The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-04-17
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General Lees account Of hts,snrrender
at Appomattox. It Will repay tissnsal;
''The sitnation'. at Appomattox on tfia
9th OF April, 1896, whom General ..I,eS
cent flag OF truce to ak, sn; interview
With General Grant, was simply thia:
There were only 1900 jaded, famished
Confederates with arms in their hands.
nearly sarrounded bH $4,000 :Fsderai
soldiers already in position, with rein.
ioroements constantly arriving. Gordon
Toll back through the village and moved
to meet an attack Of Sheridan on the
flank, while General Ohamberlsyne led
| tho 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,
fred the last gun OF the day, aud with
drew as the blue waves were encircling
It. The Federal picket limo was advanced
beyond tha village. and that little band
\ OF heroic spirits seemed about to be i'm
molsted, when suddenly the white flag
was displayed. and the firing ceased
There have been published 60 many SEN
sational reports OF the meeting between
the two commanders, that am glad to
be able to refute them, by giving Gene
raj Lees own account OF what occurred,
ss he gave it to some friends at his house.
IN Lexington, but few days before his
last illness. BE snid he had for duty,
that morning, not 5000 men, and that
when be learned from Gordon that there
was heavy infantry force 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 gstrees
| and Gordon to hold their commands in
readiness. determined. as he was. to cut
his way through. or perish in'the attempt,
| suoh terms were not granted as he
thought his army entitled to demand.
he met General Grant between the picket
lines, IN the open asld, about 200 yards
| below Appomattox Court House..
"You met onder an apple tree, did you
not, Goneral?" asked. q gentleman, pre-.
sent. mo. sirr" was tho rsply ''ws did
not meet under an apple; tree, and: I aaw
no tree near. Itxas in an open field,
not far from tka-msin road" This e1-
plodea the "hist6sic apple: tree" about
which 30 much has been aaid, a gentle
man who was within "a. tfaw feet Ct the
two Generals when: they met, pointed
out to me tha e4aps spot. The bapple
tree which was ;iadt ito pieces. and even
the roots of which: we've dug up and car
ried off by te4io.hRntSrs, was fully q
quarter OF miis from: th 9. pisos OF most
ing. and the only. hiatorio interest that
could be attached to it. was that General
Lee rested under its shades few minutes
while waiting for the return of his flag
OF truce. The only tree anywhere near
| the place OF meeting was q small locust
thorn. which is still standing, about
twenty yards from the spot
General Lee said that when he met
General Grant, they exchanged polite
| salutattons, and he stated to him at once
that he desired conference in reference
to the subject matter of their corres-
pondcnce. General Grant returned
you your sword, did he not. GeneralP"
one OF the 0omps1J asked. Tie old
hero, strengthening himself up, replied.
IN most emphatic tones: ''No, sir! he did
not. He had no opportunity Of doing
80. lwas determined that the side-arms
Of officers should be exempt by the terms
OF surrender, and Of course did not
offer him mipe. AL thatrwas said about
swords was that General Grant apollo.
gizedl to. he for not wearing his 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 "Grsnt's msguanimity In
returning Lees sword" and renders as
absurd es 10 Is false the attempt OF North
ern artists to put the saene on canvas or
into statuary. Even Grants connivance
at this so.called "historioal scene" will
not save it, when the world knows that
fiR. T.. Lee said that nothing of the sort
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 Grant's
staff to dnd q suitable room in which to
bold the oonfert nGe; that they were Rrst
shown TO vacant house, and, declining
TO use that we're conducted by Major
McOlean to his house. and shown into
his parior. General Grant was accom-
panied by several Of his staff officers,
and several of his Generals, (smono
them Sheridan snd Ora.l entered the
room and participated in the slight gene
rel conversation that occurred. The two
Generals went aside and sat at table to
confer together, when General Lee
opened the conversation by saying:
General, I deem it due to proper can
dor and frankness to say at the very be-
ginning Of this interview, that I am not