Sydney Smith Lee
Born: September 2, 1802
Birth Place: Camden, New Jersey
Father: Major General Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee 1756 – 1818
(Buried: Lee Chapel, Lexington, Virginia)
Mother: Anne Hill Carter 1779 – 1829
(Buried: Lee Chapel, Lexington, Virginia)
Wife: Anna Mason 1811 – 1896
(Buried: Old Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia)
Younger Brother: General Robert E. Lee
Children:
Major General Fitzhugh Lee 1835 – 1905
(Buried: Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia)
Captain Henry Carter Lee 1842 – 1889
(Buried: Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia)
Occupation before War:
1820: On December 30, at the age of 18, Lee was appointed Midshipman in the United States Navy
1828: Promoted to Lieutenant on May 17
1847: Fought in the Battle of Veracruz during the Mexican–American War with his brother Robert E. Lee; and afterwards was stationed there
1850: Promoted to Commander on June 4
1853: Accompanied Commodore Perry to Japan while commanding his flagship USS Mississippi
Commander Lee served as commandant of the U.S. Naval Academy and Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Resigned from U.S. Navy service on April 17, 1861
Civil War Career:
1861: On April 22, Lee accepted a commission as commander in the Confederate States Navy
Assigned as commanding officer of the Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia
Oversaw the raising, and refit of the USS Merrimac, into the ironclad CSS Virginia, as well as the quick repairs on the Virginia after the Battle at Hampton Roads
When U.S. Navy re-took Gosport, Lee was put in charge of the Confederate batteries at Drewry's Bluffs, Virginia
1864: On May 6, Lee became chief of the Confederate Navy's Bureau of Orders and Detail, and was promoted to Captain
Occupation after War:
1865 – 1869: Farmer in the State of Virginia
Died: July 22, 1869
Place of Death: Richlands, Virginia
Age at time of Death: 66 years old
Burial Place: Old Christ Church Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia
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