The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-04-11
ccme when negotiations should be opened

ground. No other heard the confeFsal i9 sa
between him and myself. He received NJ
communication with the reply. Hragioas
heavens! trust It has not come W til'll..
And added, General, wehave yet zoo hiau!
bold men to think of laying down our arms i!1s
The enemy do not fight with spirit, "iI'o
orr bows still do. Besides. if were 70 say =
word to the Federal commander, ne Wou,ot
regard Il as such confession OF weakness as
10 make IL the occasion OF demanai' i
unconditional surrender proposal ~
which will never listen. have reso,se 'a
to die first; and that If it comes 10 tll.. W.
shall force through or all fall ID our p'ao:9,.
General. this IL no new ques!loh Nun
me. I have never believed we cot'Ia, uSnll,s'
the gigantic combination for our suD)uga-
tion. make good in the long run our mug II:
pepdence unless foreign Powers shouia, vi
rectIy or indirectly, assist Us. rms l was
sure It was their interest and dnfy 10 no,
and I hoped they would so regard II. Dun
snch considerations really made win NC lio
difference. We had, was satisfied, sacrru
nrincinles to maintain and rights to deteho,
for which we were in duty bound TO 90 o,' l,
best. even if we persisted in the enoeaVol
These were, as nearly as / can recall thenl,
tho exsct words of General Lee on that most
critical occasion. You sec in them tne sou !.
of the man. What hfs.conScicnce dlcta'etl
and his Judgment decided, there his heaft
was.
General Lee did not think proper TO COM
ply at once with the suggestion OF ms corps
commanders, but when, Gu the n1ShL Oh lhI
next day (the 7th), he received from Genera
Grant demand for the surrender OF MS
army. he opened the correspondence 100
familiar to need repetition here) when cui-
minated in the final terms of surrender. Du!
in the mean time General Lee was pressing
on towards Lynchburg, and on the evening
of the 9Th his vanguard reached AppomaltoA
station. where rations for the army had neen
ordered to be sent from Lynchb,lrg. -Four
loaded trains were in sight and the furnished
army about to be supplied when the hcao
of Sheridan's column dashed upon tnt
scene, captured the provisions, and grove
the vanguard back to AppouiattoH Court
honsc. four miles oil. Sheridan'S impel uous
troopers met q sudden and bloody check 1T
the streets of the village, the colonel com.
handing the advance being killed. Illt'l
morning General Lee had divided the rem
nant of his army into two wings, under Gor'
don and Longstreet-Go having the ad'
vance. and Longstreet the rear. Upon the
reprllse of the cavalry, Gordon's corps adj
yanced through the village and spent an
other night of sleepless vigilance ano
anxiety. while Longstreet, four miles in
the rear, had to entrench against the Army oil
the Potomac under Meade. Il gazcd the
other day with mournful interest on the last
trenches ever dug by Lees veterans) That
night General Lee held council Of war with
LOngstreet, Gordon, and Fitz Lee, at when
it WAS determined that Gordon should ad'
vance early the next morning to "feei i" the
enemy in. bis 'front.' that if there was nothing
but cavalry he should press on, Followed by
Longstreet-but that if Grants infantry had
gotten up in too large force to be driven, ne
should halt and notify General Lee, that
flag of truce might be raised, and the useless
sacrifice of life stopped.
Accordingly, on the morning of the me
morabe 9th Of April, Gordon and F'itz Lee
attacked Sheridan's splendid cavalry. out.
numbering them more than two TO one ano
flushed with the full confidence of victory
and the assurance that if they needed sup
port the "Arlny of the James" was close al
hand. Yet, despite these odds and the eX-
haustion of these furnishing men, they went
into that fight with the heroic courage which
ever characterized that old corps, and proved
themselves not unworthy of Stonewall Jack
son, Ewell, Early, Gordon. Rodes, RAIN
seur, Pegranl, j. a. Walker, G. a. Evans, and
other noble leaders whom they had been wont
to follow to victory. Utterly unable to with
stand the onset, Sheridan fastened in person
to hurry up the Army Of the James, while
Cordon droya his--H-:.--:noiiyit: EtrooDCrS y
shoFe shai. mile. and captured and brought
off two niereS or artillery ana largo
bar Of nrisonars. Had only Sheridan barred
tho r.eE,,eho Surrender had not occurred al
Appomattox Courthouse but Gordon only
drove back the cavalry to find himself con.
fronted by the "Army Of the James," and
the road blocked by ten times his numbers
What Immediately followed is best told in
tue eloquent words of Colonel G. S. Nenable
in bis speech at the great Lee Memorial
meeting in Richmond, November Sd, 1870:
CAT 3 O'Clock on the morning OF that fatal
dav General Lee rode forward, still hoping
that we might break through the countless
hordcs of the enemy which hemmed US in.
Halting short distance in the rear Of our
vanguard, lie sent me on to General Gordon
to ask him if he could break through the
enemy. found General Gordon and Gene
raj Fitz Lee on their front line In the dim
light of the morning arranging an attack.
Gordon's reply to the message Il give the ex-
pressive phrase of the gallant Georgian) was
this Tell General Lee have fought my
corps to n FRAGILE, and | fear | can do
nothing unless ] am heavily supported
by Longstreet's corps When | bore
this message back to General Lee, he said :
Then there is nothing left me but to go and
see General Grant, and would rather die
thousand Deaths Convul>ed with passion.
ate grief many were the wild words which
we spoke US we stood around him. Said
one: ooh! General, what will history say
of the surrender of the army in the field p
He replied g Yes; know they will say hard
things of us; they will not understand
how we were overwhelmed by numbers !;
but that is not the question, Colonel;
the question is, Is 1T right to surrender
this army? # at is right, then I actH
take all The responsibility Felow-soldiers,
though he alone was calm in that hour OF
humiliation, the soul of our great captain
underwent the throes of death for his grand
old army surrendered, and for bis people, so
soon to lie at the mercy of the foe; and the
SORROWS of this first death at -AppomattOx
Courthouse, with the Affections which fell
upon the devoted South, weighed upon his
mighty heart to its breaking, when the wei
come messenger came from God to trans
late him to his home in heaven"
But this letter is long enough, and must
reserve for another General Lees own ac-
count of his meeting with General Grant, and
other incidents of the surrender. VIAToR.
Petersburg.
HITCH IN THE SCHOOL BoARD-hAILRoAD ITEMS