LEE, Mary Custis (1807-1873). Autograph letter signed ("M C Lee") to Eleanor Washington (1824-1860). Arlington, [VA], ca 1855-56.

3 pages, 7 3/4 x 9 5/8 in., creased, with some separation to last page. Addressed on integral leaf.

Mrs. Lee writes from Arlington, VA to her friend Eleanor Washington in Mount Vernon, VA, addressing her affectionately as "My dear Nelly," with a long recommendation for a governess named Clara from Philadelphia. Mrs. Lee's cousin is quoted in the letter, also recommending the young lady highly and believing her to be a good fit for Mrs. Washington's needs: "'The situation at Mt. Vernon has so many advantages that I am delighted to think of it for Clara, much as I grieve to part with her, for she has been bright & happy thro' this long snow winter & faithful in the performance of her duties...'"

Eleanor Washington was married to CSA Colonel John Augustine Washington (1820-1861) to whom Mount Vernon passed from George Washington's nephew, Judge Bushrod Washington. The colonel and his family lived there until 1860 when he sold the estate to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (also the year of Eleanor's death). As the Civil War broke out, Washington accepted Lee's offer to be his aide de camp with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was killed on 13 September 1861 while on a scouting mission at Cheat Mountain.

Because the letter is addressed to Mrs. Washington at "Mount Vernon, Near Alexandria, Virginia," it is presumed to have been written prior to 1860. Period ink arithmetic and inscriptions written in the margins of the address leaf feature the years 1847-1855, making it likely that the letter was written in 1855 or 1856.