Henry Lee III delivered George Washington’s eulogy, coining the line first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. A decade later he was in a debtors’ prison, and soon after he was nearly killed by a mob. This deep dive traces Light Horse Harry Lee from Virginia aristocracy and Princeton to command of Lee’s Legion, a fast-moving cavalry and infantry force that functioned like an 18th century special operations unit.

Lee’s night raid on Paulus Hook captured 158 British soldiers at the cost of two Americans and earned a congressional gold medal, yet jealous fellow officers court-martialed him. After grueling partisan war in the South, he became governor of Virginia and led 13,000 militiamen against the Whiskey Rebellion. Once Washington died, land speculation, the Panic of 1796 to 1797, and ties to Robert Morris brought bankruptcy, and the 1812 Baltimore riot left him permanently broken.

• How Lee’s Legion perfected mobile hit-and-run warfare
• The Paulus Hook raid and the gold medal that sparked a court martial
• Washington as Lee’s protector and the eulogy that defined him
• Land speculation, financial collapse, and a year in debtors’ prison
• The 1812 Baltimore mob attack and his final days on Cumberland Island