SPECIAL PROGRAMMING AT ARLINGTON HOUSE, THE ROBERT E. LEE MEMORIAL

 Experience Your America

 The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the  American people so that all may experience our heritage.  Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Commemorates the 150th
 Anniversary of the Resignation of Robert E. Lee from the United States Army "I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home…"

April, 1861, Robert E. Lee made a gut wrenching decision to turn down command of federal troops and give up his U.S. Army commission to fight for his homeland - Virginia. April, 2011 marks the 150th  anniversary of that critical decision. It was one of the most pivotal decisions of the Civil War. As Lee rose to be the South's greatest general the U. S. Government seized his family's plantation and made it into the nation's most revered military burial ground – Arlington National Cemetery.

Join the National Park Service as it commemorates "Lee's Great Decision" with a series of special events and programs, April 16 – April 24, at General Lee's old home, Arlington House, in the center of 
Arlington National Cemetery.

Two special evening programs will be conducted: the first, on Saturday, April 16, 7:00pm-10:00pm, will focus on the beginning of the Civil War and Virginia's secession from the Union that caused Lee's
resignation. This program will include talks, tours, music and a lecture by award winning Lee scholar, Elizabeth Pryor, author of "Reading the Man."

The second, on April 19, will be a vigil, 8:00pm-12:30am, marking the exact moment of when it is believed that Lee penned his resignation. Talks, tours, dramatic readings of Lee's letters, and a program of music will highlight the evening. Both programs are free but reservations are required. These events offer a rare opportunity for the public to tour the house at night and view the Washington, D.C. evening skyline from the finest vantage point in the area.

A lecture on "Southern Honor and the Election of Abraham Lincoln" by noted Civil War historian, Peter Carmichael, will be held at Arlington House on Sunday, April 24 at 2:00pm.

Additionally, special talks and tours will be conducted daily and a special exhibit of Robert E. Lee artifacts will be on display throughout the commemorative period. Park Rangers and volunteers will be in 
the house and on the grounds to tell the story of the Custis and Lee families and the enslaved people of Arlington.

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial is a unit of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Additional information is available on the internet at www.nps.gov/arho or by calling (703) 235-1530, Monday through Friday.