Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-05-08
Correspondence of the n. Y. Herald
The Rival Leaders of the Civil WaI
i'm Conference.
GENERAL LEES VISIT TO PRESIDENT
GRANT
Wild RumOrs Concerning the Tenure o1
their Interview.

WASHINGTON, May l, 1869.
Interessinss Scene at the White HOuse-In-
terview OF General Lee with the Presi.
dent-Cordlal Meeting of the Great Com.
manders-Indigna. ION of Office Seekers.
General Robert z. Lee, late commander
of the Confederate army, arrived here at a
late hour this morning from Baltimore,
accompanied by Mr.. and Mrs. Daggart,
old Baltimore friends of the General
They proceeded at once to the residence
of friend in Georgetown. About eleven
o'clock Gen. Lee drove to the Executive
Mansion and, sending in his card, was ad-
mitted to the President without delay
When he entered the ante-room at the
White House there were many persons
present waiting to see the President,
among them several members of Congress.
Lee was recognized by some of them and
general buzz ran around the ROOM
s' There's General Lee-wonder what he
wants here? Gen. Dent was assiduous in
his attentions and lost no time in getting
Lees card before the President. There
were some half dozen persons mostly
Congressman, in the Presidents room at
the time, on various sorts Of business
Nearly all of them were after Office and
wanted to press their claims upon the Pre-
sident. AS soon as he got Lees card,
however, he said to the Congressional Of
fee hunters, Gentlemen, you will have to
excuse me. [ have all engagement with
Gen. Lee, who is now waiting outside to
keep 1t, and [ wish our interview to be
private" This was q broad hint for the
congressman to retire. They picked ur
their hats and beat hasty and somewhat
demoralized retreat towards the door, ut.
terirg curses not loud but deep at the in.
trusion of the big rebel guest when they
were fixing up their little business.
1.-The President" said one Senator,
''sees us in crowd, and thereby exposes
our private business =; but when a rebel
comes along he is given private audi
ence."
eyes" said another, land we are driven
out as if We had no business here. when
we are looking after the interests of the
country"
"That's the way" said member of the
House, resignedly.
"Being g. rebel is q good card of admis'
sion here. it appears" observed an indig-
nant citizen who had been waiting pa
tiently for some time to see the President.
The feeling in the crowd was one of un-
disguised indignation that Lee should go
in ahead of all the rest, but this unques-
tionably arose from the fact that many OF
them had been disappointed in getting an
interview. General Lee remained closeted
with the Executive nearly half an hour
What the object of the meeting really was
no one seems to know. Some declare it
was merely mark of respect which the
late rebel chieftain desired to pay to the
President. Others profess to have infor.
nation that leads them to the conclusion
that Giant consulted Lee concerning the
bothe~some reconstruction enigma in Vir-
ginia, and that Lee very fully unfolded his
views as to what should be the course OF
the government on that question, and what
! the people of the Old Dominion really re-
quired. The people who pretended to be
thus posted hint that Lee made some rich
disclosures as to the chief difficulty of re-
construction in that State, and that he
spoke of some Of the politicians there as
being utterly corrupt and incompetent
| There is still another story as to the object
Of the interview, one which looks entirely
improbable, but which is, nevertheless,
credited by some people here. 1t is to the
effect that Grant has requested Lee to aci
as special commissioner of our govern
ment to Cuba, to ascertain the real con
dition of affairs in that island. This seems
so entirely improbable as to be hardly
worth repeating. but as it may possibly bs
true T put it on record.