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Confederate Military History, Vol. III, pp.625-627
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MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY FITZHUGH LEE
Major-General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, the second son of Gen. Robert E. Lee, was born at Arlington, Va., May 31, 1837. He was educated at Harvard college, where he was graduated in 1857. In the same year he was appointed second lieutenant of the Sixth infantry, United States army, and in this rank he served in the Utah campaign under Albert Sidney Johnston, and subsequently in California. Early in 1859 he resigned his commission and took charge of his farm, the historic White House, on the Pamunkey river. He was heartily in sympathy with the Confederate cause, and organized a cavalry company early in i86i, becoming one of the leading spirits in the formation of the gallant body of troopers which were subsequently distinguished in the history of the army of Northern Virginia, and contributed so effectively to its successes. In May he received the rank of captain, corps of cavalry, C. S. A., and in the same month was promoted major in the regular army. During the West Virginia campaign he acted as chief of cavalry for General Loring. In the winter of 1861-62 he was ordered to Fredericksburg, Va., and was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Ninth Virginia cavalry regiment, promotion to the colonelship following in March. With his regiment he was attached to the cavalry brigade of J. E. B. Stuart, and shared its operations during the retreat from Yorktown toward Richmond. In the famous raid around McClellan's army Stuart's men were led by the three colonels, Fitz Lee, W. H. F. Lee and W. T. Martin; the artillery under Breathed. His troopers defeated the enemy's cavalry at Hawes' Shop, June 13th, during this expedition. Upon the organization of the cavalry division in the following month, his regiment was assigned to the brigade of Fitzhugh Lee, and he participated in the operations of this command in the campaign of Second Manassas. After serving on the advanced line before Washington, during the advance into Maryland, he was particularly distinguished in the rear-guard fighting after the action at Turner's pass. Squadron after squadron of his regiment bore the brunt of the attacks of the Federal advance until they were the last to enter Boonsboro. At this, point Colonel Lee was unhorsed and run over in crossing a bridge; and severely bruised and at first unconscious, lay by the roadside for some time in full view of the passing enemy. He managed to escape and finally reached the army on the Antietam, where he was welcomed as one from the dead. Subsequently he commanded a detachment of Lee's brigade during the Chambersburg raid, and held the advance during the return movement in the rear of IvIcClellan's army. His intrepid conduct and coolness in demanding the surrender of a largely superior force of the enemy which held White's ford on the Potomac, caused the withdrawal of this, obstacle which might have been fatal to the safe return of Stuart's command to Virginia. At the reorganization in November he, having been promoted brigadier-general, was given command of the brigade of cavalry consisting of the Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, Fifteenth Virginia and Second North Carolina. During the operations preceding and following the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville he was frequently engaged, and during the combats with Pleasanton's cavalry before the Gettysburg campaign he fought at Fleetwood Hill and Brand, Station, where he engaged the enemy in a series of brilliant charges with his regiments, in one of the last of which he received a severe wound through the leg. General Stuart reported "the handsome and highly satisfactory manner" in which he handled his brigade, and the deplorable loss "for a short time only, it is hoped, of his valuable services. " But, in his helpless condition, he was taken prisoner by Federal raiders and carried to Fortress Monroe, where, and at Fort Lafayette, he was held until March, 1864. On his return to the army he was promoted major-general and assigned to the command of a division of the cavalry. He participated in the operations of the cavalry from the Rapidan to the James in i864; was at Malvern hill when Grant crossed the river; opposed Wilson's raid against the Weldon railroad in June; commanded the cavalry at Globe Tavern, August; at Five Forks held the right of the Confederate line; and during the retreat to Appomattox, aided Gordon in repulsing repeated assaults. After the surrender he retired to his plantation, and resided there until his removal to Burke's Station in 1874. He was president for a time of the State agricultural society, served one term in the State senate, and sat in the Fiftieth, Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses as representative of the Eighth Virginia district. He died at Alexandria, October 15, 1891.
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William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (May 31, 1837 – October 11, 1891), known as Rooney Lee, was the middle son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis Lee. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.
Early life
Lee was born in Arlington House, Virginia. He attended Harvard University, and then followed in his father's footsteps, entering the U.S. Army in 1857 as a second lieutenant. He served with the 6th U.S. Infantry under Albert Sidney Johnston, and participated in their activities in Utah against the Mormons. In 1859, he resigned from the U.S. Army to become a planter at his White House plantation.
Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War Lee became a captain in the Confederate Army cavalry and was soon promoted to major. He initially served in western Virginia under the command of Brigadier General William Loring during 1861 and early 1862. He was then placed under the command of Major General J.E.B. Stuart, becoming a lieutenant colonel, and later colonel in the 9th Virginia Cavalry.

After the Battle of South Mountain, Lee was promoted to brigadier general. He participated at Antietam under the command of Brigadier General Fitz Lee, his cousin. He commanded the 3rd Brigade of Stuart's Cavalry Division at the Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He was wounded during combat at Brandy Station at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign and was captured by Union forces at Hickory Hill, Virginia, two weeks later, while recuperating. He was a prisoner of war in New York state until exchanged back to the Confederate Army on February 25, 1864. He was exchanged for captive Union General Neal S. Dow. In April, he was promoted to major general and commanded a division in the Cavalry Corps during the breakout from Petersburg and the retreat of his father's army in the Appomattox Campaign. By the end of the war, he had risen to second-in-command of the Confederate cavalry. He surrendered along with his father at Appomattox Court House.
Post-War career
Lee returned to planting after the war. In 1875 he was elected to the Virginia Senate, serving until 1878. He was then elected as a Democrat to the US House of Representatives in 1887. He served in the House until his death. He died at "Ravensworth" near Alexandria, Virginia, and is interred in the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
Family
Lee married twice, first in 1859 to Charlotte Wickham, a descendant of attorney John Wickham. They had two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom died in infancy. Charlotte died in 1863.
On November 28, 1867, he married Mary Tab Bolling, a descendant of Colonel Robert Bolling and his second wife Anne Stith. They had two children: Robert Edward Lee, born 1870, and George Bolling Lee, born 1872.
External links
AOTW: Colonel William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
About Famous People: William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
Biographical Directory of the US Congress: William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
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References
Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J.: Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Fitzhugh_Lee"
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Confederate (CSA)
Colonel
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
"Rooney"
(1837 - 1891)
Home State: Virginia
Command Billet: Commanding Regiment
Branch of Service: Cavalry
Unit: 9th Virginia Cavalry
Before the Antietam Campaign: He was commissioned into the US Army in 1857, and resigned 1859, becoming a planter. In 1861 he was a Capt. in cavalry, made Major, and served in Western Virginia. He was LCol. and, in April 1862, Colonel of the 9th Virginia Cavalry Regiment on Virginia operations.
In the Antietam Campaign: He commanded the 9th VA Cavalry Regiment in BGen. Fitz Lee's Brigade of the Cavalry Division.
The remainder of the War: After the battle he was appointed BGen and commanded the 3rd Cavalry Brigade at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Brandy Station (wounded). He was captured while recuperating, and released in March 1864. In April 1864 he was promoted to MGen. commanding W H F Lees' Cavalry Division at Petersburg, and was second in command of Cavalry at Appomattox.
After the War: He was a farmer politician and US congressman.
References, Sources, and other notes: Notes: He was the second son of Gen. Robert E Lee and was the youngest MGen. in Confederate service.
Burial Place: Lee Chapel Museum, Lexington, Virginia
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William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
by John T. Marck

This article sponsored by:

William Henry Fitzhugh Lee

The second son of Robert E. Lee, William was born at the family home of "Arlington" in Virginia on May 31, 1837. Known as "Rooney," he graduated from Harvard and entered the army in 1857 as a 2nd lieutenant in the 6th Infantry. Two years later, after participating in the Utah Expedition, Lee resigned to farm at his plantation known as "White House," that he had inherited from his maternal grandfather, located on the Pamunkey River.

When the Civil War began, and with the secession of Virginia, Rooney joined the Confederate army as a captain, then was promoted to major upon joining the Confederate cavalry. During the summer of 1861 he served in Western Virginia in Brigadier General William Loring's cavalry. He then spent the remainder of 1861 and a portion of 1862 in and near Fredericksburg. Following this he was appointed a lieutenant colonel and within a short time was promoted again to colonel, serving under Major General J.E.B. Stuart.

At the Battle of South Mountain, he was thrown from his horse and knocked unconscious. Still, his performance there was noteworthy and consequently he was promoted to brigadier general on September 15, 1862.

As a brigadier general, Lee served well, commanding the 3rd Brigade at the Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. At the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9, 1863, Rooney was wounded, suffering from a severe leg injury. While recovering, he was captured on June 26, 1863 by Union soldiers. Taken to a Union prison, he stayed there for nine months before being exchanged in March 1864. Upon his release, he learned that his wife had died during his incarceration.

Given a new command, Rooney was promoted to major general on April 23, 1864, and upon accepting this promotion, became the youngest officer to attain that rank in the Confederacy. During the final year of the war, as the Confederacy had fewer and fewer officers through attrition, Rooney's role increased. In August 1864, near Petersburg at Globe Tavern, Lee commanded a cavalry brigade. Near war's end in April 1865, Rooney was the second-in-command during the retreat from Petersburg to Appomattox, having the total responsibility for the army's right flank.

When the war ended, Rooney returned to his plantation, "White House," to find that it had been unfortunately, destroyed by Union troops in 1862. He then rebuilt his home, farmed the land, and served as president of the Virginia Agricultural Society. We went on to become a state senator followed by his election to the House of Representatives in 1887. While serving his second term, he died at "Ravensworth," his wife's inherited home in Alexandria, Virginia on October 15, 1891.

William Henry Fitzhugh "Rooney" Lee is buried at the Lee Mausoleum on the campus of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, near his famous father, and grandfather.

Copyright© John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. This article and their accompanying pictures, photographs, and line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author.
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LEE, William Henry Fitzhugh, (1837 - 1891)
LEE, William Henry Fitzhugh, (grandson of Henry Lee), a Representative from Virginia; born at Arlington House, Arlington, Va., May 31, 1837; attended private school and Harvard University; appointed second lieutenant in the Sixth Regiment, United States Infantry, and accompanied his regiment in 1858 in the expedition to Utah; resigned in 1859; returned to Virginia and took charge of his estates near White House, New Kent County, in 1859; during the Civil War he raised a company of Cavalry in 1861 and joined the Confederate service; was promoted successively from captain to major general of Cavalry; returned to his plantation; moved to Ravensworth, near Burke Station, Va., in 1874 and engaged in agricultural pursuits; member of the State senate 1875-1878 and served as presiding officer; served as president of the State agricultural society; elected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth, Fifty-first, and Fifty-second Congresses and served from March 4, 1887, until his death in Ravensworth, Va., on October 15, 1891; interment in the family burying ground at Ravensworth; reinterment in the crypt, Lee Memorial Chapel, Washington and Lee University, at Lexington, Va., in September 1922.
Bibliography
Daughtry, Mary. Gray Cavalier: The Life and Wars of General W.H.F. “Rooney” Lee. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2002.
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