The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-24
A Page from History.


bay in Lower Normandy.
A Page from History.
Henry A. Wise, the unjacketed
Richmond Iunatic, has been making
still another OF his speeches in glOritica-
ton of the Rebellion. At Alexandria,
near enough to Washington for the
Government to get at him, amid pro
longed cheers be defed and ridi-
culed it, and "scohed at mercy He
said: "If | had triumphed, l should
have favored stripping them naked.
Pardon They might have appealed
for pardon, but / would have seen
them damned before l would have
granted it, For myself, the boot being
on the other leg, l take no oaths 1
ask no pardonsl For this sentiment,
which is probably genuine (for we ali
guess at what would have been the re-
suit of ''the boot being on the other
leg }, we care nothing We do not
give Wise and his fellow-conspiratorg
their ancient privileges because they
think it right for as TO do so, but be-
cause we think it right. They probably
consider it very weak and very stupid
of our Government to act as 1t does;
but the Government does not ask the
opinion of such as Wise, and has its
own motive for treating him beyond his
deserts. But there is another Of Wise's
recent utterances which does require
notice, because a similar one has been
made in quarters where it would be
likely to do more harm ~ have the
proud satisfaction of saying that l
fought until we won the privilege Of
being paroIed." The implication of
course, Is that the parole granted at
AppomatoZ CourtHOuse was one eX-
torted by the army which surrendered;
whereas, the truth Is that that treaty
was a privilege granted by the COM
mander who received the surrender
There never has been q case Of meT-
CIV and magnanimity so remarkable IN
history as the conduct of Grant In
April, 1865. He had an insolent and
vindictive enemy, long successful in
resistance, at last ct his feet. The
much-sufferinga army ofthe Potomac had
after SO often beating itself to bleeding
fragments against entertainments, Ike
the sea dashed to foam against the
cliffs, at last driven the enemy out OF
his defences, and exposed his real in-
feriority of numbers. 1t remained on
lv to give the coup de grace; and, ct the
very moment OF aunIhIlatlOn, Grant
stayed the uplifted arm. Lees ration5
for his whole army were smoking 10 the
flames of the Richmond stOTehOG5esi
that army was bleeding with wounds,
exhausted with toll, sleeple5s with
night-watChes, distressed with the pangs
of hunger, foOtsore and staggering
blindIy, now dropping ,ha-r guns from
exhaustion, and anon driven into sharp
contest by the relentless puIsGsTs-aJ
,Jettersville, Paine's Crossroads, Farm
Vile, Deatonsville, Sailor Geek, high
! Bridge, the Old Stage I0eg, AgpCwaJ-
| tox Station, and Appoma-.JG Court
| House. 1t was the wreck Of an army
coming up again and again With true
! GRIT TO the contest, like q spent boxer.
| in the ring, at the call OF "IIG, butt
! only 10 be sent Keeling to the ground
At such moment, convinced of Size
"bOpelesgness OF further resistance,
Grant wrote from FarmVille, on April
/ It'll, his ever famous letter, asking OF
his adversary the surrender OF the
ARMY of Northern Virginia, that he
might shift from himself "ths Eespon-
ability Of any further etiUslon OF
| blood" " lille the ensuing cores
pondenca went on, Lee grew weaker
! day by day When he wrote, on the
/ Stb, to Grant that he "did not enter
| tain the opinion you express on the
| hopelessness Of further resistance, he
knew perfectly wen thaC he had not
| twenty thousand effective troops against
ouadruple that number opposed to
him, that these twenty thousand we're
entirely exhausted that much Of his
artillery had been abandoned, and
MANY of the muskets of the men had
been dropped; that his shadow of an
army had one ration to start with on
this dread race for life, and men and
animals were living on what could be
seized by the Wayside. Yet Grant, Ia
king no notice of these facts or of Lees
ignoring them, instantly replies, in per-
feet temper and with the same gener-
Gus gpirit that "there is but one con-
dition / would insist upCn-namely,
! that the men and officers surrendered
be disqualified for taking up arms
again against the Government of the
| United States until properly ex-
changed" And again Lee replies:
ITO be frank, do not think the emer.
gencv has arisen to call for the surren-
der of this army" adding, Al cannot
meet YOU with view 10 surrender the
| Army of Northern Virginia, but, as far
as your proposal may affect the C0nfed-
! crate States forces under my command
and tend to the restoration of peace,
| should be pleased to meet you ct 10 A.
NJ" Any General but Grant, knowing
| the utter "hOpelessness " OF further re-
| sistance, and the wreJched wreck thai
remained of Lees army, and then re-
| ceiviug SO IDLE and ainIe5s 81 reply 10
a proposition overhoWiDg with geuor-
| ositv, would have answered only with
blow. avery goOd-f you cannot
meet me with q view to surrender, viii
| make you surrenderWithOu meeting"
There would have been no great
cruelty in responding thus to the
rejection Of his repeated sugges-
| ton of honorable surrender. At
that time, Lee was between two rivers,
unable to cross either, aud Sheridan
! troopers, as strong as Lees available
army, were hurrying directly across ais
path. Yet, Ito be frank, he aid not
see any hopelessuess IN fighting.
Grants reioinder to this veza.-5ls dis
patch was in perfect accord with
| his previous note. THE meeting pro
posed for loan today could lead 10
no good" But still tae door is open
for honorable surrender Thanks 10
the tremendous yigor of Sheridan,
these words we're soon ended. That
General had made forced march OF
thirty miles, burst upon Appoma-oZ
Station, captured four supply trains
there Of Confederate stores, had driven /
back the advance Of Lee upon his I
main army, and plsnted HIs aC.senen /
squaFe across the road on which Lee
was approaching; and tEe~e .he Con .
sederats General found him planted .
when he sat down and wrote ufs dis (
patch. ito be frank eh.u.i be
said, however, that Lee did aene TO /
break through this cavalry front. and .
actually attempted IT, The best eu
thorIty says that 10 achieve this las. a-s /
whole army consisted of "tlln line"
Of Gord0n's troops in front. nan,fb--