Skip to content

Obituary · primary-source record

Major General Henry Lee

circa 1757 (computed from age at death) – 25 March 1818

Died 25 March 1818 on Cumberland Island, Georgia — Major General Henry Lee, Revolutionary War cavalry officer, obituary clipping from a Philadelphia newspaper

Editorially verified

At-a-glance facts

Record type

Obituary

Date of death

25 March 1818

Date of birth

circa 1757 (computed from age at death)

Age at death

in the 61st year of his age

Place of death

Georgia, United States

The obituary

Inscription transcription

The Union — United States Gazette and True American For the Country, Philadelphia, April 15, 1818

DIED,

In the 61st year of his age, on the 25th of March last, at the house of a friend, on Cumberland Island, Georgia, on his return from the West Indies to his native state, Virginia, Major General HENRY LEE, a conspicuous officer in the Revolutionary Army.

He entered as a captain of calvary, in the Virginia Line, at the age of 19 in which situation he soon commanded the respect and attention of his country, by his active and daring enterprize, and the confidence of the illustrious commander in chief of the military forces of the United States: a confidence which continued through life. He was rapidly promoted to the rank of Major, and soon after to that of Lieutenant colonel commandant of a separate legionary corps. While Major, he planned and executed the celebrated attack on the enemy's post at Paulus Hook, opposite to the city of N. York; their head quarters; surprized and took the garrison, under the eye of the British army and navy, and safely conducted his prisoners into the American lines, many miles distant from the post taken. There are few enterprizes to be found on military record, equal in hazard [...]

Transcribed from the clipping image; "calvary", "enterprize" and "surprized" are as printed in the original. The clipping is cut off mid-sentence at the bottom edge — the remainder of the obituary is not preserved. The death date 25 March 1818 combines the clipping's "on the 25th of March last" with the stated issue date of 15 April 1818. The masthead line above the transcription is supplied from our original posting's description of the source issue, not visible on the clipping.

Record submitted by

From the Ancestors at Rest archive

Source & citation

Source type
Photograph & transcription
Provenance
From the Ancestors at Rest archive — founded 2004 by Brian and substantially built out across two decades by Lorine McGinnis Schulze of Olive Tree Genealogy.
Transcribed by
Ancestors at Rest archive — original contributor not recorded.
Last verified
2026-07-06
Permalink
/records/obituaries/lee-henry-1818/
Image vs transcription
Photograph of the original clipping with a fresh transcription made from the image; the clipping is cut off mid-sentence at its bottom edge

Citation: Obituary of Major General Henry Lee (died 25 March 1818, Cumberland Island, Georgia), from The Union — United States Gazette and True American For the Country (Philadelphia), issue of 15 April 1818. Clipping preserved in the Ancestors at Rest archive. (https://ancestorsatrest.com/records/obituaries/lee-henry-1818/ : accessed [your access date]).

More from the archive

Matched automatically from the archive’s name and place indexes — research leads, not confirmed relations.

Have a coffin plate, funeral card, or cemetery record?

The archive grows by contribution. If you have a transcription or photograph of a death record, share it and help another genealogist find their ancestor.

Submit a record →