Kappa Alpha Order and its members are widely known for our
association with Robert E. Lee.
Kappa Alphas have never claimed that
Lee was an initiated member of the Order, but we do rejoice that KA
was born under the white light of his noble life. We are immensely
proud and honored that his ideals were woven into KA's soul, and
that he is, in a profoundly real sense, our spiritual founder.
It is difficult to define greatness, but a great man is easily
recognizable. Kappa Alphas have no trouble seeing that Lee was
indeed a great man. He was great in heart, mind, will and character.
Just as he once trained and educated men at the United States
Military Academy, in the U.S. Army and at Washington College, his
legacy continues this work today. Death has only added to his
stature; he molds men now more than ever. The fingerprints are on
our motto, his ethics are the focus of our service and his ideals
are in our blood. He is forever woven into the fabric of our conduct
and conscience.
Robert Edward Lee, born January 19, 1807, at his family's
plantation (Stratford Hall) in Westmoreland County, Va., was
destined for greatness. Through his father, General Henry Lee, the
celebrated "Light Horse Harry Lee" of Revolutionary War fame, and
his mother, Ann Hill Carter, he was a member of two of the most
distinguished families of early America.
The Lees and Carters belonged to the politically and socially
influential planter aristocracy of the South. Lee counted among his
ancestors members of Virginia's colonial House of Burgesses, two
signers of the Declaration of Independence, members of Congress, a
cabinet official, several governors of Virginia, diplomats and
military officers. Lee's family background presented him a strong
tradition of patriotism, service and duty.
As a child, Lee moved from Stratford Hall to Alexandria, Va.,
which is located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. In
Alexandria, he matured quickly as he was forced to accept
obligations brought on by his mother's poor health and his father's
frequent absences from home and subsequent death in 1818.
Wishing not to become a burden upon his family, Lee sought a
commission to West Point and entered the academy in 1825. From the
beginning, he demonstrated the qualities of leadership and command
that would characterize his long service as a soldier. When he
graduated four years later, he was cadet corp adjutant, head of his
class in tactics and artillery and second in general standing.
In 1831, he married Mary Ann Randolph Custis, daughter of George
Washington's adopted son, George Washington Parke Custis. Mary, an
heiress to extensive properties, owned Arlington House, a massive
white columned home dominating a hill overlooking Washington from
the Virginia side of the Potomac. For the next 30 years, Arlington
was their beloved home.
His career as a U.S. Army officer began with his commission as
lieutenant upon his graduation and his first assignment was with the
Army Corp of Engineers at Fortress Monroe, Va. In 1834, he was
transferred to Washington to assist the Army's chief engineer. Three
years later, he was sent to the Midwest where he helped establish
the border between Ohio and Michigan and in 1837, he traveled south
to Missouri to make a study of the Mississippi River, which was
beginning to meander. If not corrected, the river would form a new
channel which would leave St. Louis without water facilities. After
Lee mapped the Mississippi, from the mouth of the Missouri River to
a point several miles below St. Louis, his plans for controlling the
river were approved by Congress and the completed work now stands as
a monument to his endeavor.
In 1846, when the Mexican War broke out, Lee was transferred to
Northern Mexico. When the northern campaign ended, he joined General
Winfield Scott at Veracruz, where he received favorable mention for
his first combat under fire. Later, at Contreras, Scott wrote of
him, "The gallant and indefatigable Captain Lee performed the
greatest feat of physical and moral courage performed by any
individual in my knowledge pending the campaign." Lee had won his
military spurs in Mexico. Entering the Mexican campaign as a
captain, Lee exited as a colonel and as General Scott's chief aide.
After the war was over and the U.S. Army had defeated General
Santa Anna, Lee returned to
Virginia and, soon after, resumed his
engineering duties by assisting in the construction of Fort Carroll
in Baltimore. In 1852, he became superintendent of WestPoint and
conducted a successful administration of the institution's affairs.
After a three-year stint at the Point, Lee returned to the West and
was assigned to a cavalry unit in Texas. While in Texas, Lee spent
most of his time protecting settlers from Mexican bandits, renegade
Indians and outlaws. He was also able to assist in the building of
an Episcopal church in San Antonio.
In 1859, while home on furlough, he was ordered to Harper's
Ferry, Va., to free the hostages of abolitionist John Brown. On
October 17, Lee's marines arrived at the small town and, at sunrise
the next day, they stormed the facility and released the prisoners
unharmed. A number of Brown's party were either killed or injured
and Brown himself was captured and later hanged. Little did Lee
realize it, but this incident was a tremendous factor in speeding
the impending war.
After his furlough ended, Lee returned to Texas, but was there
only a short while. With the impending crisis of succession looming
on the horizon, he was recalled to Washington in 1861.
Before leaving Texas, he wrote to his son, Custis, "As an
American citizen I take great pride in my country, her prosperity
and her institutions, and would defend any state if her rights were
invaded. But, I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country
than dissolution of the Union." He also wrote, "Secession is nothing
but revolution . . . I shall return to my native state and share the
miseries of my people, and save in defense will draw my sword on
none."
Upon arriving in Washington, President Lincoln appointed him
colonel of the U.S. Army's First Cavalry, and two weeks later, Lee
accepted. During this time, Virginia was standing by the Union, but
the relationship was tenuous at best. Shortly after Lincoln's
appointment, Lee was interviewed by General Scott and Mr. Francis
Blair and was offered command of the entire Union Army. As
Virginia's secession became eminent, Lee wrote Scott and resigned
his commission. It read in part, "Since my interview with you on the
18th I have felt that I ought not longer retain my commission in the
Army . . . It would have been presented at once, but for the
struggle it has cost me to separate myself from a service to which I
have devoted all the best years of my life, and all the ability I
possessed . . . I shall carry with me to the grave the most grateful
recollections of your kind consideration and your name and fame will
always be dear to me. Save for defense of my native state, I never
desire again to draw my sword."
Two days after resigning from the U.S. Army, Lee journeyed to
Richmond and, on April 23, 1861, he was publicly made commander of
the troops of the state of Virginia. Virginians were his people,
their war was also his war. For Virginia, he became Robert Edward
Lee, Major General, C.S.A. For the Confederacy, he later became the
commanding general of all Confederate troops.
To the Confederacy, Lee contributed his considerable talent as a
military leader. His skill as a strategist and his capacity to
analyze a combat situation, combined with his ability to arouse
intense devotion in troops, furthered the Confederate cause. Even
though the tactics and maneuvers Lee employed will forever be
studied in war colleges, his bold leadership could not overcome the
overwhelming odds the South faced. The numerical superiority,
production capabilities and unlimited supply sources of the Union
were too much for the talented Lee to overcome.
The struggle of the Civil War was a tragic American epic with
heroism, sacrifice and anguish on both sides of the conflict.
Through four years of war, Lee moved down the long, bloody road that
led from the Seven Days' Battle and Second Manassas, past Antietam
and Fredericksburg, to Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Petersburg and
Richmond, and ended at Appomattox Courthouse. Most battles were
victories and few were defeats. However, all wars produce their dead
and maimed, glories and agonies, politicians and martyrs, anecdotes
and drama, poverty and wealth, and infamy and immortality. To Lee,
war meant one thing - duty.
Of course, Lee was not happy with the outcome of the war, but he
knew that man must progress and move forward. He bore malice towards
none. The example he set was that the war was over, and that
Americans must reunite and become the best citizens they could be.
Lee often said, "Let the past be but the past. Let us move forward
and bear no malice."
Even so, the end of the war brought a dramatic change to Lee's
life. The Custis-Lee fortune was greatly reduced and Arlington House
was lost. His military career terminated, he lost the right to vote
and he was barred from serving in public office for which he was
eminently qualified. However, Lee held no bitterness or animosity,
nor did he indulge in self-pity.
Determined to set an example for fellow Southerners, he hoped the
emotions of the war years would soon be forgotten and the work of
rebuilding Virginia, the South and the United States into a great,
unified America could be accomplished. The day after the surrender
he told General U. S. Grant that, "he (Lee) should devote his whole
efforts to pacifying the country and bringing the people back to the
Union." Lee was at once criticized by fellow Confederate generals
and politicians for taking a reconciliatory stance. Lee replied, "I
need not tell you that true patriotism sometimes requires a man to
act exactly contrary at one period to that which he does at another,
and the motive which impels him, the desire to do right, is
precisely the same." His superb dignity, courage, and noble
character in the difficult post-war years intensified admiration for
him, earning him the respect of even his former enemies. In defeat,
Lee achieved his highest level of greatness.
Even though he was broken physically and financially, he turned
down numerous offers that would have brought immediate fortune to
his family for little or no work. He refused offers of stock in
return for endorsements. He even turned down an estate in England
that an English lord had offered to give him for his family's
private use. Instead, he hoped for the opportunity to earn a
respectable wage for his family and to do all that he could to
rebuild America.
That opportunity came in the summer of 1865, when the Board of
Trustees of Washington College voted unanimously to offer the
college presidency to Lee. Although he could have accepted many
other lucrative positions, the college presidency most appealed to
him. The offer combined the opportunity to serve others, to guide
young men in rebuilding the South, and to educate them for the
purpose, as he said, "of being good Americans." Accepting the
trustees' offer, Lee and his family moved to the small hamlet of
Lexington in October 1865. Thus, the final phase of his career began
- that of a gifted and innovative educator and inspirational leader
of youth.
In this capacity, Lee became an academic revolutionary. He looked
ahead to see what the needs of the nation were going to be. He knew
that a new era had arrived, one that dictated a new person. So, he
trained his students for the needs of rebuilding and reconstruction.
He did this not only in the classroom, but also through personal
example.
Lee preserved the traditional style of education, but he also
added a liberal arts curriculum and technical subjects such as
agriculture and mechanical and civil engineering. In fact, his was
the first college to establish a School of Journalism and a School
of Commerce and Business Administration. In addition, he established
scholarships and began the practice of offering summer courses. But,
most important of all, was Lee's ability to inspire his faculty and
students to excel. "Excellence" applied not only to academics, but
also to general conduct, as illustrated by Lee's statement, "We have
but one rule here and that is that every student must be a
gentleman."
Not only did Lee bring new ideas to the field of education and
insist on excellence, but he also used his position to practice what
he preached Ð reconciliation and the healing of old wounds. Lee knew
that the futures of Virginia and the South, if they were to grow and
succeed, were tied with the North. So, the spirit of unity and the
enrollment of northern students was a must if Washington College was
to accomplish its mission of training young men to rebuild the
Union. Lee knew the healing process would begin with the students'
interaction and he knew that they would teach and learn from each
other.
Not wishing to be the sole example, Lee also insisted that his
professors be proper role models for his students. One
well-documented story tells of two professors discussing a recent
reconstruction act handed down from Congress. It was clearly evident
that one of the professors was still extremely bitter towards the
North. Lee, after listening, turned to his desk for a manuscript and
read a poem from the Muslim poet Hafiz that talked of forgiving
one's enemies. Lee then said, "Ought not we, who profess to be
governed by the principles of Christ, be able to rise at least to
the standard of the Muslim poet and be able to forgive our former
enemies." The professors argued no more.
There are numbers of similar stories and accounts that persist
about Lee's character. This is but one example of why countless
books and speeches are written about him and why he is still revered
and honored for what he did for our nation.
On a cold, dreary and wet September 29, 1870 Lee left his office
for a vestry meeting at Grace Episcopal Church, which is now Robert
E. Lee Episcopal Church. After the meeting, he walked across the
campus to the President's House to find his family waiting for him
at the dinner table. As he was standing to say grace, he grew silent
and sank back into his chair. It was determined that he had suffered
a stroke and, although he was given good medical attention, he did
not rally and died several days later.
On October 12, 1870, his body was entombed below Lee Chapel. The
rector of Grace Episcopal Church, who was once his artillery chief
during the war, read the burial service. Moved to the Lee family
crypt 13-years later, Lee now rests on the campus of Washington and
Lee University at the rear of Lee Chapel - the chapel he erected in
preference to having the money spent upon a home for himself.
Unknowingly, he had built a shrine for himself and a monument to his
character.
Each student at Washington College was greatly influenced by this
man. His sense of duty and honor and his hope of rebuilding the
nation were overwhelming. It is then easy to understand why Ammen
and our founders were so affected by Lee and his lessons of life.
Our founders Ð all attracted by the presence of Lee Ð were inspired
by the greatness of Lee to found Kappa Alpha Order and to perpetuate
his values. To them, he personified the heroic knights of the past,
representing their noblest ideals and traditions of chivalrous
behavior. Indeed, even before his death, Lee was referred to as the
"Knight of America" and "The Last Gentle Knight." It is this legacy
which was adopted as the moving force of Kappa Alpha Order.
Former Knight Commander John Temple Graves, a famous orator of
his time, stood at the podium of the 1923 Convention to make one of
his highly romanticized banquet toasts. In a few moments, his
eloquence had not only raised the glass of every man in the room,
but also captured the attention of the entire Order. Graves'
Convention toast heralded Robert E. Lee, and first designated him as
the "spiritual founder" of Kappa Alpha Order. Since then, KAs have
referred to Lee as such.
The designation that Graves coined in 1923 expressed the feeling
that KAs had held for Lee for almost six decades. The four students
who founded KA, and a fifth who authored our ritual, were profoundly
influenced by Lee. He exemplified for them the highest standards,
the most chivalrous conduct and the finest traits of manliness.
Annually, on the anniversary of Lee's birthday, active and alumni
chapters gather for Convivium, a celebration commemorating the
founding of KA and Lee's spiritual ties to the Order.
The toast that Graves made examined his influence and noted that
it was indeed Lee's example that was the driving force behind the
formation of our philosophy and ideals. "The spirit of Lee inspired
the spirit of Ammen; the life of Lee had fired the heart of Ammen,"
said Graves. "For when Lee was born, the creed was born, or the
inspiration of the creed."
It is in our philosophy that Lee is so apparent, and that is why
Graves was able to state that Lee was, "the proof and indication" of
something that is higher. Lee, in his daily actions, letters and
conversations, represented the perfect example of what the best in
man can attain. He was a living example of what the founders and the
first Kappa Alphas were aspiring to emulate. Ammen wrote that the
ideal of the gentleman "is that of the chivalrous warrior of Christ,
the knight who loves God and country, honors and protects pure
womanhood, practices self-respect to ill-gotten wealth." To Ammen
and others, Lee in his daily walk, was this perfect gentleman.
Therefore, we can look to Lee and examine his philosophy and
characteristics to learn more about our own set of ideals.
