Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1873-03-08
GEN EKAL LE r.

who knew General r. +. Lee almost
from childhood declared that when he
was young man he enjoyed fun and
INDUCED in harmless trolic as much as
anybody. Later in life. and after his
sons became stout lads, ii is said he was
tond of sleeping with them, in order
that he might in the morning engage
in regular old-lashioned romp and pill
low-feht with the boys. During the
war, tiough habitually grave.as betitt.d
a commanding officer, he rellShed an
occasional joke very highly. When
some of his staff mistook a jug of but
termill that had been sent him Tor
good old apple.ack, and made WHY
faces in gulping it down, he did not at
tempt to conceal his merriment. 30,
too, when iuquiring the nature of this
new game, 'chuch a muck, | think they
call it, which had been introduced into
his army, there was 4 ; y twinkle III his
eye that showed how shrewdlv he guess
cd its purport as a gambling game.
After the war, General Lee rarely
smiled, and one may say never laughed
outright. Yet he was neither sad nor
unSoylable. BHt there was that about
him which made it well nighimposSible
to believe that he could ever have given
completely away to feelings of mirth
and iudulged in real lit OF cachInna-
ton. Such. however, was the tact, anG
,1-h # tAf h,T
one would have least expected it-ln
the retreat to AppomattoX-and Gener-
al Henry \. Wise was the occasion otlt,
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, andimme-
dla,ciy FASTENED toward him. W Nhlie
be 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 wondcrment. y few
stc,s more, and still General Lee gazed
wonderngly. rs if he had never seen
Wise in his lite. Amazed and puzzled
at General Lees unmiStakable igno-
rance of his identity, Wise advanced
quite close to him and said rather stiiiiy,
Good morning, General Lee. 1t was
very early and very cool, too-a sharp
spring morning.
As he said this, General Lee intense
gaze relaxed, smile appeared in It's
place the smile leepened, broadened,
aud, spreading from feature TO feature,
ended at last in fit Of the most lmmod-
crate and uncomfortable laughter.
Astoundcd beyond words, and lndig-
naut be>ond measure at such a recep-
tion. il was some time before General
Wise could demand an explanation
During all this time General Lee laugh
ed as mature man rarely ever laughs
The explanation, given through tear,
Of laughter not yet dried, was simple
enough. General Lee had mistaken the
General for Comanche Indian. lie
had lost his hat or cap, a dirty blanket
was thrown over his shoulders to pro
tect him from the keen morning air,and
his face, washed in mud,puddle and
hastily wiped. retained a ring OF red
mud around the borders, which met the
r, resemblance to an Indian rs exact as
well could De-all the more go III con
sequence of Wise's strong features.
Barely sufficient at the time $50 IN
censcd was Wise,) the explanatloneven-
tuaIy proved ample, for General Wise
now laughs as heartily at this incident
as anv one, and often relates it himself,
while it may be well doubted whether
ever again in life General Lee found
either the occasion or disposition to re-
lax his wonted gravity.