Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-12-01

I
fought with manly iirmncss from Bull Kun
! to Appomattox, were breaking down un-
J der the force of that terrible word surren-
! der.
! But the brave can weep as well rs nSht
for their country. Upon going to the di-
vision ordnance wagons found the Lieu
tenant Commander weeping like child.
| Addressing me, he said: Il have fought
the Yankees from the beginning until
now. aud to surrender to them is more
I than | can bear. 1t seems like II Will
/ break my heart" Hope WAS dead. The
crave was ready. Its funeral Solemnities
were too wcighty for the brave. Night
came on. But what night. Such steal
ing is took place l never heard or read of
before.
1t seemed like everything that could be
stolen was stolen. Just before the sun
went down subaltcru OF the QuartermaS-
! ter's Department, whose condition be-
| spoke All excess of whiskcy, stepped up to
me, and with much earncstness, said: II
| tell YOU, Mr.. T., the COnfedcracy Is gone
up. Now, Jcir Davis owes you and me 4
! pretty good sum of.money. Suppose that
! rs soon as il gets dark We go TO the waS-
/ ons, ret horse apiece, and strike ont for
| home. If we don't DO that we will never
/ get cent" had to decline the offer of
my would-bc friend.
On the next day | bought 4 horse for
! one dollar, bride for five dOllaiS and =
saddle for sixty dollars. Ny one-dollar
stecd would have borne, with the eNccp-
tion of his eyes, some resemblance to the
charger rode by the Knight of Ii Mancha.
! On the afternoon OF Tuesday the Eth our
parole papers were announced rs ready,
and were all duly signed, and by the
! terms of surrender we were permitted TO
20 home On Wednesday morning the
! Confederate army was 10 stack arms. At
sunrise the Second Army Corps was parad-
ed for the last time. Early's division, led by
! Gen. Walker took the front. lie rode one
of the finest horses | SAW in the whole
army, and placed himself i'll the march II
the head Of the division.
My place was in the rear of tho brigade
with the surgeons. Bat we were now
"passing under the yoke" and | had be-
come infected wirh the Generalization 50
prevalent. fell in just behind General
Walker upon my one-dollar horse, no man
saying yea or nay. The march was rs
solemn Us a funeral procession.
Not q man spoke word. The Federal
army, or at least portion Of it, was drawn
up between our camp and the Court
House upon our left, about forty step,
from the road, and stood at ordered arms
When our division had reached the left OF
this line the word ''halt" was given
Left face, forward march," followed
When the advancing line had approached
within ten PAGES Of the Federal line th'
command "halt" was heard. Then came
the order "atack arms" The rifles were
stacked in the customary styles, and the
cartridge boxes hung upon them.
Then came the last order heard givel
in the Army OF Northern Virginia, "Fal
In, forward march," As the column
reached the village where the public
roads divcrge, every officer and maI
struck for home by the most direct route
Not Word OF cheering was heard from
the Federal troops. Perhaps this wa!
Gen. Grants orders. They looked on ii
silence.
An idle myth has been invented thai
General Lee surrendered under IN appl,
tree" Pieces Of wood have been shown
about rs pieces of the identical tree. Gen
eral Lee surrendered in the hotel ut th,
Court-llouse. Here he and Grant me-
and nowhere else. Here, ut Gen. Grant:
writing-table, hc signed the stipulation,
in the afternoon. Lees notes were sent
from where our bagSage-traln was packed
by the roadside in the old field, and my
opinion is that there was nothing bcarn1 >
the scmblancc of an apple tree within Il
half mile OF the place. Small, scrubby
pine bushes were plentiful. Everybody
ought to know that if General Grant had
come within the Confederate lines he
would have lost his life, or if Lee had
gone within the Federal lines hc would
have met with the same fate. But the
war is over and peacc reisns, let us bless
God.