Just as Robert loved the fine old rooms at Stratford House, rich in history, so he loved the fields and forests of the vast estate surrounding the house. He enjoyed roaming through the countryside and the cool woods. He was completely happy when he lay on the fragrant grass beneath the tall oaks and maples or raced along the river, where the rustling poplars grew. He learned early in his life to love the beauty and freshness of the out-of-doors, and this love stayed with him ever afterwards. He knew every inch of the grounds of Stratford, and years later when his own daughter wrote him of a visit to the old house, he answered her by saying:” I am much pleased at your description of Stratford and your visit The horse-chestnut you mention in the garden was planted by my mother You did not mention the spring, one of the objects of my earliest recollections.”

When Robert was still a young boy, the family moved to Alexandria, so that the children could go to school, but they still spent part of the time at Stratford. The Lees’ first house in Alexandria was on Cameron Street near the old Christ Church, where George Washington himself had worshiped. Undoubtedly Robert’s father told his son many stories of the great general, for in the days of the Revolution Mr. Lee had been a great favorite of Washington.