The records of the six months' campaign in Mexico contain many
references to Lee's skill and bravery. He was then forty years old, in
the hey-dey of his vigor. He would remain in the saddle from dawn to
twilight, if necessary, and never shirked a duty. No wonder that Scott
was proud of him and came to rely upon him more and more.
"At Chapultepec," he writes, "Captain Lee was constantly conspicuous,
bearing important orders till he fainted from a wound and the loss of
two nights' sleep at the batteries."
The campaign certainly showed that Lee was a soldier and the son of a
soldier. He was repeatedly cited for meritorious conduct, and was
brevetted major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel in rapid succession.
This proved not merely his bravery, but his ability in planning
engagements and discovering the weak points of the enemy--features
which he was to turn to such remarkable account in many famous battles
of the Civil War.
When peace with Mexico was declared, Lee was given a welcome furlough,
and went back to Arlington to visit his wife and children. He had been
so constantly away from home, that he failed to recognize his youngest
son, whom he had left an infant. And it is said that he himself was
first recognized by a faithful dog.
His son and namesake, R.
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