Did Civil War icon Robert E. Lee write this letter?
Dear Helaine and Joe: I have enclosed a copy of a letter written by Robert E. Lee to his mother, plus Emily Ann Lee’s report card from the Miss Anable’s School, dated July 12, 1849, all of which have been in our family for years. I believe Emily Ann was Robert E. Lee’s sister. I have also enclosed some of Emily Ann’s drawings. A relative borrowed the letter written by Lee and returned it with the signature cut out. Robert E. Lee did write his name on the envelope. Do these have any value other than historical? — M.K.F., Grovetown, Ga. Dear M.K.F.: A handwritten letter signed by Civil War Gen. Robert Edward Lee is potentially valuable, indeed. The actual monetary value depends on the content of the letter and when it was written (during the Civil War is best). For example, a letter written by Lee just before Appomattox, musing about his upcoming meeting with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, could be significantly valuable — both financially and historically. But just about any letter signed by
