Letters and other Papers: 1851-1860

More than 3,600 letters, legal documents, books, and other papers are available at the Lee Family Digital Archive. We are in the process of adding new documents to our database daily. Items added before September 2015 are found at this link.

To view a transcript of a letter, click on either the sender or recipient name. We are in the process of adding scanned images of letters, which will be available in the “Original” column.

To see letters we have uploaded into our new format, see the list below:

Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1850 September 19
Zaccheus Collins Lee   George W. Lewis1851 February 17
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1851 May 10
Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee   “Abbey”ca. 1851 August 22
Robert E. Lee   Nat Burwell1852 January 5
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1852 February 6
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee   George Washington Custis Lee1852 February 15
Robert E. Lee   George Washington Custis Lee1852 March 28
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1852 July 31
Robert E. Lee   James Eveleth1852 August 1 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 1 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 2 
Robert E. Lee   William H. Terrill1852 September 3 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 6 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 8 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 8 
Robert E. Lee   John Sloane1852 September 15 
Robert E. Lee   John Gallaher1852 September 15 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 16 
Robert E. Lee   R. S. Smith1852 September 17 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 18 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 20 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 20 
Robert E. Lee   William G. Webster1852 September 23 
Robert E. Lee   R. S. Smith1852 September 24 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 September 27 
Robert E. Lee   Anna M. Whistler1852 September 28 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 October 2 
Robert E. Lee   John S. Gallaher1852 October 2 
Robert E. Lee   John Sloane1852 October 2 
Robert E. Lee   C. M. Conrad1852 October 4 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 October 4 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 October 5 
Robert E. Lee   Archibald Gracie1852 October 6 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 October 6 
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 October 7 
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1852 October 8
Robert E. Lee   Joseph G. Totten1852 October 9 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1852 December 20
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napleon Bonaparte1853 March 12 
Robert E. Lee    Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1853 March 19 
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1853 April 11 
Robert E. Lee   William Henry Fitzhugh Lee1853 May 4
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1853 May 11 
Robert E. Lee   George Washington Custis Lee1853 June 15
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1853 June 23
Nathaniel Phippen Knapp   Ellen McMacken Lee Bedford Knapp1853 July 20 
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1853 September 9
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1853 September 16
Robert E. Lee   Edward Lee Childe1853 October 31 
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1854 January 2
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1854 February 28 
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1854 March 11
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1854 May 26
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1854 May 31
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1854 June 29
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1854 November 4 
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1854 November 10
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napleon Bonaparte1854 December 5 
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1855 February 12
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte1855 February 28
Robert E. Lee   Martha Custis Williams1855 March 14
Robert E. Lee   Winfield Scott1855 May 14
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1856 March 17 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1856 March 20 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1856 March 28 
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1856 March 30 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1856 April 12 
Anne Carter Lee   Robert E. Lee1856 May 21 
Robert E. Lee   Elizabeth Stiles1856 May 24 
Eleanor Agnes Lee   Robert E. Lee1856 May 24 
Boston Board of Trade   Sidney Smith Lee1856 June 17 
Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee    Charles Carter Lee1856 July 17 
Sidney Smith Lee   Boston Board of Trade1856 July 18 
Robert E. Lee   William Overton Winston1856 July 24 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1856 July 28 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1856 August 4 
William L. Marshall   Edward Lee Childe1856 August 17 
Robert E. Lee   Edward Vernon Childe1856 November 1 
Robert E. Lee   Nathan George Evans1856 December 15

Photo of Robert E. Lee, ca. 1850s (Courtesy of William J. Stier Collection)

Photo of Nathan George Evans, pre-Civil War (Courtesy of William J. Stier Collection)

Photo of Nathan George Evans, Civil War uniform (Courtesy of the William J. Stier Collection)

Robert E. Lee

   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1856 December 27 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 January 3 
Robert E. Lee   Edward Vernon Childe1857 January 7

Edward Vernon Childe Page 2

 

Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 January 7 
Robert E. Lee   Edward Vernon Childe1857 January 9

Robert E. Lee to Edward Vernon Childe

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 January 9 
Robert E. Lee   Mildred Childe Lee1857 January 9 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 January 31 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 February 7 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 February 16 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 March 13 
Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee   Robert E. Lee1857 March 17 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 March 20 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1857 March 21 
Robert E. Lee   Mildred Childe Lee1857 March 22 
Robert E. Lee   Edward Lee Childe1858 February 13
George Washington Custis Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1858 February 16
Robert E. Lee   Jerome Napoleon Bonaprte1858 June 14
Robert E. Lee   Irwin McDowell1858 July 1 
Robert E. Lee   Samuel Cooper1858 July 1 
Robert E. Lee   William O. Winston1858 July 10
Robert E. Lee   Edward Lee Childe1858 September 6

Robert E. Lee to Edward Lee Childe

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Eleanor Agnes Lee   William Henry Fitzhugh Lee1858 October 2
Ferdinand Pettrich   Henry Wise1858 October 3 
Robert E. Lee   Samuel Cooper1859 January 1 
Jabez Curry   Tabitha Jordan Curry Lee1859 February 16Jabez Curry to Tabitha Jordan Curry Lee, Page 2
Nathaniel F. Cabell   Charles Carter Lee1859 March 
Robert E. Lee   George Washington Custis Lee1859 May 30
Robert E. Lee   Wyman and Company1859 July 14 
Robert E. Lee   Peter Valentine Hagner1859 July 23
Robert E. Lee   Hartford Fire Insurance Company1859 October 17 
Robert E. Lee   Secretary of War1859 October 19 
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1859 December 1
Robert E. Lee   Henry Lee1859 December 6 
Robert E. Lee   Albert M. Lea1860 March 1
Robert E. Lee   Sam Houston1860 April 20
George Washington Custis Lee   William O. Winston1860 April 25
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1860 July 1
Robert E. Lee   Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee1860 July 15
Eleanor Agnes Lee   Anne Carter Lee1860 August 6 
Robert E. Lee   Anne Carter Lee1860 August 27
Robert E. Lee   Mildred Childe Lee1860 October 22
Eleanor Agnes Lee   Mildred Childe Lee1860 October 29 
Martha Custis Williams Carter   Anne Carter Lee1860 November 17
Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee   Benson John Lossing1860 December 27