The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-03-28
General Lee Convulsed.

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An old lady who knew General r. E
Lee almost from childhood declared thai
when he was a young man he enjoyed
fun and INDUCED in frolics as much as
anybody. Later in life, and after his
sons became stout lads, it is said that
he was fond of sleeping with them, In
order that he might in the morning en-.
gage in regular old fashioned romr
and pillow-fght with the boys. During
the war, though habitually grave, as
befitted commanding officer, he relish.
ed an occasionally joke very highly.
When some of his staff mistook Jug OF
buttermilk that had been sent him fol-
''good old apple-iack, +" and made WY
faces in gulping it down, he did not at
tempt to conceal his merriment. So,
too, when inquiring into the nature oil
''this new game, 'chuck-a-buck,' think
they call it, which had been introduced
into his army, there was sly twinkle
in his eye that showed how shrewdly he
guessed its real pHrport as a gambling
game. So, again, it is reported that be
appreciated fully the 'tsell' which O
wag on his staff palmed off upon a re-
porter, who promptly inserted it in the
papers. The reporter wanted to know
General Lees hour for dining.
"Six exactly at six, was the
reply.
III infer, then, that it is rather for,
NAL meal %
Decidedly formal-in fact, L may
say it is rigidly military dinner"
+" Military how military"
" Well, you see General Lee sits at
the head of the table, and Colonel Chill
ton at the foot, and everything is done
in red-tape style"
''Red tape at table 1 don't under
stand you. Please explain. %
Certainly. General Leenever carves
and never helps-all that is left to Col
onel Chilton-but General Lee asks the
guests what they will have; they tell
him, then he issues his orders, and
Colonel Chiffon executes them, That's
ALL"
$50 on, go on p opening his note
book; "give me an example-tell me
exactly how it is done"
"Suppose then, that we have beef
we generally have beef. Grace is said
by the chaplain, then General Lee raps
on the table with the handle of his knife
and says, Attention 7 Everybody is
silent. Every eye is turned toward
General Lee. He looks at one of us
me, for example-and rise and Make a
military salute Captain c., what
will you be helped to 2 says General
Lee. / say Beef, make another salute
and sit down. General Lee, fixing his
eye upon Col. Chiffon, says, Beef, for
Captain c. My plate is passed,
L, Il
ing it to the servant, says,
Beef for Captain c.,
By order of General Lee.
r. Fl. Chiffon, A. A. c."
And this absurd story went the round
of the Southern papers.
After the war General Lee rarely
smiled and one may say never laughed
outright. Yet he was neither sad nor
unsociable. But there was that about
him which made it well nigh impossible
to believe that he could ever have given
completely away to feelings of mirth
and INDUCED in real fit of cachinna-
ton. Such, however, was the fact, and
it occurred at a time when, of all 9TH
ers, one would have least expected it
in the retreat to Appomattox-and Gen
eral Henry A. Wise was the occasion of
it.
On the second or third day of the re-
treat, General Wise, who had long de-
sired an interview with General Lee,
discovered him at distance, and imme-
diately fastened toward him. While he
was yet a great way off, General Lee,
who happened at the time to be alone
turned and began to stare in way that
was most unusual with him. AS Wise
drew nearer the stare became intense
and mixed with wonderment. A few
steps more, and still General Lee gazed
and gazed wonderingly, as if he had
never seen Wise in his life. Amazed
and puzzled at General Lees unmistak-
able Ignorance of his identity, Wise adj
vanced quite close to him and said
rather stif1y. Good morning, Gener-
al Lee" It was very early and very
cool, too-a sharp spring morning.
As he said this, General Lees intense
gaze relaxed, a smile appeared in its
place, the smile deepened, broadened,
and spreading from feature to feature,
ended at last in a fit of the most immod
crate and uncomfortable laughter.
Astounded beyond words, and indig-
nant beyond measure at such q recep-
llOn, IL was SOL10 Jllu0 D01OFe N6uGEdI
Wise could demand an explanation.
During all this time General Lee laugh
ed as a mature man rarely ever laughs.
The explanation, given through tears
not yet dried, was simple enough.
General Lee had mistaken the general
for a Comanche Indian. He had lost
his hat or cap, a dirty blanket was
thrown over his shoulders to protect
him from the keen morning air, and his
face, washed in q mud puddle and has
tily wiped, retained a ring of red mud
around the borders which made the re-
semblance to an indian as exact as well
could be-all the more so in conse-
quence of Wise's strong features.
Barely sufficient at the time $50 in
censed was Wise,) the explanation
eventually proved ample, for General
Wise now laughs at this incident as
heartily as any one, and often relates it
himself, while it may well doubted
whether ever again in life General Lee
found either the occasion or the dispo-
sition to relax his wonted gravity
L5ppincOPS.