Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-01-22
Last Hours of the COnfederacy.

Hours of tho Confederacy." Beginning with
what be termed "the failing fortunes OF the
Confederacy," the speaker said that II was not
until the wiDter of lS64-'65 that the Northern
commanders were at all accurately informed OF
the position, strength and resources OF the
enemy. At the commencement OF the strug-
ole the Confederate War Office knew the num-
Der and strength of every regiment that march
ed through Washington 10 less than thlrly-siz
hours after its arrival at the Capital. The
South was then a uuit. All were loyal and eo-
tbusiastic, and the matter Of obtaining news
from their lines was a very difficult one Indeed.
To the North the South was a sealed book,
while they had no difficulty in obtaining lntor.
nation of all our movements and very many OF
our plans. But 10 the fall of 1864 this condl-
ton of things began to change and was very
soon completely reversed. THE failing Tor
tunes of the rebellion" now became apparent.
Hitherto every one within the Southern lines
was loyal 10 action, word and belief; but now
they saw the ship was sinking and that 20 pow
er on earth could keep her clear. As a result
very many people living IN the South began
giving information to our armies. Traders ana
~store-keepers in the towns aud villages readily
lent their aid 10 furnishing data of the move
ment of the Confederates, and 1t was but a
short time until Gen. Grant, through the Sc.
cret Service Bureau, received almost daily re,
ports of the amount OF fixed ammunition and
sumber of guns in and about Richmond, the
amount of provisions Oh hand and constantly
being received via the canal and the railroads.,
and what was being done at the Trcdegar Iron
Works. Beside this Gen. Sharp had a COM
plete roster Of Lees arDy-so complete that;
as the speaker said, he would not have cared
to have it corrected by one OF Lees stat. Not
a regiment or a battery conlj pass through
Richmond or Petersburg without the tact be.
ing known at Grants headquarters 10 less than
twenty-four hours. Indeed, so complete was this
source of information that when the Coufed-
crate navy made a last and most desperate et-
fort TO get past our obstruci ms and war YES
sells in the James River, the tact that the
movement would be made was known at City
Point forty eight hours before the rams and
their tenders left their moorlngs. Tins IN
portant piece of news, together with many
others, was furnished by u clerk in the rebel
Navy Department. :,
As the winter grew on it became less and
less difficult to get information, ultiI at last our
army headquarters Was about as we'll posted In
regard to the strength, resources and move
ments of the enemy as Was General Lee him
self. These things were looked upon by Gen
eral Grant as a sure Indication OF the sudden
collapse of the C%ontederacy, aud be planned
his movements accordingly. The whole South
was di dissatisfied and heartily sick of the unequal
contest, and everything pointed TO its speedy
termination.
There we're five stations between City Point
and Richmond, and d cipher dispatch would be
sent from one to the other by different messen
gers to avoid exciting Suspicion. The principal
agent in Richmond was a lady, the sam who
now occupies the position OF Postmlstres; OF
that city.
Besides the method ju>t mentioned of get.
ting news to and from Redmond there was still
another agency. An old soldier, who had done
duty many years IA sergeunt 10 the regular
army, but who was at this time serving III the
ranks of the Coofederacy, made overtures to
our officers He was very timid at fist and
would not enter the Uuiou liues, so General
Sharp went to see HIN, passing through the
enemy's piokets and remaining among them
some time. The old sergeant hnaIly became
one of the Generals most trusted agents.
The Richmond p,pers came as regular as
c~lockwork, and from them 3 vast deal of very
valuable information was cleaned. A rebel
officer who had obtained a leave of absence tor
the purpose of visiting his home, somewhere
in Georgia, wrote u letter to one OF these pa
pears detailing an account OF his trip home,
stating that when he struck the Piedmont Rail
road be found it so overwhelmed with carrying
stores for the Confederate army that he could
not get passage Oh a train aud was, therefore,
obliged to walk a distance OF forty eight miles.
This officer was quite humorous 10 his des,rip
tons, and doubtless thought ne was dong a
very funny thing but the military information
tent the subSt quent movements Of General
Graut-the movements that resulted in the
overthrow of General Lee.
move early 10 March, while no other Union
commander had ever dared to attompt a move
before May. He wished to make Grant be-
lieve that the Confederate army was stronger
and more vigorous than he had supposed, and
to this end two brigades we're hurled against
Fort Steadman aod-Were captured. Thea
came the assault 90 the entire rebel llne, the
movement by Sheridan on the left and the turn
iug of Lees right, the capture of Richmond
and Petersburg, the f ght of Lee aud the hur
ried pursuit. Near Burksville EweIls com.
mand, consisting of seven genera! officers and
5000 men were captured. Of scene in con-
nectlon with this capture the speaker gave a
very graphic and Interesting account, showing
how General EweIl forgot the dignity of his
position, was rsbuked by him (the speakeT)
and subsequently by one of his division com
manders-General Kershaw, of South Caro-.
lima. 10 conclusion, an account was given Of
the surrender of LIE, which occurred il a large
room aud not under an apple tree.-Ne1 York
Herald.
Mount Vernon "Reminiscences Con-
tfnued.
To the editor of the Alexandria Gazette:
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va, Jan ~, lS76.-In
my last l mentioned that Sambo-an old slave
manumittcd by Gen. Washington-was allow
ed to keep a gun, and very good flint lock
it was. | remember at the time of Nat. Turf
er's resurrection, I was ordered gu: as Captain
of a natrol Tn collect all the fire arms ,&c