Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-09-21
Anecdotes, &C., Of General Lee.

From lice and hisLieutenants." By Edward
A. Pollard. Treat & Co, publishers. n VI
2 ''In his ffcialintercourse and private conyer-
sation Gen. Lee never breathed vipdictiye
sentiment towards the enemy who so severely
taxed his resources and ingenuity, and put
against him so many advantages in superior
means and numbers. He had none Of the
Yankeephobia common in the Southern army !;
he spoke Of the northern people without NAL
] evidence, and in a style that deprecated their
political deusions rather than denounced their
crimes and he generally referred to the enemy
in quiet and Indifferent words, quite lin con-
trast to the epithets and anathemas which
were popuarly shoWered on 'sthe Yankees. y
On one occasion a spectator describes him rid
ing UP to the Rockbridge Artillery, which was
iercey engaging the enemy, and greeting his
ly working one of the guns. "How 'ye do,
continued his duty at his gun; and Gen. Lee
replied quietly That's right my son drive
those people back At another time, in sight
of the enemy on the Rapidan, Gen. Lee was
standing near his lines conversing with two Of
his officers, one of whom was known to be not
only hard fighter and hard swearer, but a
cordial hater of the Yankees After silence
of some moments, the latter officer, looking at
the Yankees with dark scowl on his face, ex-
claimed most emphatically, II wish they
we're all dead General Lee, with the grace
and manner peculiar to himself, replied. ''How
can you say so, General Now, [ wish they
were all at home, attending to their own busi-
ness, and leaving US to do the same" He
then moved off, when the first speaker, waiting
until he was out of earshot, turned to his
companion, and in the most earnest tone said,
Il would not say so before General Lee, but [
wish they were all dead, and in hell" When
this ''amendment" to the wish was afterwards
repeated to General Lee, in spite of his good
ness and customary reproot of profanity, he
could not refrain from lughing heartily at the
speech, which was so characteristic Of one of
his favorite officers.
81 His scanty meals were the occasion of some
thoughtless jokes and many comic anecdotes.
In his tent meat was eaten but twice a week.
His ordinary dinner consisted of head of cab
bage, boiled in salt water and a pone of corn
bread The story is jocosely told that :on one
occasion number OF gentlemen having ap-.
pointed to dine with him, he had ordered his
servant to provide a repast OF cabbage, and
middling. A very small bit of middling gar
nished the dish-so small that the polite guests
all declined middling, and it remained on the
dish when they rose from the table. Next
dayithe2 General remembering the untouched
meat ordered his servant to bring that mid
ding The man hesitated, scratched his
head, and finally said '''De fact is, mass'r
Robert dat ar middlin' was horrid middlin'
and l done Civ it hack to de man whar [ got it
from rsr,....,-ag,.. ,ag.4;. ....
Here IS one not in the book General Lee
one day rode up to the top Of a little embauk-
ment below this city, towards which the Yam
KEGS we're firing good many shells. An old
soldier looked at him very seriously, and re-
marked, "That id old fool will keep expos
ing himself till he gets Killed; and then what
will become of all of us p A remark which
shows that the soldiers regarded General Lee
as their best friend. ll-hIlich,, Dispatch, III