Squirrel Level Road, Petersburg, Virginia

GENERAL LEE'S DILEMMA

        As history tells it, General Robert E. Lee's decison to give up his command in the Union Army and ride to the defense of his native Virginia was not an easy one. Additionally, Patriot Michael Shaffner's research indicates that General Lee's decision, and thus the subsequent course of the war, was influenced by a bushytail operative who held the General's family hostage during the conflict:

From: Schaffner.Michael@.gov (Schaffner Michael)
To: scarysquirrel@pinkpig.com (Gregg Elovich)
X-Mailer: Microsoft Mail via PostalUnion/SMTP for Windows NT
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 11:00:19 -0400

An infamous squirrel who lived during that time was the celebrated Custis Morgan, the pet of Robert E. Lee's youngest daughter Mildred. Custis stayed with Mrs. Lee and her daughters in Richmond during the spring of 1864. As Lee's army was being bled white in the Wilderness, visitors to the female Lees underwent a similar experience at the hands (well, fangs and claws) of Morgan.

The domestic squirrel's penchant for playful savagery inspired a rare (and I think refreshing) streak of black humor in the general's correspondence, e.g.,

"Am very glad to hear your mother is better... Keep Custis Morgan out of her sight and if you would immerse his head under water for five minutes in one of his daily baths, it would relieve him and you of infinite trouble."*

And,

"How would you like a little squirrel soup? Custis Morgan would shew in such a position. If not required by you, I know it would be beneficial to the poor, sick and wounded in the hospitals and it would be most grateful to his feelings to be converted into nutricious aliment for them and devote his life to the good of the country."*

As the Custis Morgan Correspondence came at a critical period for the South, it could be that the General's concern for his family, in light of the vicious rodent in their midst, distracted him with fatal consequences for the Southern cause.

But some other theories should be considered. For example, Custis ultimately ran away from the Lee home, raising the possibility that he spirited away vital military information - say shredded battle orders previously used for nesting material - and delivered it into enemy hands (click photo for big version). Lee comments on Custis Morgan's escape in a letter dated July 10, 1864 - just 10 days before the seige of Atlanta began. Coincidence?

Interestingly enough, the Lee family coat of arms bears a squirrel as its crest, with the motto "Non [or Ne] Incautus Futuri" or, roughly, be not unmindful of the future.

*Source: The Wartime Papers of R. E. Lee, edited by Clifford Dowdey and Louis H. Manarin, Brandall House, NY, 1961, pp. 810, 814, 816-18.

        Patriot Michael's correspondence leaves little doubt that the bushytail horde played an important role in the course and outcome of the American Civil War. However, it is unlikely that the aboreal rodents' interests lay in preserving the Union or ending slavery. Rather, it is probable that their real motives lay in the hope that a Southern defeat would mean the end of squirrel hunting in America...

To: scarysquirrel@pinkpig.com
Subject: General Lee's Dilemma
Date: Sunday, May 30, 1999 7:09 AM

name: Anne Keith Lee
COMMENTS: I have known all about Custis Morgan since I was a child. The Lee family has quite a sense of humor and Robert was no exception. As a card carrying member of the family - I can only say that I was called a "little squirrel" as a child because I saved everything - and I am still adding to my stack at 75.

Regards,
Anne Lee


POSTSCRIPT:
Lee's enormous wartime prestige, both in the North and South, made him a legendary figure even before his death. He died in Lexington, Virginia on October 12, 1870, of heart disease which had plagued him since the spring of 1863. Somehow, his application for restoration of citizenship was mislaid, and it was not until the 1970's that it was found and granted.

Click on General Lee for more Civil War stuff.