hen forty years old, in
the hey-dey of his vigor. He would remain in the saddle from dawn to
twilight, if necessary, and never shirked a duty. No wonder that Scott
was proud of him and came to rely upon him more and more.

"At Chapultepec," he writes, "Captain Lee was constantly conspicuous,
bearing important orders till he fainted from a wound and the loss of
two nights' sleep at the batteries."

The campaign certainly showed that Lee was a soldier and the son of a
soldier. He was repeatedly cited for meritorious conduct, and was
brevetted major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel in rapid succession.
This proved not merely his bravery, but his ability in planning
engagements and discovering the weak points of the enemy--features
which he was to turn to such remarkable account in many famous battles
of the Civil War.

When peace with Mexico was declared, Lee was given a welcome furlough,
and went back to Arlington to visit his wife and children. He had been
so constantly away from home, that he failed to recognize his youngest
son, whom he had left an infant. And it is said that he himself was
first recognized by a faithful dog.

His son and namesake, R. E. Lee, in his "Recollections," speaks of his
father's love for animals. He once rescued a dog that was near
drowning in the "Narrows," and it became his devoted follower through
life. In a letter home he writes (one of many such references),
"Cannot you cure poor Spec? (his dog). Cheer him up! Take him to walk
with you--tell the children to cheer him up." We have already spoken
of his favorite horse, "Traveller." After the great War, during which
horse and rider were inseparable, Lee wrote a description and tribute
to his equine friend which must appeal to every true lover of horses.

Lee's two elder sons held true to the family traditions by both
entering West Point. Lee himself was presently sent there by the
government as Superintendent--just twenty-three years after he had
graduated. He served in this capacity for three years, then was given
an assignment to the cavalry, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. For
the next five years his duties took him into several states, chiefly in
the West and Southwest. It was an unsettled time on the Border, both
from the Mexicans at the South, and the Indians in the West, and
constant police duty was necessary. It was arduous and lacked the
thrill of a real campaign, but in any event, it kept Lee from growing