Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-08
TIE SOUTHERX CONFRDERACY
lis Dying Hours and Struggles
The Nobility Of Lee--The Hope
lesSneSS of the Struggle.
A Thrilling Account by an I'M
partial Observer.

thrown 10 the surface OF human affairs
ever succeeded in simultaneously gain
ing distinction and affection, unless be
possessed something Of an epiCene ma
ture, that is TO say, mixture Of maseu-
line aud feminine qualities. Without
claiming for Gen. Lee ia the highest
sense Of the title great, " it is impossible
70 deny that his memory will be cher
ished by those who in the crisis of bis
three years trial, stood aud suffered by
his side, as au exceptionally dear and
precious possession. Few soldiers, if
asked whether they would rather have
served under Lee on the one hand, or
under Cromwell, Frederick the Great,
Marlborough or Napoleon on the other,
would hesitate to prefer the four famous
generals to the discounted Confederate.
Yet il is doubtful whether any Of the
four after they had passed away, and had
ceased % communicate the electric
shock Of their presence and contact-0f
eve, voice, character and iDiuence-tO
Others, possessed such hold on the affec-
tons and esteem a. were inspired by
Robert Z. Lee.
The truth seems to be that the greatest
men are necessarily and intensely sell
fish. All great men are monsters, says
q German proverb, and il may, l think,
be conceded that when a man is playing
8 conspicuous role in life, and is gen
orally loved, he Is not, in the worlds
highest sense, great He is probably
something better He has the thought
fulness about others, the unOb-Tusiveness
and remuneration of sezg-the truthful
ness, purity, mOiesty, charity, guileless-
ness which cannot long be unuoticed by
those around him, and which lay firm
hold upon their hearts. But to the great,
10 ill a very large space in the worlds
eve during a mans few brief years upon
earth, he must throw modesty and IN
overheard; he must be
grasDing, aggressive, discreetly greedy Of
praise, covetUus Of a large share of honor,
judiciOuslv enviOus; must know how
TO undermine troublesome rivals with
out being found out and to help
useful friends without being sup
rlantad Heartily agreeing with Cole
ridge that where distinction and affec-
ton have been won coincidently, there
must be the epicene element in their
winner. L ven ture 10 doubt whether
mans affection is ever won by the great
est. or, in other words, whether in the
greatest any OF the woman Is to be found.
The men who are brave from tenderness
are brayer than the men who are brave
from pride. But the men who, 70 en-
courage or scare others, are gratuiJou>ly
brave, are not selfish euougn TO be great.
The calm Judgment Of posterity, espe-
cially if assisted 10y the pen Ct Mr.. Car
lyle who is said 10 hold that Washing
ton stands too hi Eh, and who, IL ] am
informed, cDutemplates lower
ing his pedestalI, viii, ] think, reverse
the verdict Of Mr. EveretL's well known
lecture, and will pronounce that Wash
ington was not greater than Peter, or
Frederic, or Marlborough, as Mr.. Everett
contends. but was simply more esumable.
The exceeding lovsbleuess Of Lee be-
came more patent as your consciousness
that as q politician he lacked vigor and
became more irresistible.
This lovableness was based upon never
tiring unselishness, contagious endur-
anee OF hardship and danger, q shrink
ing modesty, al ab0uuding tenderness.
The child and the young girl, who mad
never seen him before, ran 10 him in
As to q friend. His LOOK
spoke Of honesty, directuess, kiudliDess,
courage. His smile was irFesisiibly wis
ming. But the stuff which made CrOm-
well, Napoleon, William the silent,
greater as politicians than rs soldiers,
was lacking in Lee Al that there was
Of true and brave in the people whom be
80 nearly made natIcn called on MIN
BY signs that be who ran might read, TO
pui congress aside, to control the press,
10 be dictator indeed and yet he would
not Nevertheless, IN the belief that
there IL no more powerful stimJlantSO
noble ambition than the study Of such
character rs Lees, I desire 10 throw
nv stone upon the cairn by gathering
a few notes, for the general &C
curaey Of which j can entirely vouch,
exhibiting the main features Of the
eveDtful six days which interviewed be
tweea the evacuation of the Confederate
lines around Petersburg ana Richmond
un the night Of April 2d aud the surren-
der Of Lees army on the morning OF
April 9tb.
In order rightly to understand these
six DAYS. il should be promised that the
federal cavalry, ma>sed under Gen.
Sheridan, numbering about Is, 900 sabers,
.l,endidly equipped, and converted by
their able commander Into q body of
military hOrsemeu, upon whom au &ps-
triAn or French s0GfCur might have
looked without disdain, moved south
wards down the valley Of Virginia be-
tween the lst and 10th of last March,
and encountered a scratch Confederate
army Of about 5000 men, under Gen.
Early, AZ Waynesboro. Gen. Early, dis
trustful OF his men, who We're equally
distrustful Of elm, planted them with
backs to a deep river. in order TO make
retreat impossible. The result is easily
foreseeu. Gen. Sheridan bRgRed two
thirds Of his enemy's force and most OF
his enemy's artillery. Sweeping rapidly
onward toward ihe James river between
Richmond and Lynch burg, Sheridan
found himself confronted og a swollen
and impassable stream. Re iell back,
rounded the left wing Of Lees army,
crossed the PamUnkey river &C the
White House, where be recruited his
strength by picking up twelve hundred
fresh horses which awaited him there,
and upon the 18th OF March Joined Gen.
Grant in the lines before Petersburg
To SheridaD's uutiring and ssgaciOus
activity in the Subsequent operations,
more than to the agency Of any other
man. is due the comp pleteDess OF the fed
aral triumph-the seemingly ineXpiics
bic COLLAPSE Of the Confederacy
Ii was not long before Grants acces-
sion Of strength was felt by Lee.
Tpon the evening of Saturday, April
Ist. Gen. LOngstreet, Who bad long de-
feDded Richmond by commanding the
Confederate forces TO the north Of James
river, received information from Lee
that Grant bad detached Sheridan's cav
alrv and two corps Of infantry labout
25 900 men in all 70 act against the
railroad. Before Dmunica-
ting with LongstTeet, Lee had dispatched
Pickett's and BushrOd JOhnsOn's diVi-
sions. HugeE's battalion Of artillery, and
Fitzhugh Lees division a cavalry (in
al about i. 600 men, Lee had so weak
ened bis lines before Petersburg, that
there was but one Confederate left to
every fifty yards.
Under these circumstances, Lee called
upou Iongstreet ioPameu. But sc dawn
had had time 10 obey Lees orders, Grant
deserted from his wooden tower Of OBJ
servatiop the weakness Of the COnfed-
erate lines. Immediately be threw
very heavy column, consisting, ] be-
Iieve. chiefly Of Gibbons corps, upon
IRE weakest spot. The federals carried
with very slight loss the outer line,
thinly held by Heath'a division Of Con-
federates, and bulged inward until they
struck two of the detached forts, whereof
a string or system ran behind the whole
length of the Confederate outer works.
These two detached works, which were
~ course designed TO cover each other,
Sgera named Forts Gregg and Alexander.
Ths off1eer in command Of Fort Alex
.nder which was farthest away from
o. ~ b-coming federals, deemed it more
in,nortant TO save his guns than TO try
- beIn Fort Gregg. Receiving no as
s..t.,-,e from lis tWin-brOther, Fort