Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-06
LEE AND GRANT.

! Interesting Scene at the White Hons
Interview of GEN. Lee with IN
President-COrdiaI Meeting Of an
Great COEnmanders- Ind lgnatIOm O
once Seekers.
Correspondence Of the New York Herald.
WASHINGTON, May l.-Gen. Rober
E. Lee, late commander of. the Confed
crate army, arrived here at an early hou
this morning from Baltimore, accompanies
by Mr.. and Mrs. Daggart, old Baltimore
friends Of the General. They proceeded
at once TO the residence Of friend il
Georgetown. About ii O'Clock Gen
Lee drove to the Executive Mansion and
sending in his card, was admitted to the
President without delay. When he en-
tered the ante>room at the White House
there were many persons present waits
ing to see the President, among them
several members of Congress. Lee was
recognized by some oflhem, and general
buzz ran around the room. "1'here's
Gen. Lee-wOnder what he wants here?"
Gen. Dent was assiduous in his atten-
tons and lost no time in getting Lees
card before the President. There were
some half dozen persons, mostly Con,
| gressmen, in the Presidents room at tho
time, on various sorts olbusiness. Nearly
all Of them were after office, and wanted
to press their claims upon the President.
As soon as he got Lees card, however, he
said to the Congressional office-hunters,
Gentlemen, you will have to excuse me.
| have an engagement with Gen. Lee,
who is now waiting outside TO keepit,
and wish our interview to be private"
This was broad hint for the Congress-
men to retire. They picked up their
hats and beat hasty and somewhat de-
moralized retreat toward the door,
uttering curses not loud but deep at the
intrusion of the big Rebel guest when
they were fixing up their little business.
"The President said one Senator,
"sees us in crowd, and thereby exposes
our private business; but when Rebel
comes along he is given private audi,
ence."
"Yes," said another, "and we are
driven out as if we had no business here,
when we are looking after the interests
of the country"
"Thaps the way" said member Of
the House, resignedly.
"Being Rebel is a good card of admis-
sion here, it appears" observed an indig-
nant citizen who had been waiting patti
emily for some time to see the President.
The feeling in the crowd was one of
undisguised ndignation that Lee should
20 n ahaaH IF oil The h,,k
questiOnably arose from the fact that
many Of them had been disappointed in
getting an interview. Gen. Lee remained
clOseted with the Executive nearly half
an hour. What the object of the meet
ing was no one seems to know. Some
declare it was merely a mark Of respect
which the late Rebel chieltain desired to
pay to the President. Others profess to
have information that leads them to the
conclusion that Grant consulted Lee cons
corning the bOthersOme reconstruction
enigma in Virginia, and that Lee very
fully unfolded his views as TO what
should be the course Of the Govern
ment Oh 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
to reconstruction 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 OBJ
ject of the interview, one which looks en-
tirely improbable, but which is, neverthe>
less, credited by some people here. 1t is
to the effect that Grant has requested
Lee to act as special commissioner of
our Government TO Cuba, to ascertain
the real condition of affairs in that island.
This seems so entirely improbable as to
be hardly worth repeating, but as it may
possibly be true put it on record.