In 1922 his remains were reinterred at the Lee Mausoleum in Lexington, Virginia. The second son of Robert E. Lee, William was born at the family home of "Arlington" in Virginia on May 31, 1837. The National Portrait Gallery will be open Wednesdays through Sundays 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m. beginning Sept. 18 at Eighth and G streets N.W. For five hours Lee’s cavaliers fought off repeated assaults by Union cavalry under General John Buford, effectively stalling the Federal advance and exacting a fearsome toll in casualties. He entered Harvard in 1854 but left in 1857 when he secured a commission in the infantry. Lee’s simple agrarian life, however, was short-lived. Born at Arlington in 1837, William Henry Fitzhugh Lee was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 53,000 acres in 24 states! Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. William Henry Fitzhugh Lee : biography May 31, 1837 – October 15, 1891 William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (May 31, 1837 – October 15, 1891), known as Rooney Lee (often spelled "Roony" among friends and family) or W.H.F. Role in Ravensworth – owner Parcel 1.2. The next nine months of Lee’s career were spent as a prisoner at Forts Monroe and Lafayette. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. When Lee returned to the army that spring, he was given command of a division and promoted to major general, making him the youngest Confederate officer to hold that rank. Washington, DC 20001, Open Wednesday – Sunday Article detailing the lives of W.H.F. Limited cavalry operations at the end of 1862 and in the spring of 1863 gave Lee little chance to test his mettle as a brigadier. He rendered reliable service during the war’s final year, most notably at the April 1865 battle of Five Forks. However, on the morning of June 9, 1863, Lee, then camped near Brandy Station, Virginia, heard firing in the direction of the Rappahannock River at Beverly’s Ford. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. When his home state seceded in April 1861, the Virginian once again took up the sword—this time as a captain in the 9th Virginia Cavalry, attached to what would ultimately become his father’s command, the Army of Northern Virginia. Contents[show] Early life Lee was born at Arlington House in Arlington, Virginia. Help save a crucial 22-acre tract on the battlefield where 14 African American soldiers earned the highest military honor in the land. The second son of Robert E. Lee, William Henry Fitzhugh Lee was called “Rooney” to avoid confusion with his cousin Fitzhugh Lee of Clermont in Fairfax County. In 1837, Albert Sidney Johnston survived a duel... David McMurtrie Gregg was born on April 10, 1833, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania into a politically... John Buford, Jr. was born into a prominent family on March 4, 1826 in Woodford County, Kentucky,... Wade Hampton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 28, 1818.