Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-07-31

own clothes while on my way to meet him. | ex-
pressed my regret that compelled to meet
him in so unceicunonious manner, and he replied
that the only suit he had available was one which
had been sent him by some admirers in Baltimore,
and which he then wore for the first time We
spoke of old friends in the army | remembered
having Lee in Mexico. He was so much
higher in rank than myself at the time that sup
posed he had no recollection of me- But he said
he remembered me very well We talked of old
times and exchanged inquiries about friends. Lee
then preached the subject of our meeting. told
him my terms, and Lee, listening attentively,
asked me to write them down | took out my
manifold order book and pencil and wrote them
down. General Lee put on his glasses and read
them over. The conditions gave the officers their
side-arms, private horses and personal baggage
said to Lee that hoped and believed this would
be the close of the war that it was most import
ant that the men should go home and go to work,
and the government would not throw any obsta-
cles in the way Lee answered that it would have
most happy effect and accepted the terms
Various officers came in-Longstreet, Gordon,
Pickett from the South; Sheridan, Ord and Others
from our side Some were old friends; Long
street and myself for instance, and we had gen
eral talk. Lee no doubt expected me to ask for
his sword, but did not want his sword. Itwoud
only have gone to the Patent Office to be
shipped by the Washington rebels.
then said to the General that believed AMI hoped
this was the last battle Of the war, and saw the
wisdom of these men getting home and to work
as possible and that would give orders
to allow any soldier or officer claiming a horse or
a mule to take it, General Lee showed some
emotion at this-a feeling which also shared-and
said it would have a most happy effect The in
terview ended, and | gave orders for rationing
his troops.
"The next day met Lee on horseback and we
had long talk. In that conversation urged
upon Lee the wisdom of ending the war by the
surrender of the other armies. asked him to use
his inf uence with the people of the South-an in
iluence that was supreme-to bring the war to
end General Lee said that his campaign in Vir-
ginia was the last organized resistance which the
South was capable of making-that might have
to march good deal and encounter isolated COM
mands here and there; but there was no longer
any army which could make stand. told Lee
that this fact only made his responsibility greater
and any further war would be crime asked
him to 90 among the Southern people and use his
influence to have all men under arms surrender ON
the same terms given to the army of northern Vir-
ginia lie replied he could not do so without con-
sutation with President Davis. was sorry
saw that the confederacy had gone beyond the
reach of President Davis, and that there was moth
ing that could he done, except what Lee could do,
to benefit the Southern people was anxious to
get them home and have our armies go to their
homes and fields. But Lee would not leave with
az M.
soon after Davis was fugitive in the woods"
The ex-President expressed great esteem
for Sherman, and characterized him as not
only great soldier, but great man. "As
a general know of no man | would put
above him." AS for Sheridan, he was spoken
of by General Grant thus " AS a soldier, as
commander of troops, as a man capable of
doing all that is possible with any number
Of men, there is no man living greater than
Sheridan. He belongs to the very first rank
of soldiers, not only of our country, but of
the world. No man ever had such faculty
of finding out things as Sheridan, of knowing
all about the enemy. He was always the
| best informed man in his command as to
the enemy. Then he had that magnetic
quality of swaying which / wish had-a
rare quality in general"
Grant declares that his losses in the Will
deness campaign have been grossly exagger-
ated; instead of throwing away 100000
men, his total loss was only about 10000
death, wounds, capture and all-while every
blow he struck was steadily weakening Lee.
Speaking of this campaign, by the way,
Grant makes the interesting revelation that
he at first thought seriously of massing his
army in movable columns, giving the men
twelve days rations and throwing himself
between Lee and his communications
plan that, if successful, would have shortened
the war by year-but as he was new to the
army and it was risky job, he finally de-
cided on the slower and safer Wilderness
move. The iconoclast has at last attacked
one of the dearest memories of the war-the
long-sung Battle Above the Clouds" The
battle of Lookout Mountain, Grant declares
"is one of the romances of the war There
was no such battle and no action even
worthy to be called battle on Lookout
Mountain. 1t is all poetry"
OF post-rebellion "reminiscences the most
interesting is Grants story of how Andy
johnson, in the heat of his determination tc
"make treason odious," seriously talked Of
arresting Lee, despite his parole, and once
inquired rather snappishly what right 4
military commander had to protect an arch
traitor from the laws. Grant replied thai
the commanders responsibilities were some
times supreme and his engagements with tn,
defeated enemy sacred, and added that, 81
long as Lee kept his parole, he would resign thu
command of the army before he would hell
to arrest him-and the project was dropped
The General expresses himself as havinj
. felt very much relieved at the closing up o
: the war, for he never really enjoyed warfare
! lie says he did not want the Presidency
: but he owed his honors to the Republica
u party, and if his name would aid it he wa
bound to accept the nomination He gre,
weary of public life, and so when the "thir
9 term was proposed he promptly declined il