristocracy that dominated the colony. Like others of this group, the Lee family (including Henry Lee III's cousin [[Richard Henry Lee]], a future member of the [[Continental Congress]]) tended to support the English [[Whig]] Party and to be stubborn and outspoken defenders of their colonial prerogatives and their traditional rights as English subjects.  
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Henry Lee III was born at Dumfries in northern Virginia on January 29, 1756. His parents were Henry Lee II and Lucy Grymes Lee, both of them descended from English [[Cavalier]] settlers of the 17th century and thus part of the "First Families of Virginia" aristocracy that dominated the colony. Like others of this group, the Lee family (including Henry Lee III's cousin [[Richard Henry Lee]], a future president of the [[Continental Congress]]) tended to support the English [[Whig]] Party and to be stubborn and outspoken defenders of their colonial prerogatives and their traditional rights as English subjects.  
  
 
Lee was educated by private tutoring at the family home, his father intending for him to become a lawyer. In 1770, he matriculated at the College of New Jersey (now [[Princeton University]]) and graduated in 1773. Though he received good marks during his time of study, he was said to have given less attention to the law than to the classics, especially the ancient Romans and their ideas on virtue, perhaps indicating that he was already looking forward to a future test of wills with the British over their policies of American taxation.
 
Lee was educated by private tutoring at the family home, his father intending for him to become a lawyer. In 1770, he matriculated at the College of New Jersey (now [[Princeton University]]) and graduated in 1773. Though he received good marks during his time of study, he was said to have given less attention to the law than to the classics, especially the ancient Romans and their ideas on virtue, perhaps indicating that he was already looking forward to a future test of wills with the British over their policies of American taxation.

Revision as of 18:07, July 3, 2019

Light Horse Henry Lee III

Henry Lee III ("Light Horse" Harry Lee, 1756-1818) was a cavalry officer for the Continental Army and statesman for Virginia and the early United States of America. He was the father of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, and he famously gave the eulogy for George Washington's funeral, pronouncing him "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Later in life Henry Lee would become a historian.

Though less successful in his closing years, Lee was remembered and honored for his achievements during the American Revolutionary War. A biographer described him as "the foremost soldier of his years in the entire Revolutionary army."[1]

Early Life

Henry Lee III was born at Dumfries in northern Virginia on January 29, 1756. His parents were Henry Lee II and Lucy Grymes Lee, both of them descended from English Cavalier settlers of the 17th century and thus part of the "First Families of Virginia" aristocracy that dominated the colony. Like others of this group, the Lee family (including Henry Lee III's cousin Richard Henry Lee, a future president of the Continental Congress) tended to support the English Whig Party and to be stubborn and outspoken defenders of their colonial prerogatives and their traditional rights as English subjects.

Lee was educated by private tutoring at the family home, his father intending for him to become a lawyer. In 1770, he matriculated at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and graduated in 1773. Though he received good marks during his time of study, he was said to have given less attention to the law than to the classics, especially the ancient Romans and their ideas on virtue, perhaps indicating that he was already looking forward to a future test of wills with the British over their policies of American taxation.

Revolutionary War Soldier

In 1777, Lee was commissioned (by then-governor Patrick Henry) as a captain in the 1st Continental Light Dragoons, a cavalry regiment led by Colonel Theodorick Bland, a relation of the Lees. He and his unit first saw significant combat in 1778, with Lee (by now promoted to major) distinguishing himself in the defeat of a Hessian regiment outside New York City in September. At other times, he was highly successful in carrying out the conventional duties of the cavalry: gathering intelligence on enemy movements, screening the Continental Army's own movements from the British, and raiding around and behind enemy lines to gather supplies and cause disruption. It was these exploits that earned Lee the nickname "Light-Horse Harry," and a grateful General Washington offered him a position on his staff. Lee declined, however, preferring a field command; as he put it, "I am wedded to my sword." Impressed, Washington saw to the creation of an independent unit under Lee's command that would later include both cavalry and infantry and come to be known as "Lee's Legion."

References

  1. Defending the Barbarians, M.E. Bradford (1992), p. 114

Works