Robert E. Lee Memorial, Sanford
This monument features a large bronze bas-relief portrait tablet of Confederate General Robert
E. Lee for whom Lee County was named. The bas-relief is attached to a free standing red brick wall like
structure almost 11 feet wide and 7 feet tall including two flanking support columns. White
brick tops the structure and outline the bronze plaques. A history of Lee’s life appears on the
bronze plaque attached to the back of the wall.
Images:
Bas-relief |
Memorial wall and Lee County courthouse |
Back side |
Artist signature
Front, east face: ROBERT EDWARD LEE / 1807 – 1870
Rear, west face, large plaque: “DUTY IS THE SUBLIMEST WORD IN OUR LANGUAGE. DO YOUR
DUTY IN ALL THINGS. / YOUR CANNOT DO MORE. YOU SHOULD NEVER WISH TO DO LESS. /
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE / BORN JANUARY 19, 1807 AT STRATFORD HALL, WESTMORELAND
COUNTY, VIRGINIA. / SON OF HENRY “LIGHT HORSE HARRY” LEE AND ANNE CARTER LEE. /
1825-1830 ATTENDED THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT. / GRADUATED
SECOND IN HIS CLASS WITH THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE ONLY CADET TO NEVER RECEIVE A
DEMERIT. / JUNE 30, 1831 MARRIED MARY CUSTIS AND RESIDED AT ARLINGTON HOUSE,
VIRGINIA. / 1846-1848 SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY DURING THE MEXICAN WAR. /
AFTERWARDS WAS REFERRED TO AS “THE VERY BEST SOLDIER I EVER SAW IN THE FIELD,” BY
GEN. WINFIELD SCOTT. / SEPTEMBER 1, 1852 – MARCH 31, 1855 SERVED AS SUPERINTENDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY. / APRIL 1, 1865 PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT
COLONEL OF THE SECOND UNITED STATES CALVARY. / IN 1861 OFFERED COMMAND OF ALL
UNITED STATES TROOPS, BUT DECLINED SAYING, “I CANNOT RAISE MY HAND AGAINST / MY
BIRTHPLACE, MY HOME, MY CHILDREN.” / JUNE 1, 1862 GIVEN COMMAND OF THE
CONFEDERATE FORCES HE WOULD NAME THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA. / JANUARY 31,
1865 APPOINTED GENERAL-IN-CHIEF OF THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. / APRIL 12, 1865
SURRENDERED THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINA AT APPOMATTOX COURTHOUSE, VIRGINIA. /
OCTOBER 2, 1865 NAMED PRESIDENT OF WASHINGTON COLLEGE (LATER WASHINGTON AND
LEE) LEXINGTION, VIRGINIA / OCTOBER 12, 1870 DIED IN LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA AT AGE SIXTY-
THREE. / 1907 LEE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA FORMED. NAMED IN HONOR AND MEMORY OF
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. / “IT IS BETTER TO DO RIGHT, EVEN IF WE SUFFER IN SO DOING, /
THAN TO INCUR THE REPROACH OF OUR CONSCIENCE AND POSTERITY.”
Rear, west face, small plaque: ERECTED BY / ROBERT E. LEE / SOCIETY
Lee County
April 14, 2007
35.467330 , -79.162840
View in Geobrowse
Daniel, Bobby. "Lee County Courthouse in Sanford, North Carolina," bobbystuff.com, Nov 29, 2015 , (accessed May 12, 2023) Link
“Meet the Artist. Biography,” Casteel Sculptures, LLC., www.garycasteel.com, (accessed May 5, 2023) Link
“Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Commissioners for the County of Lee, State of North Carolina,” Lee County, NC, December 4, 2006
Yes
Bronze, brick
Robert E. Lee Society
[Additional information from NCpedia editors at the State Library of North Carolina: This person enslaved and owned other people. Many Black and African people, their descendants, and some others were enslaved in the United States until the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in 1865. It was common for wealthy landowners, entrepreneurs, politicians, institutions, and others to enslave people and use enslaved labor during this period. To read more about the enslavement and transportation of African people to North Carolina, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/programs/africa-carolina-0. To read more about slavery and its history in North Carolina, visit https://www.ncpedia.org/slavery. - Government and Heritage Library, 2023.]
The sculptor, Gary Casteel, is known for his General James Longstreet equestrian erected in the
Gettysburg National Military Park. The National Civil War Memorial Commission has chosen
Casteel to create a memorial in stone and bronze, depicting the complete four year struggle.
The memorial is located between the rear of the old Historic Lee County courthouse and the entrance to the modern Courthouse. The Lee County courthouse complex is located at 1400 S Horner Blvd. in Sanford, NC. Entrance to the parking lot is off of Courtland Drive.
The memorial wall stands on a brick paved courtyard.
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