Lee, Robert E., Confederate Commander

Document signed ("R E Lee | Genl"), 1 page (9 1/8 x 7 1/8 in.; 232 x 181 mm) on a bifolium of blue-ruled machine-laid paper, "Headquarters Army N. Va." no date [but originally issued 10 April 1865], being a clerical transcript of Lee's "General Orders No. 9," with five corrections or emendations in the hand of Mary Custis lee; pinholes at intersecting creases, fold separation to central horizontal fold. [Accompanied by:] another transcript of "General Orders No. 9," written entirely in hand of Mary Custis Lee, in pencil, 2 pages (11 7/8 x 7 3/8 in.; 302 x 187 mm) on a sheet of wove paper, "Head Qers Army N Va, April 10th 65"; a few light stains, pinholes at intersecting fold creases. Housed together in a gray morocco solander box.

Marshall B. Coyne (Sotheby's, 5 June 2001, lot 158)

Document signed ("R E Lee | Genl"), 1 page (9 1/8 x 7 1/8 in.; 232 x 181 mm) on a bifolium of blue-ruled machine-laid paper, "Headquarters Army N. Va." no date [but originally issued 10 April 1865], being a clerical transcript of Lee's "General Orders No. 9," with five corrections or emendations in the hand of Mary Custis lee; pinholes at intersecting creases, fold separation to central horizontal fold. [Accompanied by:] another transcript of "General Orders No. 9," written entirely in hand of Mary Custis Lee, in pencil, 2 pages (11 7/8 x 7 3/8 in.; 302 x 187 mm) on a sheet of wove paper, "Head Qers Army N Va, April 10th 65"; a few light stains, pinholes at intersecting fold creases. Housed together in a gray morocco solander box.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Two very fresh copies, with Lee family association, of Robert E. Lee's magnificent valedictory: General Orders No. 9.

The day after he surrendered to Ulysses Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Lee issued the present poignant farewell to the men of the Army of Northern Virginia. Colonel Charles Marshall, Lee's military secretary, recalled the circumstances under which the order was composed: "On the night of April 9th ... General Lee sat with several of us at a fire in front of his tent, and after some conversation about the army and the events of the day in which his feelings toward his men were strongly expressed, he told me to prepare an order to the troops. ..." However, other activities prevented Marshall from drafting a text until late the next evening when Lee, "finding that the order had not been prepared, directed me to get into his ambulance, which stood near his tent, and placed an orderly to prevent anyone from approaching us. I made a draft in pencil and took it to General Lee who struck out a paragraph, which he said would tend to keep alive the feeling existing between the North and South, and made one or two other changes. I then returned to the ambulance, recopied the order and gave it to a clerk in the office of the Adjutant General to write in ink" (Marshall, ed. Maurice, pp. 275–76).

Copies were then made for transmittal to corps commanders and other members of the army staff, each dutifully signed by Lee that day, while other individuals made their own copies, which they brought to Lee to sign as souvenirs—a practice that continued for the remaining five years of his life. However, Lee signed this copy with his rank (something he seldom did with later souvenir versions of the text), indicating that it was likely signed at Appomattox. The present copy was subsequently read and corrected by Lee's wife, Mary Custis, and her emendations are indicated in the transcription below within angled brackets. Apart from some incidentals of punctuation and a conflation of the first two paragraphs, the present copy, as corrected by Mrs. Lee, agrees in all essential respects with the official text of Lee's eloquent farewell address (see Wartime Papers of R. E. Lee, ed. Dowdey, 1003).

The dignity of Lee's valedictory address is worthy of the reverence with which generations of Southerners have regarded it: "After four years of arduous service, marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers {& resources}.

"I need not tell the {brave} survivors of so many hard fought battles who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them. But feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that would compensate for the loss that would {must have} attend{ed} the continuance of the contest, I determined to avoid the useless sacrifices of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen.

"By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their homes, and remain until exchanged.

"You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed; and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you His blessing and protection.

"With {an} unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration of {for} myself, I bid you {all} an affectionate farewell."

The second copy of Lee's dramatic envoi offered here is written entirely in the hand of Mary Custis Lee—the only copy of this momentous document that she is known to have transcribed. It was discovered in the papers of Nathaniel Burwell, a cousin of Mrs. Lee, and was almost certainly written out for him. Evidently relying on her memory when writing the order, Mrs. Lee introduced a number of minor inconsistencies with the official text, but the sense and substance of the original are fully preserved.

Issuing General Orders No. 9 was Lee's last act as a field commander. But even after the Army of Northern Virginia was disbanded, he fulfilled one last duty to the greater Army of the Confederacy, writing on 20 April to President Jefferson Davis that he saw "no prospect & of achieving a separate independence" and recommending that "measures be taken for suspension of hostilities and the restoration of peace" (Wartime Papers of R. E. Lee 1006). When peace did come, Lee worked tirelessly to achieve a full reconciliation between the North and the South.