The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-04-17

ent OF the Richmond Dispn.cb, furnishes
General Lees account of hts surrender
at Appomattox. It will repay l,srusal !:
The sitnation at Appomattox on tf(e
9Th OF April, 1856. when General .Le8
sent . flag OF truce to aSk, an interyieH
With General Grant, was simply this:
There were only $500 jaded, famished
Uonfederates with arms in their hands.
nearly surrounded: BY 10000 Federal
soldiers already in position, with rein.
iorcements constantly arriving. Gordon
foil back through the village and moved
20 meet an attack Of Sheridan on the
tiank' while General Ohamberlsyne led
the advance corps of the Army of the
James into the COURT House. A battery
OF the Richmond Howitzers, which had
been engaged at Big Bethel in 1861. sta
toned in the yard of Mr.. Peers, on the
extreme North east corner ofthe village,
nred the last gun OF the day, aud with
drew as the blue waves we're encircling
IL. Ihe Federal picket line was advanced
beyond the village, and that little band
OF heroic spirits seemed about to be i'm
molated, when suddenly the white flag
was displayed. and the firing ceased !.
There have been published 90 MANY sen.
sationsl reports Of the meeting between
the two commanders, that I am glad 10
be able to refote them, by giving Gene
rai Lee's own account OF what occurred,
as be gave 1t to some friends at his house.
IN Lexington, but few days before his
last llIness BE snid he had for duty,
that morning, not 8, 900 men, and that
when be learned from Gordon that there
was leavy infantry foroo in his front,
he decided to see General Grant and as
certain the terms upon which he could
end the contest But before going to
meet him. he left orders with Lon gstreet
ana Gordon to hold their commands in
readiness, determined. as he was. to cut
MS way through. or perish In the attempt,
II such terms were not granted as he
thought his army entitled to demand.
He met General Grant between tue picket
lines, in the open aeld, about 200 yards
below Appomattox Court House.
"You met onder an apple tree, did you
not, deneraI?" asked gentleman pre-.
sent. "No. sirl' was tho reply; ''ws did
not meet under an apple tree, aud I saw
no tree near. 1t.was" in an open field,
not far from the msIn rnad." This ex-
plodes the "hietptic apple tree," about
which so much has neen said. A gentle-
man who vas within q few feet Of the
two Generals when they met, poiuted
out to me the a1Apt ,spot. The apple
tree which was ,ie,at to pieces, su~ even
Inc roots OF which were dug up and car
rled of by relic 1ntsrs, was fully a
quarter OF milo from: the place OF meet.
ing, and the only; hiatorio interest that
could be attached to it, was that General
Lee rested under its shade few minutes
while waiting for the return OF his flag
OF truce. The only tree anywhere near
linz A..
thorn, which is still standing. abont
twenty yards from the spot.
General Lee said that when he me.
General Grant, they exchanged polite
salntations, and he etated to him at once
that he desired conference in reference
to the subject matter of their oorres-
pondence. General Grant returned
you your sword, did he not, Generalp"
one OF the company asked. Tie old
hero, Strengthening himself up, replied,
IN most emphatic tones: "No, sirI he did
not. lie had no opportunity of doing
so. was determined that the side-arrns
oi. ofioera should be exempt by the terms
OF surrender, and Of course I did not
offer him mine. All that was said about
swords was that General Grant apolo.
glzedh to me for, not wearing bis own
sword, saying that il had gone off in his
baggage, and he had been unable to get
it in time" This spoils great deal of
rhetoric about Grants magnanimity in
returning Lees sword" and renders as
absurd ss IL Is false the attempt OF North
ern artists to put the scene on canvas or
into statuary. Even Grants connivance
at this so-called 'historical scene" will
not save it, when the world knows that
II, e. Lee said that NOTHING of the soy.
occurred General Lee stated in this
conversation that he was accompanied
when be met Grant only by Colonel
Charles Marshall. of his personal staff,
who went with one of General Granite
staf to find suitable room in which to
hold the confereloe; thu. they were fret
shown to q vacant house, and, declining
to use that we're conducted by Major
McClean to his house, and shown into
his parlor. General Grant was accom-
panied by several Of his staff officers,
and several of his Generals, (amone
them Sheridan and Ord,) entered the
room and participated in the slight gone
rsl conversation that occurred. The two
Generals went aside and sat at u table to
oonfer together, when General Lee
opened the conversation by saying:
General, I deem it due to proper oan-
dor and frankness to say at the very be-
ginning of this interview. that am not