The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.

SMJ // Article

Review Article

The Lexington Physicians of General Robert E. Lee

Authors: Richard D. Mainwaring, MD, Harris D. Riley, Jr, MD

Abstract

General Robert E. Lee has been interpreted by history as one of the most intriguing personalities of the American Civil War era. In more recent years, there has been much speculation regarding General Lee's health during the war and the possible influence this had on his decision making and performance. Lee's personal letters during and after the war provide some documentation about his health condition, albeit through the eyes of a lay person. The history that was recorded by his personal physicians in Lexington, Virginia provides invaluable insights into his medical history. This manuscript focuses on the lives of these two physicians, Drs. Howard Barton and Robert Madison, and their interactions with their famous patient.


Key Points


* General Robert E. Lee developed a cardiac illness characterized by chest pain both during and after the Civil War.


* General Lee's personal physicians in Lexington, VA were Drs. Howard Barton and Robert Madison.


* Drs. Barton and Madison directed General Lee's medical care following his stroke in the fall of 1870.


* The doctors' observations and treatments were chronicled in The Richmond and Louisville Medical Journal of 1870.


* Based on current medical understanding, it is evident that General Lee suffered from progressive atherosclerosis during the last seven years of his life.

This content is limited to qualifying members.

Existing members, please login first

If you have an existing account please login now to access this article or view purchase options.

Purchase only this article ($25)

Create a free account, then purchase this article to download or access it online for 24 hours.

Purchase an SMJ online subscription ($75)

Create a free account, then purchase a subscription to get complete access to all articles for a full year.

Purchase a membership plan (fees vary)

Premium members can access all articles plus recieve many more benefits. View all membership plans and benefit packages.

References

1. Coulling MP. The Lee Girls. Winston-Salem, John F. Blair, 1987, p 166.
 
2. Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA.
 
3. Archives, Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, VA.
 
4. Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA.
 
5. Shaara M. The Killer Angels. New York, McKay, 1974.
 
6. Dowdy D, Manarin LH. The Wartime Papers of R. E. Lee. New York, Bramhall House, 1961, pp 589–590.
 
7. Gaillard ES. Letter from Lexington, Va. Richmond Louisville Medical Journal 1870;9:516–523.
 
8. Lee RE Jr. Recollections and Letters. Secaucus, The Blue and Grey Press, 1981 p 397.
 
9. Freeman DS. R. E. Lee. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1935, pp 521–525.
 
10. Mainwaring RD, Tribble CG. The Cardiac Illness of General Robert E. Lee. Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics 1992;174:237–244.
 
11. Riley HD Jr. General Robert E. Lee: his medical profile. VA Med 1978;105:495–500.
 
12. From the Lennig Papers, 1870, typed copy in the Washington and Lee University Collection, courtesy of Washington and Lee University.
 
13. Jones JW. Personal Reminiscenses of General Robert E. Lee. New York, Davis Appleton and Co, 1874.
 
14. Rozear MP, Massey EW, Horner J, et al. R. E. Lee's stroke. The Virgina Magazine of History and Biography 1990;98:291–308.
 
15. Obituary of Robert L. Madison. Lexington Gazette and Citizen. 31 May 1878.