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Show WiONALCEMETERY ARLINGTON, DURIAL GROUND FOR COUNTRY'8 HEROE8. Site Once the Home of Robert E. Lee Taken Possession of by United States at Outbreak of the Civil War. Washington. The story of Arlington Arling-ton Is Interwoven with tho story of America. Tho beauty nnd the solemnl-'.y solemnl-'.y of Unit uutlonal necropolis mako n couching appeal to the thousands of pilgrims thnt annually visit It. Tho builder of Arlington house nnd Its first occupant was George Washington Wash-ington Parke Custls, ndopted son of Oeorgu Washington. Tho wifo of Oeorgo Washington Parke Custls was .Mary I,eo Fltzhugh of Virginia and this Indy wib tho first mistress of Arlington Ar-lington house. Tho daughter of George Washington Pnrko Custls nnd Mary Lee Kltzhugh was Mnry Ann Randolph Custls, who on Juno 30, 1S31, was married nt Arlington to Lieut. Robert K. Lee, Engineer corps, U. B. A. Lieut, nnd .Mrs. Lcc continued ' to reside nt Arlington and on the death of hor father, March Hfi, 1SS5, Mrs. Leo Inherited the estate. It was tho homo 1 of Robert K. Lee and his family until April 22, lfcGl, when he left Richmond and It wan on thnt day that Gov Letch-r Letch-r and the convention of Virginia a p. pointed Leu c-oniinuiidcr-lii-chlef of tho military forces of Virginia It was In December, 1778, thnt John Pnrko Custls of Abingdon bought from Gerald Alexander 1,100 acres of land opposite Georgetown, now n part of tho city of Washington. Tho prlco paid was 1,100 poiindH sterling. Uo called the now place Arlington In memory of the old Custls seat across Chesapeake bay. The Alexander fmn-lly fmn-lly thence tho name "Alexandria") had bought 0,000 acres of land, Includ ing Arlington, for six hogsheads of tobacco to-bacco from Robert Ilowson, who had Temple of Fame at Arlington. obtained the land from Sir William lierkeley, governor of Virginia, as n recompenso for bringing Immigrants Immi-grants to the colony. It was not long after tho resignation of Robert E. Leo from tho United States army and tho withdrawal of the Lee family from Arlington that tho United Stntes government took possession pos-session of tho place. Tho heights commanded Washington Washing-ton nnd their occupation by federal forces was loked upon as a military necessity. During tho war camps and hospltalH wero scattered over that high country nnd on tho Arlington estnte. Men who died there wero nt tho outsot burled In tho Soldiers' Home cemetery In Washington. Wash-ington. However, In tho spring of 18C4 Gen. Rucker nnd Cnpt James M Moore reported thnt Arlington was a most eligible slto for a national cenio-tery, cenio-tery, nnd Gen, Montgomery C. Meigs, on May 13, 18C1, ordered that Interment Inter-ment bo made there. On thnt tiny a number of men who died in the Arlington Ar-lington nnd surrounding hospitals wero laid under tho sod at Arlington. It Is snld that tho first Interment mndo at Arlington wns that of the body of n confederate prisoner, L. Relnhnrdt, Twenty-third North Carolina Caro-lina Infantry, who died of woundB received re-ceived In battle. At the closo of tho civil war bodies wero gathered from tho battlefields of northern Virginia and from tho old enmp sites, nnd relnterred nt Arlington. Arling-ton. Tho grnves of Arlington hnvo beon growing In number till thev aro now about 30,000 of them. More ofll cers of tho nrmy nnd navy are hurled there than In nny other cemetery, por-hapa por-hapa In all other nntlonnl cenieterloB, In tho United Stntes. Soldiers and ex-soldlers and sailors hnvo tho right of burial at Arlington and beautiful grave sites aro provided by tho quartermaster's quar-termaster's department of tho army for officers nnd their wives. Enrly In 1801 Arlington wns ordered to bo sold for tnxes and the placo was I bought by the nntlonnl government for a trilling sum. Mrs. Lee died In 1873 without contesting tho government's ' title, but her son, Georgo Washington Custls Lee, sued to hnvo tho snlo set ! asldo as Invalid. Tho caso finally was decided by tho supremo court of the i United Stntes In favor of Lee. Ho then sold the cstato to tho government for 1160,000. In tho southwest part of tho grounds ! aro tho graves of Custls, tho builder of Arlington, nnd his wifo. Over these graves aro two marblo monuments erected by tholr daughter, Mrs. Robert E. Lee. Tho memorial exercises held at Arlington Ar-lington May 30 evory year aro Imposing Impos-ing nnd Impressive, |