Henry Lee

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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

Henry Lee 1756-1818, American Revolutionary soldier, known as Light-Horse Harry Lee, b. Prince William co., Va. He was a cousin of Arthur Lee, Francis L. Lee, Richard H. Lee, and William Lee and was the father of Robert E. Lee. As a cavalry commander he established an enviable record in the Revolution. He first gained wide notice for his capture of the fort at Paulus Hook (now in Jersey City), N.J., on Aug. 19, 1779. His service under Nathanael Greene after 1780 in the Carolina campaign was notable for daring and brilliance and he distinguished himself at Guilford Courthouse and Eutaw Springs. After the war he was elected (1785) to Congress. He favored a stronger government and in 1788 was a leader in the struggle to have Virginia ratify the Constitution. He was (1791-94) governor of Virginia, and in 1794 he commanded the troops who suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion. A Federalist Congressman (1799-1801), he was author of the description of George Washington as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen" in the resolutions on the first President's death. A poor business manager, Lee was imprisoned (1808-9) for debt. In 1812 he was severely injured when an angry mob dragged Alexander Hanson, Lee, and others from a jail where they had gone for protection after Hanson's Federalist newspaper had denounced President Madison and the War of 1812. He wrote Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department (1812, repr. 1869 with a biographical sketch by Robert E. Lee).

Bibliography: See biographies by T. Boyd (1931) and N. B. Gerson (1966).

Lee, Henry (1756–1818) cavalry officer in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, born in Leesylvania, Virginia. He was known as “Light-Horse Harry” Lee. An exceptional horseman whose skill and bravery became legendary, he led an independent partisan corps (three troops of horse and a small body of infantry) that came to be called “Lee's Legion.” For his brilliant performance in capturing a British force at Paulus Hook, New Jersey (1779), he was presented a gold medal by Congress. Lee continued to perform with distinction during the 1780–81 southern campaign, proving himself a remarkable strategist and battlefield leader. He resigned his commission in 1782. After the Revolution he served as governor of Virginia (1791–94) and led the army militia that suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion (1794).

Lee's two marriages resulted in nine children, the youngest of whom was Robert E. Lee. It was Lee who eulogized George Washington as “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

Lee, Henry (1756–1818), known as “Light‐Horse Harry,” was an officer in the Revolutionary War, whose cavalry and infantry, known as “Lee's Legion,” won a notable victory at Paulus Hook near New York and was active in the Southern campaign. After the war, he was governor of Virginia (1792–95) and headed the army that quelled the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania. As a member of Congress, he wrote the Resolutions on the death of Washington (Dec. 26, 1799), containing the words, “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” His Memoirs of the War … were published in 1812. He was the father of Robert E. Lee.