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LEE, HENRY (1756-1818)

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Originally appearing in Volume V16, Page 361 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LEE, See also:HENRY (1756-1818) , See also:American See also:general, called " See also:Light See also:Horse Harry," was See also:born near See also:Dumfries, See also:Virginia, on the 29th of See also:January 1756. His See also:father was first See also:cousin to See also:Richard Henry Lee. With a view to a legal career he graduated (1773) at See also:Princeton, but soon afterwards, on the outbreak of the See also:War of See also:Independence, he became an officer in the patriot forces. Heserved with See also:great distinction under See also:Washington, and in 1778 was promoted See also:major and given the command of a small irregular See also:corps, with which he won a great reputation as a See also:leader of light troops. His services on the outpost See also:line of the See also:army earned for him the soubriquet of " Light Horse Harry." His greatest exploit was the brilliant surprise of See also:Paulus See also:Hook, N.J., on the 19th of See also:August 1779; for this feat he received a See also:gold See also:medal, a See also:reward given to no other officer below general's See also:rank in the whole war. He was promoted See also:lieutenant-See also:colonel 1780, and sent with a picked corps of dragoons to the See also:southern See also:theatre of war. Here he rendered invaluable services in victory and defeat, notably at See also:Guilford See also:Court See also:House, See also:Camden and Eutaw Springs. He was See also:present at See also:Cornwallis's surrender at See also:Yorktown, and after-wards See also:left the army owing to See also:ill-See also:health. From 1786 to 1788 he was a delegate to the See also:Confederation See also:Congress, and in the last-named See also:year in the Virginia See also:convention he favoured the See also:adoption of the Federal constitution. From 1789 to 1791 he served in the General See also:Assembly, and from 1791 to 1794 was See also:governor of Virginia. In 1794 Washington sent him to help in the suppression of the " See also:Whisky Insurrection " in western See also:Pennsylvania. A new See also:county of Virginia was named after him during his governorship.

He was a major-general in 1798-1800. From 1799 to 18o1 he served in Congress. He delivered the address on the See also:

death of Washington which contained the famous phrase, " first in war, first in See also:peace, and first in the See also:hearts of his countrymen." Soon after the War of 1812 See also:broke out, Lee, while helping to resist the attack of a See also:mob on his friend, A. C. See also:Hanson, editor of the See also:Baltimore Federal Republican, which had opposed the war, received See also:grave injuries, from which he never recovered. He died at the house of General See also:Nathanael See also:Greene on See also:Cumberland See also:Island, See also:Georgia, on the 25th of See also:March 1818. Lee wrote valuable. See also:Memoirs of the War in the Southern See also:Department (1812; 3rd ed., with memoir by See also:Robert E. Lee, 1869).

End of Article: LEE, HENRY (1756-1818)

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