[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 11 (Friday, January 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM MARSHALL

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 19, 2007

  Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to General 
Robert E. Lee in celebration of the bicentennial of his birthday. A 
U.S. war hero, Lee has been lauded by past presidents and historians 
and as one of our nation's greatest men and greatest generals.
  His birthday has been celebrated in Georgia as a state holiday since 
1889 and the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will 
be marking the occasion this year with a birthday celebration at the 
Georgia State Capitol. It is my pleasure to also recognize this event 
within our nation's Capitol.
  Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807, in Virginia to 
parents who played instrumental in some of our country's early history.
  Lee also dedicated himself to his country--graduating from the U.S. 
Military Academy at West Point and accepting a commission as a 2nd 
Lieutenant with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lee's first 
assignment was in Georgia, where he supervised the construction of Fort 
Pulaski on Cockspur Island.
  While Lee is probably best remembered as a commanding officer in the 
Confederate States Army, he also played a key role in defending our 
country during the Mexican-American War, protecting settlers on the 
Texas frontier and educating future leaders as superintendent of West 
Point.
  Following the Civil War, Lee accepted a position as president of 
Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. As president, Lee worked to 
rebuild the war-ravaged South and stressed the importance of moving 
forward as a nation of united Americans. Lee also is credited with 
transforming the college, which has since been renamed Washington and 
Lee University, into one of the nation's finest institutions of higher 
education.
  Lee continued to serve as president of Washington College until his 
death on October 12, 1870. Years later during the unveiling of the 
Robert E. Lee Memorial Statue, President Franklin D. Roosevelt would 
call Lee ``one of our greatest American Christians and one of our 
greatest American gentlemen.''
  Madam Speaker, I am confident my colleagues will join me in 
recognizing the accomplishments of this great American.

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