Lee, Henry

Lee, Henry (1756–1818), Revolutionary War officer and early national statesman.Born in Prince William County, Virginia, Lee graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1773. An exceptional cavalryman, he rose to lieutenant colonel in the Continental army, where he commanded “Lee's Legion” and was known as “Light‐Horse Harry” Lee. In 1779, he captured a British force at Paulus Hook, New Jersey, and performed with distinction during the 1780–81 southern campaign.

Lee's military experience convinced him that American liberty depended on a strong central government led by proven patriots. He was a friend and supporter of George Washington, whom he eulogized as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” A staunch Federalist, Lee defended the Constitution at the 1788 Virginia ratifying convention and while serving as governor of Virginia commanded the 1794 Federal expedition against the Whiskey Rebellion.

In private life, Lee fared poorly. Failed speculations landed him in debtor's prison in 1808. Four years later, a Baltimore mob injured him after he attempted to defend the office of an unpopular newspaper. In 1813–18, he convalesced in the West Indies, but never recovered; he returned to die at the Georgia home of his late comrade, Nathanael Greene. One of his sons, Robert E. Lee, would become the leading general of the Confederacy.
[See also Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomatic Course.]

Bibliography

Thomas Boyd , Light‐horse Harry Lee, 1931.
Charles Royster , Light‐Horse Harry Lee and the Legacy of the American Revolution, 1981.

Stuart Leibiger