On the Virginia side of the Potomac River across from
Washington D.C. lies the Arlington House. A house filled of history and
mystery.
It all started in 1781 as John Parke Custis died,
he was an aid to the future First President. Washington adopted two of
Custis's four Children. George Washington Parke Custis inherited the estate
when getting older. He was devoted to his step-father he made it part of
his effort to perpetuate Washington's memory. He first named it Mt. Washington.
He built a mansion suited to house his momentous of the "father of our
country"
Soon after he renamed it Arlington House after the
Grant by the Earl of Arlington. Custis and his wife had Four children.
Mary Ann Randolph Custis, the only one who lived to maturity, was born
in 1808. In 1831 she married Lt.Robert E. Lee. A childhood friend and West
Point graduate. Being a military family they traveled much, but the Arlington
House remained home. All was quiet until the Civil War intervened, then
everything changed.
Four days after the firing on Ft. Sumnter Robert
E. Lee returned home for one last time after refusing to command the Federal
forces to crush the revolt. On April 20 he resigned his commission and
said, "save the defense of my native state, I never desired to draw my
sword." Shortly the Lee's left Arlington forever having saved much of the
family pictures, silver, and furniture to a safe place.
The former home of the commander of the Northern
Virginia became a Union army headquaters and forts such as Whipple and
Mcpherson were the first military installations set on such land.
Arlington was taken over by the U.S. government
under an 1802 "act for the collection of direct taxes in the insurrectionary
districts of the United States." Mrs. Lee attempted to pay the taxes of
$92.07 + penalitys through an agent. It was refused because she had to
make it in person. On January 11, 1864 the government bought the land for
$26,800 from the tax comission "for government use, for war, charitiable,
and educational purposes.
On June 15 ,1864 the government made Arlington House
and its acres a military cemetery. But that is another story for it is
not the first national cemetery, though it would be the best known.
