The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-07-29
THE CLOSING SCENE OF TIE WAR.

Federal officer, General Sharpe, who
claims to have been present in the room
hen General Lee surrendered to Grant, in
a recent speech gave the following account
of the closing scene of the war:
1t was between and o'clock when we
met in the little room in the house where
the surrender of Lees army took place.
know that there is belief that the sur
render took place under an apple tree,
where Grant aud Lee met and exchanged
few words. The snrrender took place in
the left hand room of that old fashioned
double house. The house had q large piazza,
which ran along the full length of it. 1t
was one of those ordinary Virginia houses
with passage way RAINING through the
centre of it. In that little room where the
meeting took place sat two yoang men
one a great grandson of Chief Justice Mar
shall, OF the Supreme Court, reducing to
~ riting the terms of the surrender on be-
half of Robert E. Ice; the other man of
that celebrated chief, Red Jackec-actipg
under General Grant. They two were re-
ducing to writing the terms of the sUrren-
der of the Asmy of Northern Virginia to
the Army of the POtomNe. Gathered
| around the room were several officers, OF
whom was oce.
| At some distance apart sat two men one
| the most remarkable man of bis day and
generation. The larger and Older of the
| two was the moet striking in hts appear
| ance. His hair was white as the driven
| snow. There was not speck upon hi0
! coat not spot upon those gau0tiets THAT
he wore, which were es bright and fair as
| lady's glove. That was Robert E. Lee.
The other was Ulysses s. Grant, whose ap-
pearance contrasts6 strangely with that Of
Lee his boots were nearly covered with
mud one button of his cobt-ths& is, the
baton hole was n9s where it should have
been, it had clearly gone nstray, and he
wore no sword, while Lee was faultlessly
and fully equipped. The conversation was
not rapid by any MEANS lsTery body felt
the overpowering iBAuence of the scene.
Every body present felt they were witness
ing the proceedings between !he tive chief
actors in one of the most remarkable trans
actions of this nineteenth century. The
words that passed between Giant and Lee
were few.
General Grant, eDdesvoring to apologize
for not being fully equipped, and noticing g
the faultless appearance of Lee, while tho
Secretaries were basy, eaid general
Lee, / have no sword r bave been riding
all night" And Lee, with that coolness of
| manner aDd all tie pride, almost hanShsi-
, J ness, which, after all, became bim wOn<ter-
fully well, never made any reply, bat III a
cold, formal manner bowed. And Gepsrai
Grant, in the endeavoT to take away the
awkwardness of the scene, said :: q" / cont
, always wear a sword because a sword is a
very announcement thing" That was re-
markable thing for him to say, considering
that he was in the presence If one who was
, about to surrender his sword. Lee only
; bowed again. Another, trying to relieve
: the awkwardness of the occasion, inquired
General Lee, what became of the white
| horse You rode in HezicoP He might moi
! be dead yet /; he was not go OLD" General
, Lee bowed coldly, and replied ~ left
him at the White House on tho PamuD&ey
y / river, and l have not seen him since
a There was one moment when there Was 8
whispered conversation betweS Grant and
Lee which nobody I'd the room heard
The surrender took the form of cOTTes-
pondence. The letters were all signed il
due form by the cSief actors, in the pres
= ence of each other. Finally, whom the
y terms of the surrender had all been ar
y ranged, and the surrender made, Let
. arose, cold and pEoud, and Bowed to every
:, person In the room on our side. l EemenA
- Der each one of us thought be had beeI
:. specially bowed to. And then he went ou
n and passed down the little square in from
~ of the house, and bestTOde the gray hozs
that carried him AL ovar Virginia, AM
l. when he had gore away, We learned wha
= that whispered conversation he'd bee
about. General Grant called his officer
about him and said " You CON go To tn
10 Twenty fourth, and yoa to tho Fifth" an
= 80 on, naming the corps, " and ask ever
al man who has three Tatlons to turn over t "
- of them. Go 20 the Cpumissaries, and {
the quartermasters," stc. General Lee
"a army lie on the point of starvation !" An
~ ~ twenty five thousand ratious were carrie
20 to the Army of Northern Virginia.