LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 December Civil War Auction #674  / 

72111

ROBERT E. LEE AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:4,500.00 USD Estimated At:7,000.00 - 9,000.00 USD
ROBERT E. LEE AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED.
<B>ROBERT E. LEE AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED.</B></I> “<I>R E Lee</B></I>”, four pages, 7.75” x 10”, San Antonio, Texas, June 6, 1860, to Anna Fitzhugh, n.p. An excerpt from this very letter appeared in Douglas Southall Freeman’s acclaimed 1934 biography of Robert E. Lee as follows: <I>“…At this distance from those you love & care for, with the knowledge of the vicissitudes and necessities of life, one is rent by a thousand anxieties, & the mind as well as the body is worn and racked to pieces. But I will not dear Cousin Anna impose my sad thoughts on you, for a man may manifest & communicate his joy, but he should conceal & smother his grief as much as possible. Touching your kind wishes for my speedy return, you know the embarrassment that attends it. A divided heart I have too long had, & a divided life too long led. That may be one cause of the small progress I have made on either hand, my professional & civil career. Success is not always attained by a single undivided effort, it rarely follows a halting, vacillating course. My military duties require me here, whereas my affections and urgent domestic claims call me away. And thus I live & am unable to advance either. But while I live I must toil and trust…</B></I>”. <BR><BR>Few items appearing on the market reveal those personal demons that plague even our most cherished and admired American icons. This intimate letter is a fascinating excursion into the depressed psyche of 53 year-old Lt. Colonel Robert E. Lee wherein he judges himself a failure as both an officer and as a family man. Very important.<BR><BR><B>Condition:</B></I> Very good, with splits along the folds, else crisp and bold.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Flat Material, Small (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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