The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-08-01

lHaO II "CtIu nave q most happy
effect and accepted the terms.
| handed over my pcnciled memo
randum to an aide TO put INTO ink.
and we resumed conversation
about old times and friends in the
armles Narious officers came IN
Longstreet, Gordon, Pickett. from
the south: Sheridan. ord and 9TH
era from our side. Son. were old
friends: Long,trec. and m,.cif. for
instance, and we had Il general talk.
Lee no doubt expected me 10 ask for
his sword, but | did not want his
sword. 1t would ONLY said the Gen
eral. smiling. have gone TO the Pat
ent Office % be worshippcd by the
Washington rebels" There was
another pause when he said that
most Of the animals in his cavalry
and artillery were owned hy the pri-
Yates and he would like to know,
under the terms, whether they
would be regarded as private prop
erty or the property Of the Govern
ment. i said under the terms of
surrender they belonged TO the
Government" General Lee read
over the letter and said that was so.
then said t the General that | be
lleved and hoped this was the last
battle OF the war, and | saw the
wisdom Of these men getting home
as o o as possible, and that |
would give orders to allow any SOL
der or officer claiming a horse or a
mule to take 1t. General Lee show
ed some emotion at this-a feeling
which | also shared--and said
it would have a most happy
effect. The interview end
ed, and | gave orders for rationing
his troops. The next day | met
Lee on horseback and we had a
long talk. In that conversation |
urged upon Lee the wisdom Of end
ing the war by the surrender Of
the other armies. ] asked him to
use his influence with the people of
the South-an influence that was
supreme-to bring the war to the
end. General Lee said that his
campaign in Virginia was the last
organized resistance which the
South vas capable Ct making-that
| might have to march a good deal
and encounter isolated commands
here and there: hut there was no
longer any rmy which could make
a stand. told Lee that this fact
only made his responsibility great
er, and any further war would be a
crime. | asked him to 90 among
the southern people and use his IN
huence to have all men under arms
surrender oil the same terms given
to the army Of Northern Virginia.
He replied he could not do SO with
consultation with President Davis.
| was sorry. | saw that the Con
fcderacy had gone beyond the reach
of President Davis, and that there
was nothing that could be done ex-
ccpt what Lee could do to benefit
the southern people. | was anX-
ious to get them home and have Il
armies go to their homes and fields.
But Lee would not move without
Davis, and, as a matter of fact at
that time, or soon after, Davis was
a fugitive in the woods"
An allusion was made to the feel
ing IN the South that Davis was an
injury to the confederacy, and did
not do his best. 81 never thought
So" said the General. Davis did
his best and all that any man could
do, to save the Confederacy. Thlsa ar
like some Of the argument
current in history, that the war
was a war against wind-mills, and
that if one man or another had
been IN authority the result would
have been different; that some more
placable man than Davis could
have made a better fight. This Is
not true. The war was a tremen-
dous war, and no one knows better
than those who were in it. Davis
did all he could and all any man
could for the South. The South was
beaten from the beginning. There
was no victory possible for any
government resting ufon the plat
form Of the Southern Confederacy.
Just as soon as the war united and
aroused the young men of the North
and called out the national feeling
there was no end but the end that
came. Davis did all he could for
MS side, and how mucn he did no
one knows better than those who
were in the field"