On the morning of the 13th, the body was borne to the college chapel.  In front moved a guard of honor, composed of old Confederate soldiers; behind these came the clergy; then the hearse; in rear of which was led the dead soldier’s favorite war-horse “Traveller,” his equipments wreathed with crape.  The trustees and faculty of the college, the cadets of the Military Institute, and a large number of citizens followed—­and the procession moved slowly from the northeastern gate of the president’s house to the college chapel, above which, draped in mourning, and at half-mast, floated the flag of Virginia—­the only one displayed during this or any other portion of the funeral ceremonies.

On the platform of the chapel the body lay in state throughout this and the succeeding day.  The coffin was covered with evergreens and flowers, and the face of the dead was uncovered that all might look for the last time on the pale features of the illustrious soldier.  The body was dressed in a simple suit of black, and the appearance of the face was perfectly natural.  Great crowds visited the chapel, passing solemnly in front of the coffin—­the silence interrupted only by sobs.

Throughout the 14th the body continued to be in state, and to be visited by thousands.  On the 15th a great funeral procession preceded the commission of it to its last resting place.  At an early hour the crowd began to assemble in the vicinity of the college, which was draped in mourning.  This great concourse was composed of men, women, and children, all wearing crape, and the little children seemed as much penetrated by the general distress as the elders.  The bells of the churches began to toll; and at ten o’clock the students of the college, and officers and soldiers of the Confederate army—­numbering together nearly one thousand persons—­formed in front of the chapel.  Between the two bodies stood the hearse, and the gray horse of the soldier, both draped in mourning.

The procession then began to move, to the strains of martial music.  The military escort, together with the staff-officers of General Lee, moved in front; the faculty and students followed behind the hearse; and in rear came a committee of the Legislative dignitaries of the Commonwealth, and a great multitude of citizens from all portions of the State.  The procession continued its way toward the Institute, where the cadets made the military salute as the hearse passed in front of them, and the sudden thunder of artillery awoke the echoes from the hills.  The cadets then joined the procession, which was more than a mile in length; and, heralded by the fire of artillery every few minutes, it moved back to the college chapel, where the last services were performed.

General Lee had requested, it is said, that no funeral oration should be pronounced above his remains, and the Rev. William N. Pendleton simply read the beautiful burial-service of the Episcopal Church.  The coffin, still covered with evergreens and flowers, was then lowered to its resting-place beneath the chapel, amid the sobs and tears of the great assembly; and all that was mortal of the illustrious soldier disappeared from the world’s eyes.