Arthur Tracy Lee
Arthur Tracy Lee | |
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Seminole War
Cortina War
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Arthur Tracy Lee (June 26, 1814 – December 29, 1879) served as an officer in the regular army before and during the
.Early life and career
Lee was born in
Mexican–American War
On March 4, 1845, Lee was promoted to 1st lieutenant. His unit was transferred to Texas in September of that year and placed under General Zachary Taylor. At the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, he commanded a company of the regiment, serving alongside 1st Lieutenant James Longstreet.[2] He wrote a poem about both of these battles.[3]
Other assignments
In September 1846, Lee was dispatched to
Lee and his regiment were also dispatched to other camps, including
The 8th US Infantry was ordered in October 1854 to establish a fort in the Davis Mountains, which was further west, entering Apache territory. During his four years at Fort Davis, he spent time sketching and watercoloring. There are 154 known paintings, depicting much of what he saw during his service.[1]
When September 1858 came around, Lee, who was in command of two companies, was ordered 120 miles further west, to establish
Civil War
While at Fort Stockton, Lee learned of the secession of Texas from the Union. With his company, he began marching towards the coast in an attempt to get his men out of the state. On April 21, 1861, they were captured in San Antonio by Confederate forces. He was arrested and then paroled under the condition that he not take up arms against the Confederate government or give information against Confederate interests unless "regularly engaged."[4]
On October 26, 1861, he was appointed as major of the 2nd Infantry Regiment. Complying with his parole terms, he spent much of his time doing various assignments in the North, but when his parole expired, he joined his regiment in time to command them at the battle of Gettysburg.
Gettysburg
On July 2, 1863, at 3:30 am, Lee advanced his regiment towards Gettysburg, which was five miles away. When they were about 1½ miles southeast of the town, twenty men were pushed forward as skirmishers to probe enemy pickets, which could be seen beyond a body of woods. After skirmishing for about 2 hours and suffering light casualties, they were withdrawn and marched two miles to the left rear, where they rested.
Around 5:00 pm, Lee was ordered to join the fighting at the
Due to the attack being made my Colonel Jacob Sweitzer's brigade, Colonel Burbank could not advance his brigade, as the attack was being made perpendicular to their current position, with the enemy to the left. When Sweitzer's brigade had retired, Lee was ordered to advance. After having his unit jump over the stone wall, they began to make a left wheel. Halfway into the wheel, Lee noticed the Confederates moving quickly to the right, in hopes of outflanking his regiment. Ordering his regiment to halt, firing was commenced and the enemy returned fire.[8] Lee was subsequently wounded in the right ankle and hip as a result.[1]
After some severe fighting, a fresh column of Confederate infantry appeared on the right and Lee was ordered to withdraw his regiment. As soon as they started withdrawing, three lines of infantry, elevated one line above each other to their right, opened fire. The color-staff was cut in half, causing the colors to fall into the hands of the color-bearer. They retired slowly to the woods, stone wall, and then the marsh, all while under fire from sharpshooters on the left at Devil's Den and from the columns of infantry to the right. Returning to his battle line, Lee transferred command of the regiment to Captain Samuel A. McKee, under advice from the surgeon.[8]
Due to the seriousness of his wounds, Lee did not return to active duty. However, for his actions that day, he was brevetted to lieutenant colonel.[4] On January 20, 1865, he retired from active duty.
Postbellum
Lee received a retroactive promotion to colonel on July 28, 1866, for years of service in the United States Army. From 1867 through 1872, he served as the governor of the Old Soldier's Home in Washington, D.C. In 1871, two of his literary works, Army Ballads, and Other Poems and "Reminiscences of the Regiment," which was featured in the History of the Eighth U.S. Infantry, were published.[1]
In 1872, after giving up his position as governor, he moved to
On December 29, 1879, Lee died at his home and was buried in
Gallery of works
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Comanche Lookout, Rochester Historical Society, New York -
Entrance to Wild Rose Pass, Rochester Historical Society, New York -
Rio Grande City, Rochester Historical Society, New York -
Fort Davis, pencil, Rochester Historical Society, New York -
Fort Davis, watercolor, Rochester Historical Society, New York -
Overland Mail Station, Rochester Historical Society, New York -
In Maggie's Kitchen, Rochester Historical Society -
In Wild Rose Pass, Rochester Historical Society
References
- ^ a b c d W., CUTRER, THOMAS (15 June 2010). "LEE, ARTHUR TRACY". Tshaonline.org. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Wilcox, Cadmus Marcellus. History of the Mexican War. Church News Pub. Co, 1892. pg. 639
- ^ Lee, Arthur Tracy. Army Ballads, and Other Poems. 1871.
- ^ a b c d "Arthur Tracy Lee Papers – RBSCP". Lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ Goble, Carole A. Burnet, Texas (Images of America Series). Arcadia Publishing, 2009. pg. 14.
- ^ "Brief History : Texas Historical Commission". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ Anderson, Gary Clayton. The Conquest of Texas: Ethnic Cleansing in the Promised Land, 1820–1875. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing Division of the University, 2005. pg. 249.
- ^ a b Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies: Series I. Vol. 27. Part I. Reports. Serial No. 43.
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