The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-02-07
OUR DEAD HERO!
INcIDENTs OF THE MIfIPaRYL LIFE
OF LEE.
The Evacuation of Petersburg-APpor
mattoX.

| mattox.
The Augusta Chronicle brings US a repor
OF an address delivered recently.in Georgia.b1
General Pendleton, who was chief Of artillery
under General Lee, and since the Conclusion
of the war his pastor and intimate friend. We
give some extracts:
WHY he DID NOT EARLIER WITHDRAW FRos
PETERSBURG,
has been asked. To my knowledge he was
perfectly aware, long before April, 1865, Of
the necessity for such withdrawal, and ha6
fully resolved upon It,. Several months before
| he privately expressed this to myself. as l be-
lieve he did to others in responsible positions
AT any rate I received from him secret infor
nation TO send to designated point, far in
In the rear, all surplus ammunition, and to
make arrangements with the artillery. as the
arm most difficult of sudden movement, fol
marching at one hours notice, his plan being
junction with the Southern Confederate army,
that by quick and decisive combination
one or the other Of the Federal armies might
| be struck with effectusl force. With this plan,
however, there was interference, which Gene
raj Lee deemed 1t a less evil TO yield to than to
disregard. Its nature may be Inferred from q
significant remark made by him to myself
| W.
templating the then thlnness OF his own line,
its vast extent, and the teebleness OF his'e
tire force. he said ''General, flour cause fails,
its epitaph may be written, Died Of Congress
and the Newspapers,'n The next morning
that thin line was broken by the numerous
masses that at length advenlured attack, and
we had to withdraw.
| THE MAsTERLY RETREAT
then began 1t has been asked why even then
so great-a captain could not succeed In n elad-
Ing his much less skilled adversary? The re-
ply is found in the utterly reduced state OF bis
army, and Of, all Southern military supplies,
with the snperadded difficulties Of inclement
weather and deep roads.
Amelia Courthouse, on the Richmond and
| Dauyille Railroad, was duly reached; but sup
plies that had been called for, and were ex-
pected there. were not Forthcoming, while
| large number Of persons from Richmond, only
q few of whom, however, were reliable SOL
diers were added to the crowd We had to pro-
vide for and protect
For want OF ANIMALS aud forage, a large
amount OF wagons, ammunition, &C., had to
be DESTROYED, and the best dispositions possi-
ble were made for continuing With the re-
mainder our retreat. Detachments of the
enemy were by this time getting close. They
had to be kept of With a portion OF our toreer
while the main body and trains moved on
Thus by day, fighting had TO be maintained all
along, and marching chiefly BY night.
It will be readily understood under what
immense disadvantage this was, at every step.
accomplished, when the vast resources OF the
Federal commander are considered, The null
titude of his troops. and the prodlglous host
OF cavalry, comparatively fresh, at his dispo-
SAL That General Lee succeeded as he did IN
so far foiling him, and In considerable degree
avoiding such disaster as that to his rear d.
visions at Sailors Creek, between Amelia
Springs and Farmville, Is one OF the most slg-'
nal evidences OF his matchless power as a.
commander.
WHETHER GENERAL LEES HEART WAS IN THE
soUTHBRN CAUSE
has been called In question BY some lntercs-
ted in maligning that cause. Let me mention
IN incident which makes the truth. clear as
day:
Having reached Far1nville, in Prince Ed
ward County, on the morning OF Friday, April
Tth, our little army crossed the AppomattoX
again gaining the northern bank, and destroy
Ing the bridges Battle order was then form
ed, and the enemy approaching greeted with
cannon in position. One bridge below, how
ever, had not been destroyed, and a corps Of
the Federal army pressed upon us from tnat
direction. Giving my personal attention 10
the defence there, / met your own gallant fel-
iow-citizen, General John B. Gordon, conduct
ing the fight, as was his wont, with daSn anu
viIor. A few words were exchanged. He In
formed Inc Of q conference held some hours
before between himself General Richard An
derson and others, In which it was determined
that myself, as one ultimately associated wltn
the commander-in-chief, should be requested
10 see him, II in accordance with my views.
and EXPRESS 10 him our sense of the desperate
ness of the situation, and of the moral I'M
proprety of continuing struggle now clear
iy lopeless-every man killed under such Cir
cumslances being, as we thought, rather muir
dercd than martyred. My impression be-
ing in the main of the same general cast,
agreed to see General Longstreet irst, as next
IN command 10 General Lee. This according
suggestion ut first with his accustomed imper-
t,lrbabie resolution, objecting In toto to any
thought OF d!scontinulng the contest, and add
ing that he believed his corps, or What re-
maine OF it, could ''still whip" as he expressed
it, 'three times their humber OF Yankees" !"
A1nlrlng his spirit, readily acquIesced, but
suggested the inquiry whether they could
withstand thirty times their number, as they
would have to do. He, in the sequel, fully
agreed that General Lee ought to be communi-
Gated with, and begged him to go in person
and express his own sense Of the situation, II
for no other reason, to relieve the noble nearC
OF the great commander OF the sense OF soil
tariness in his mighty responsloiity. inc
veteran Lieutenant-General,h however, excused
himself on the score Of his being slow or
speech, and requested Inc to represent him
with the rest In sub hitting the statement Of
all this to General Lee. | gladly make this
statement to the honor Of General Longstreet,
though differing with that officer as to his
recent course as wide as the poles.
General Lee was lying on the ground. No
other heard the conversation between him
and myself He received my communication
with the reply, "Gracious heavens trust 1t
has not come to that !" And added, General,
we have yet too many bold men to think OF
laying down our arms. The enemy do not
fight with spirit like our boys still do. Besides,
| ii | were to say word 10 the Federal COM
mander, he would regard 1t as such confes-
sion of weakness as to make II the occasion OIL
demanding unconditional Surrender-a propo-
sal to which 1 will never listen. have resolv-
ed to die first, and that If 1t comes to that, we
shall force through OF all fall in our places
tell you, friends, General Lee was the bold
est man In all that heroic band. The General
| went on: ''General, this is no new ques-
tiou with me. have never believed we
could, against the gigantic com blnation for
our subjugatlon, make good In the long run
our Independence, unless foreign powers
should, directly or Indirectly, assist us. This
| I was sure 1t was their interest and duty TO
| do, and hoped they would so regard 1t But
such considerations really made with me no
| difference We had, | was satisfied, sacred
| principles to maintain and rights 10. defend,
| for which we were In duty bound to do our
i best, even if we perished In the endeavor."
These were, as nearly as l can recall them, the
exact words of General Lee on that most criti-
cal occasion. You see In them the soul OF the
man; what his conscience dictated and his
Judgment decided there his heart was.