Lee Lee's pre-war reputation

[Carronade]

I've been reading Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast, which chronicles a sea voyage to California in 1834-36. It includes a postscript from a return visit in 1859 in which Dana comments on all the changes, including "the Fort, now nearly finished, on the south side of the Gate" which I assume is Fort Point. He goes on "One of the engineers is Custis Lee, who has just left West Point at the head of his class, - a son of Colonel Robert E. Lee, who distinguished himself in the Mexican War." Dana was an educated and informed man but with no connection to military service, so this suggests that Lee was well known in such circles.

 

[BillO]

I suspect so. If the ACW hadn't taken place Lee's accomplishments were still enough to make a man proud. Just his engineering work along the Mississippi River should have been enough.

 

[ExNavyPilot]

I've been reading Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast, which chronicles a sea voyage to California in 1834-36. It includes a postscript from a return visit in 1859 in which Dana comments on all the changes, including "the Fort, now nearly finished, on the south side of the Gate" which I assume is Fort Point. He goes on "One of the engineers is Custis Lee, who has just left West Point at the head of his class, - a son of Colonel Robert E. Lee, who distinguished himself in the Mexican War." Dana was an educated and informed man but with no connection to military service, so this suggests that Lee was well known in such circles.

Do you know what month in 1859 Dana spent in Sand Francisco? If it was at the end of 1859, he might have had R.E. Lee on his mind due to Col. Lee's involvement in ending the John Brown raid on Harper's Ferry. But then, you'd think Dana would have mentioned Harper's Ferry and not the Mexican War.

I imagine Dana could have gotten the info from someone with more knowledge of the military, and Dana was repeating what he heard. I don't think R.E. Lee was necessarily a household name in the late 1850's, but was probably rather well known in army circles.

 

[Carronade]

Good question, but the entry is dated August 17, 1859, before Harper's Ferry.

 

[diane]

It does seem that Robert E Lee was known outside Virginia and the military. He did notable work in veering the wayward Mississippi back to budding St Louis, which actually went a good way toward opening up brisk commerce between the old Northwest and the South. There were a few other engineering projects he completed that earned him the applause of the public in general.

Custis Lee built Ft Point in the Presidio at San Francisco. At the time it was to guard against British encroachment - up until the CW they were always hankering to get the west coast! Custis had considerable talent and there are tantalizing suggestions that he might have been as good a general (or better) as his father.

I don't know much about Dana except that he was anti-slavery and did a lot of work defending blacks from the Fugitive Slave Act. He met John Brown once, but don't know what he thought of Harpers Ferry. (Don't know what he really thought of Brown, either!)