The Political Account: Offspring can often spring to forefront

While growing up, listening to radio was one of my favorite pastimes. It was not just the music I enjoyed, I also love the sound of the disembodied voices booming through the speakers. It was as if they were talking directly to me.

One of the voices I especially appreciated was that of Paul Harvey. What a man. What a voice. His "The Rest of the Story" ​broadcasts brought history to life while regaling his audience with an unexpected conclusion. While I could never compare to the legendary Paul Harvey, I would like to present the following as an homage to a man I greatly admired.

The greatest wish a parent can have is for their children to excel beyond their own achievements. Every generation wants better for their children than they themselves experienced - but this comes at a price: your own achievements may be forgotten. Your name and accomplishments may find their way out of the history books.

It's a sacrifice any parent wouldn't give a second thought to and would embrace with admiration and pride. Charles Lindberg is no exception, nor is Ken Griffey, or Joe Kennedy (I can only presume). But how is it that true heroes (who should not be forgotten) become overshadowed by their offspring?

Light-Horse Harry is one of those heroes.

Born into privilege, Henry Lee III was afforded the opportunity to accomplish a life with limited risk and a comfortable outcome. Yet there was a passion and a sense of duty that compelled this Virginian to set aside the legal profession he had worked for and answer the call to be a patriot. Given his education, Henry was commissioned as a captain in the 1st Continental Light Dragoons and would receive a field promotion to major in the light cavalry - where he earned the nickname Light-Horse Harry.

Tactical genius could be understating his accomplishments, which included disrupting supply chains, rearmament and reinforcements to the enemy by simply understanding where his calvary would be utilized most effectively. Many historians have observed that one of the greatest reasons for the Continental Army's success in the American Revolution was its ability to slow the advance of the British through guerilla tactics.

Light-Horse Harry would continue his accomplished career by rendering the British ineffective in New Jersey after he led the night raid at the Battle of Paulus Hook, surprising the enemy and taking 158 prisoners before sneaking out just before daybreak. This victory earned him a Gold Medal, an award only given to the rank of general.

Henry quickly became one of George Washington's favorite officers. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was instrumental in a sweeping flank of Cornwallis' armies in the south that would eventually trap the British in Yorktown. Henry was by George Washington's side as Cornwallis surrendered and became witness to the realization of a new nation.

The war may have been over but Henry's sense of duty was not. Henry's love for Virginia was so instrumental that he was compelled to serve as the delegate to the Congress of the Confederation. He then served in the general assembly, and eventually was elected governor of Virginia.

Before the indelible ink had dried in the history books for this accomplished man, our newly formed and fragile nation faced its first uprising during the Whiskey Rebellion tax protest. Who did our first President turn to? That's right, Light-Horse Harry. And he put down that rebellion without a single loss of life.

How is such a man so easily forgotten? We remember the words of his eulogy at George Washington's funeral: "The first into war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." But we have forgotten his name.

Henry could have made a case to run for president, but his heart was for Virginia and the nine children he had fathered.

I believe that it was the actions, heroism, tenacity and the unwavering pride for Virginia that inspired his son, Robert, to follow in his father's footsteps.

I'm sure if Robert, Henry's eighth-born, were around today, he would tell you that his father was more deserving of an enduring legacy than he himself received in our history books. Just as I feel certain, Charles Lindberg Jr. and every accomplished child may want their own parents to be revered.

The son of a hero, a patriot, and a civil servant, General Robert E. Lee was a man who chose his unabashed loyalty and sense of duty to his own state of Virginia - just like his dad.

And that is "my" rest of the story.

Uriah Wilkinson is a local political contributor and a history buff. Contact him at [email protected].