Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1876-03-25
Apnomatox Court House.

] AppOmatOX Court House.
The following very interesting letter of
| Minister Washburn to Mr.. Jno. l. Win
ston, Of Lynehburg, Va, has recently
! been made public by the Washington cor
respondent of the St. Louis Republican.
! As it refers to one of the most important
events in American history, and speaks
of several gentlemen now occupying
prominent positions in public lite, it viii
by read with peculiar pleasure:
LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Par
Is, June II, IS74.-Dedr Sir: l have duly
received your letter from New York, da-
/ ted the 23d ultimo. At the epoch you
I speak of great events were so crowded to-
/ gether that il is impossible for me, at this
| length of time, to recall the details of
/ many of them. But | well recollect the
arrival of the deputatiOn of three citizens
/ from the city of Lynchburg ut Appomat-
OK court house, and the object of their Wis
it TO Gen. Gibbon, then in command of
the Union forces. l shall never forget
the pleasant interview | had with those
gentlemen and the interest took in their
narration of events and the state of things
at Lynchburg. After hearing their state
ment 1 know l was In full sympathy with
I the purpose they had in view, and 50 ex-
pressed myself. But l was there simply
as private individual, and had no au-
thOrity To advise, or scarcely to suggest.
! Perhaps my opinions may have had some
weight, but l would not claim even that,
and fear the generous citizens of Lynch
burg have given me credit for what real
" belongs TO others. | can only attest
my feelings of qualification at the success
which attended the efforts of the Lynch
burg delegation on thar occasion, and the
r.Has 1.
ing successfully accomplished their mis-
sion. knowing Gen. Grant rs did, and
{ knowing him 10 be as just and magnaui
nous as he was brave, | had no hesita-
ton in saying TO the delegation (and to
others that had no doubt wero he pres
ent he would at once accede to their re-
quest.
Your letter and your allusions to Gen.
Gordon revive many recollections of
those eventful days. l arrived at Apo
matOX court house on Tuesday, the llth
OF April, 1865. Gen. Grant, after receiv-
ing the surrender OF Gen. Lee, on Sun
day the 9th, had left the next day with
his staff officers en- route for Washington.
| met him the next evening at Prospect
station. Desiring 10 see the two armies,
the next morning the General gave me
company of cavalry as an escort to Appo-
matOx. Though the surrender had been
made on Sunday, yet the details as 70 the
parole and many other matters had TO be
agreed -tlpOn, and the laying llOWn of
arms was to take place 1t 4 future day,
and as soon as the preliminaries could be
arranged. Three commissioners were
appointed on either side for that purpose.
Gen. Gordon, Gen. Pendleton Il think
and another gentleman, whose name L do
not now recall, on the side of the COnfed-
crates, and Gen. Gibbon, Gen. Merritt,
and third, perhaps Gen. Mackenzie, on
the part of the Union forces. When |
arrived ut the court house, negotiations
aud pOHr PaTterS We're going on between
the commissioners at Gen. Gibbons head
quarters, at the house of Il Mr.. Mclean,
and then saw many of the general Off
GERS on both sides. From what one saw
there it could hardly have bee's-9anceiV-
ed that these men had beelf4ss arms a
gainst each other through more than four
years OF deadly strife. The terror of the
breach, the fury of the chargeaand the ia
tigue Of the march seem to have been for
gotten, and these brave men came tOgeth-
er more rs friends than enemies. In all
their talks there was never 4 suggestion
nor Il word from either side that could
have wounded the tenderest susceptible
ty. Many of these officers on both sides
had served together in the old army, and
II was touching and interesting TO wit
ness the sympathy between them, which
,
and carnage. Gen. Cadmus Wilcox told
with emotion how his old classmate, Glib
bon, accused him of having nothing but
Confederate money, and taking from his
pocket a new and crisp $50 greenback,
thrust Il upon him. There was one SEN
timent among all of these men, which
seemed to crop out in spite of themselves,
and that WAS that, after all the bloody
struggle of the past, they were still all
Americans. The only punishment l saw
inflicted was that on some large jugs Of
brandy which had found their way 10 the
Union headquarters, and under the pecu-
liar circumstances that was not taken
and deemed rs ''cruel and unusual pun
ishment' within the meaning of the con-
stitutiOn.
met on that occasion two gentlemen
ia the Confederate Service with whom l
had served in congress: Hon. Alexander
r. BOteler, of Virginia, and Hon. Lucius
.. &. Lamar, OF Mississippi. Lamar WAS
a member of the committee on commerce
III the thirty-sixth congress, of which l
was chairman, and though we differed on
all political matters as widely rs two men
could well differ, our personal relations
had always been pleasant and agreeable.
Though / had not much money with me-
l proposed to divide with him, but he de-
clined, saying he could see his way clear
TO get to Baltimore, and when once where
Winter Davis Was lie should be all right.
l knew what that meant, for the intfma-
cy and friendship that existed between
those Two brilliant and gifted men, so ut
terly opposed 10 each other on all of the
political questions of the day, was well
known ia Washington circles. They
were united together by a tie which binds
together scholars, persons of similar
tastes and men of genius and eloquence,
and which even the storms of war could
not >under. Had these men lived IN
France during the great revolution, La
mar would have riValled Mirabeau in the
tribune of the national assembly, and
Winter Davis would have been the peer
of Vergniaud, the echoes of whose grace
ful, but indignant elOqHence resOunded
through all France long after his head
had rolled into the basket Of the guillO-
tine and his blood ran ia the cutters of
the Place sc Ia Revolution.
After remaining two days nj Appomat-
OK. | was ready to start with my escort
on my return towards BUTksville and
Richmond. Gen. Gordon, having heard
of the sickness Of his family at Peters
burg. was extremely anxious 10 get away
a soon a. his mission i'm connection with
the surrender should be ended, and he
sent word 10 Gen. Gibbou TO inquire if lac
thought would have any objection to
his going with my escort. | Seut as an
answer that I should be pleased 10 have
him OF an Of his friends for company on
the long horseback journey before me-
| had heard 50 much of his wonderful ca
reer as soldier, that l was very happy
TO have him go along with me. G n.
Cadmus Wilcox, an old regular army Of
ficer, and well known In military and ma
val circles before thewar, and Gen. Alex
ander, young graduate of West Point
frogl Georgia, also Joined Us. With these
generals came many of their staff officers,
and therefore by the time we got started
We had quite large party. Our first
days march brought Us 10 Farmyille
pretty late in the evening. / took my
command directly to the headquarters OF
the Uunion general in command, Gen.
Curtin, an accomplished young officer
from Pennsylvania. He received us with