The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-06-09
LAST SCENE OF THE REBELLION.
Speech et Of Hon. I, E. B. Wash.
D. ,a bnrne at GaIeua sa14
= "..a s,." : scenes and Incidents from,
Sa'y . Foins 10 Appomattox Cour,
House and Back, % 1"IS->,. '''''.
Correspondence OF the Chicago ;r,r,,,,o

In response to an invitation of His na;ohhou.,
and friends, Hon. L. b. Washburne aidrasSa5
an immense audience this evening at the Wetb.
odist Church in this city, on the events of The
month of April. as they fell under his personaI
observation. He alluded to them as bein~
among the most attractive and Inspiring thai
were ever presented to human contamination
There had been the joy of the people over the
salvation of the nations life while their .ears
had been poured out like water for the loss of
him whose memory is now gilded by the he s.
ings OF world. On the Goth of March 1865
the hour Of the final and combined movements
of our armies came at last to strike and nearly
year after Lieut. Gen. Grant had taken COM
man3, and initiated those mastery military
combinations which had stamped his genius
and fame in characters Of light on the tablets of
the worlds history. Mr. Washburne had
watched the Richmond campaign with interest.
and had seen much, of it; he had waited with
un!altering faith those developments Of sol
derry skill which were being wrought out, and
had listened to the uneasy utterances of an i'm
patiCn3 people, who were slow TO appreciate
and comprehend The movements which were
finally to culminatc il the overthrow of the
rebellion. The caulpai ign had been 9 fought
out on that line, aud with what persistent
courage ard zeal Gen. Grant had fought and
laboYed and won! Relying upon his own
strength, he had conducted all his movements
with courage. skill and fortitudc undisturbed
by The elamor Of u hostile criticism, and by the
delays incident to oil great military operations.
The speaker had determined, if possible, to
witness the closing scenes of the great drama
that h d for four years been played upon the
theatre OF the world, and on the fall Of the
rebel capital he started. Onward to Rich.
mond" All City Point be met the President
for the last time, and the impressions OF the
evening he there spent with him and his party
would never be etlced from his memory Mr.
Lincoln, partially relieved from the cares of
State, and inSpirlted by the good news, was In
the happiest mood, interesting to the company
10y The nGUete Of his conversation the charm
Of his simple and homely manner and the hu
NOR OF his.CVar, ready anecdotes. Commissioned
with messages from him to the army, and par
ticulariy to his own son, Captain lincoln on
CenCra Grants staff, he babe him for the lGs'
time "A aaeciOnate good bye MIR. Wash.
burne then gave an account Of his visit from
Clty Point toward the ever eccdjug " 'front.'
his stop at Petersburg which had enabled him
to ride through the deteDces OF that defiant
end rCbal!ioas 'Cockada CITY, (which had held
our soldiers at bay for so many We&rymeAths
he SAW Ort Stgadnlan. the theatre Of so much
carnage and blood, taken from us by the des-
pirate and taIipus assaults OF the rebel General
Gordon but who was afterwards driven cut by
the promptan and splendid 9allautrv Of Hartraupt
Gordon told him that he took seventy FIVE
hundred Ilen.into that assault. and came on.
with only sixteen hundred. He went over the
fatal mine which lad dyuuk so much precious
b.oOd--a splendid military Conc"pUiOn-but It's
success only filled TO be assured BIZ the failure
OF the division commander to grasp and take
advantage Of the sin9lion. H
The touching incidents OF the death aud burial
OF the rebel General a. z. Ill., were alluded
to tie was q young officer OF the old army.
and CI,e Of the b aveet and most gifted OF the
rebel soldiers. Separated from his command
and shot down while the battle was raging
with terrible fury about Petersburg, he was
hastily buried amid the tears, the lamentations
and the wailings of his young bride and the
people ofthat besieged AMI terrified city.
Pushing on. Mr. Washburne was only.ena-
bled to reach Eurksville junction on Sunday
neon, the day that agreement to surrender was
made by Grant with Lee, at AppomattoX Court
House, sixty miles beyond; bat he got to APP
poInattoX in season to see the actual surrender
and laying down of arms by the gallant army
Of Lee. On Monday afternoon he reached the
victorious army of the Potomac which was BIZ
youacked near where the surrender took place
Gen. Grant had accomplished his mission, and
had already started on his return. Reaching
the headquarters ofthe commanding general a.
ten o'clock at night, Mr.. W. gave description
of the scene of SURPRISING interest which was
there presented. A remarkable group fingered |
tent as he rode up. The great fact that the |
acoTk scas done, added TO the interest Of the |
scene. There sat Gen. Grant upon q camp |
stool, quietly smoking Lis cigar with the same |
quiet, modest demeanor, the same thoughtful. |
pleasant imperturable countenance, apparent |
ly utterly unconscious that at that moment he |
filleda greater space in the public eye than any |
living man. Then there was the iron soldier. |
Ord, commander OF the army Of the James.
whose mastery pursuit of Lee had drawn forth |
the warmest encomiums of the Com.
handing General. Ani General Rawlins.
a native and to the manor born, in Joe
Daviess County, the Chief of Staff and
Generals Williams and Dent, and others of the
young and gifted officers of the staff who had
followed the fortunes of their chief with unfal-
tering fidelity. He would not forget the On
ondago chief, Col. Ely 8 Parker, the Military
Secretary, formerly resident Of Galena, in
charge Of the public works. Galena was well
represented on that occasion-Grant. Rawlins
Parker, and there must be added the brave and
Captain Atchison, of the regular
army, aid to Gen. Ord, a worthy son of Galena.
And OF the Illinoisans present, he would not
be pardoned if he did not mention Col. Row.
IT'S, the Adjutant General, who had made him.
'elf TO Gen. Grant what Berthier was to Napo-
con, and Capt Robert Lincoln, the con of the
ate President. winning all hearts BY his officer.
ike department and manly bearing.
Proceeding the next morning 70 Appomat-
OK c. H., Mr.. Washburne had the good for.
une to witness, what was not seen by any
,ther civilian, the ceremony of final surrender.
Appomattox c. H. was described as Q regular
I'D Virginia court house village. A brick court
,ouse and jail, q shabby old tavern, store and
,ost office, then closed, and . few stragglin9.
lilapidated, rusty old houses, with broken
lown fences. and dirty negro quarters in the
ear, but neither church nor school house to
'e seen: Ne description could give any ade-
luate idea of the rebel camps as they appeared
the rebel soldiers without tente or shelter of
ny kind, being On less than half nations of the
,oarsest quality. There he behsld what re-
NAMED of the once proud army Of Northern
Virginia, clustered listlesely together in small
,odies, dirty, ragged, half starved, glum, silent
md desponding Seeing and conversing With
nearly all the rebel general officers, he got an
inside view of the rebellion. He sketched
Lee, Longstreet Gordon, Wilcox, Pickett
deth, and others of the most distinguished
ulcers.
On Wednesday morning, April II, the cere.
nony of laying down arms was Commenced. |.
md it was one of the most impressive ceremo.
lies ever witnessed The Union aoldiera or,ad