July 1861, Robert E. Lee

"This is how I saw Robert E. Lee for the first time. I had heard of him, strange to say, in this wise. Though his family, who then lived at Arlington, called to see me in Washington (I thought because of Mrs Chesnut's intimacy with Nelly Custis in the old Philadelphia days—and Mrs Lee was Nelly Custis's niece), I had not known the head of the Lee family. He was somewhere with the army then.
Last summer at the White Sulphur, Roony Lee* and his wife, that sweet little Charlotte Wickham, was there, and I spoke of Roony with great praise.
Mrs Izard said: 'Don't waste your admiration on him. Wait will you see his father. He is the nearest to a perfect man I ever saw.' 'How?' 'Every way—handsome, clever, agreeable, highbred, &c&c&c.'
Mrs Stanard came for Mrs Preston and me, to drive to the camp. She was in an open carriage. A man riding a beautiful horse joined us. He wore a hat with somehow a military look to it. He sat his horse gracefully, and he was so distinguished at all points that I very much regretted not catching the name as Mrs Stanard gave it to us. He, however, heard ours and bowed as gracefully as he rode, and the few remarks he made to each of us showed he knew all about us.

Robert Edward Lee
(1807-1870)

... To all this light chat did we seriously incline because the man and horse and everything about him was so fine looking. Perfection—no fault to be found if you hunted for one. As he left us, I said, 'Who is it?' eagerly.
'You did not know? Why, it is Robert E. Lee, son of Light Horse Harry Lee, the first man in Virginia'—raising her voice as she enumerated his glories."

*William Henry Fitzhugh "Roony" Lee was the second son of Robert E. Lee.