Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-01-30

Not the present wsiter, who saw all; star
we'd with his comrades; heard the bay Of
the Federal wardogs day and nigh on the
track; and now, when two years have pass
ed, recalls with sombrc emotions that bit
ter, frightful, hopeless struggle to emerge
from the tolls in which numbers had enyel-
oped the little fainting handful fainting,
but defiant and unconqaered to the last
Here are some. memoranda only of the
retreat. Lee had just begun to move from
Amelia G, H., where news came that the
Federal cavalry, pushing ahead, had at
tackled and burned his ordnance trains al
Paynesville Thus even his small numbers
were to be paralyzed army must be
disarmed in advance. Lee moved on stea-
Oily, reached the vicinity Of High Bridge
on the 9th, and here the Federal infantry
and cavalry burst into the trains; tore to
pieces their rear guard under Ewell and
others; captured destroyed, or dispersed
tie whole; and pressed forward to annihi-
late the remainder of the army.
This was Just at nigbtfall, and the woods
glared: the sky was great canopy of Grim
son; artillery roared; muskets cracked; the
Federal forces rushed on to finish their
work, when in their path they saw hedge
of bayonets, hanked by cannon. whose grim
mouths seemed to say, Come on!' In
fact, Gen. Lee had fastened with hand
full of men to erect this barrier between
the disordered remnant of Ewell, Anderson
and GUSTS Leland it was magnificent
spectacle. the reception of the old cavalier
By the half-starved, unarmed, and tumul-
tuous crowd who seemed in wild rage
at having been thus driven by the enemy.
With hands clenched and raised aloft !:
eyes fiery and menacing; accents hoarse,
defiant, full Of unshrinking fight" the
ragged infantry rose from the ground upon
which they had thrown themselves around
the cannon, exclaiming-
General Lee!'
It's old Uncle Robert"
''Where's the man who wouldn't follow
old Uncle Roberto
Fancy that scene, reader. if you cam
These tatterdemalions, burning with rage,
defiance and reckless courage ; with hands
clutched, eyes like Goals Of fire. hoarse and
vibrating voices-faces gaunt, dirty ema-
ciated by hunger, but showing, by the
clenched teeth under the rough-bearded
! lips, that the nerve of the bull dog was
all there still--imagine this scene, lit up
by the glare Of the burning wagons, by
the horizon all flaming, above which rose,
red and threatening, the Federal signal
rockets, and in the midst of all, on his
iron gray, the old cavalier, Lee, sitting
calm and collected, with a face as unmov-
ed as on some peaceful parade
Fefore that rock, bristling with bayonets,
the Federal wave went back Night fell,
and with cannon laundering upon the long
drawn line Of Federal horsemen, ready to
rush forward ON his rear, Lee continued
his retreat, crossing the river at Farmville,
and making for Lynchburg.
Then commenced, on the 7th of April,
1865, the most terrible scenes of the re-
treat. Men were fighting, falling and dy-
ing all around. The musket was fired,
then it fell from the nerveless hand Then
charged, drove back the enemy, swarm
ing upon them, pursued with wild yells,
triumphant cheers-then TIL y staggered
and fell All along the immense line of
train, the enemy attacked; the 'stragglers,
as they were ca!led-that is, the men who
could not carry musket or cartridg e-boy =
fought them with sticks and rocks. The
horses and mules were fainting from ex-
haustion, like the troops. Wagons mired,
and the teams could not move Cannon
sunk in mudholes, and the horses fell and
died beside them, up to the. girth in ooze
i The teams had become skeleton animals,
with emaciated limbs, and eyes full Of
Aduinb despair. The most cruel blows
scarcely pushed them to slow walk -
! Corn there was none, or if little was dis
covered, the starving troops clutched it
struggled for the ears. crushed the grains
between their teeth like horses, and swal-
lowed it half masticated Meanwhile, to
the right, to the left, in rear, in front, the
enemy Numbered and the muskets of the
1 Confederates replied. Lee was fighting
still-meant to fight to the end
Hope had not even then deserted that
breast, cased in triple steel. When, on
the 9th, Gen. Pendleton was deputed by
the corps commanders to inform Gen. Lee
that surrender. in their opinion. was inevi-
table, Lee exclaimed, with flushed cheeks:
Surrender! [ have too many good
! fighting men for that"
On the morning of the 9th. as he drew
near Appomattox G. H., these lighting
men were reduced to less than 5000, and
/ the enemy had struck last blow. Sheri-
dams cavalry pushing on in front, had cap
tured and destroyed train of supplies
sent down from Lynchburg Then Lees
last hope was gone, and nothing remained
| for him but to surrender the army.
Up to that moment he had resolutely re-
fused to do so, when Gen. summoned him.
On the 7th, and again on the 8th,. the
Federal commander had written him notes
urging the hopeless situation of his army;
but as late as the evening of the 9Th, the
day before the surrender. Lee replied:
To be frank, do not think the emer-
gency has arisen to call for the surrender
! Of this army"
A Federal writer sees in that reply "a
kind Of grim humor;'' and in truth there
was something grim. if not very humor-
| Gus. In such an answer an the 9Th al