Lady of Arlington

the long version

Many people know something about her husband, Robert E. Lee; perhaps even more know her great-grandfather, George Washington; some have even visited her family estate. But few people today know much about Mary Custis Lee - wife, mother, daughter, and the Lady of Arlington, Virginia. Chronically ill and often in excruciating pain, Mary trusted God as she raised her seven children, faithfully witnessing to her husband for years before his conversion and, later, his confirmation in the Anglican Church. During the Civil War, she was instrumental in negotiating the release of her family from house arrest and her son from a prisoner-of-war camp. Later, she retained her dignity and faith throughout a fruitless, heartbreaking attempt to win compensation for the confiscation of her home and valuables. History is never more powerful than when it provides a role model for enduring hardship with sturdy and radiant faith. Mary Custis Lee is such an example.