Following the news of the secession of Virginia, news which he had hoped never to hear, Colonel Lee, on April 20, 1861, resigned his commission in the U. S. Army. Monday morning, April 22, at the request of the Governor of Virginia, he departed for Richmond. Mrs. Lee remained at Arlington engaged in the work of dismantling her home and sending family possessions to a place of safety. She had not completed this task, when, on May 24, the seizure of lands between Washington and Alexandria by Federal troops caused her to abandon everything. The remaining family possessions were later taken from Arlington and locked up in the old Patent Office in Washington, but not before many things, including some of the Mount Vernon heirlooms, had been carried away.
The United States Acquires Arlington
Situated on the line of fortifications guarding Washington, Arlington estate soon became an armed camp, and, after the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, was used as a field hospital. In 1864, at a tax sale, the United States acquired title to Arlington for $26,800. Upon the death of Mrs. Lee in 1873—General Lee having died in 1870—Custis Lee took steps to recover his property, as under the will of his grandfather, George Washington Parke Custis, he became entitled to Arlington. His case was carried to the United States Supreme Court, where a decision favorable to Mr. Lee was obtained. He then consented to give the United States a clear title to the property for $150,000, and Congress in 1883 appropriated the necessary funds.
Arlington House Restored
For years after the war, the Mansion stood an empty shell—an office for the superintendent of the cemetery and a place for his tools. By act of Congress, approved March 4, 1925, the Secretary of War was empowered to undertake the restoration of Arlington House to the condition in which it existed prior to the War Between the States and to procure for it, when possible, furniture known to have been in the Mansion, replicas of that furniture, or other pieces of a style suitable to the first half of the nineteenth century. Some of the historical originals have been returned, and for those that could not be obtained similar period pieces and a few copies have been substituted. In 1933 Arlington House was transferred from the War Department to the Department of the Interior.
Visitor Service and Facilities
Lee Mansion National Memorial is located in Arlington National Cemetery. Bus service is available via Arlington Memorial Bridge to the main cemetery gates. Automobiles use the same approach but may drive the short distance through the cemetery to parking facilities near the Mansion. Visiting hours are as follows: October through March, 9 a. m. to 4:30 p. m.; April through September, 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. There is a small admission charge, which is waived for children and educational groups.
Administration
Lee Mansion National Memorial is administered by the National Capital Parks of the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Other national memorials administered by the National Capital Parks are: The Lincoln Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Museum, and the House Where Lincoln Died. Communications should be addressed to Edward J. Kelly, Superintendent, National Capital Parks, Interior Building, Washington 25, D. C.
