Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-07-14
a:RANrsASD LEE.
The Hero OF Appomaltox Interrupss
Esank Busiuess with His ISemin1s-
CcnHfxs

The special correspondence Of the PHILADELPHIA
Times from Long Branch says: gentleman In
this neighborhood. one Of the directors of the
United States National Bank of New York. of
which Genera. Grant is also director, has told
ola most interesting meeting of the board of
directors a short time ago. The narrator Of the
incident had been reading General Sheridan's
article on Lees surrender in the North American
Recie,o, and when General Grant entered, after
all the members of the board had assembled. he
mentioned to him what he had been reading and
asked him If he had any objection to gratifyin Q
those present by his personal "reminiscences of
that momentous occasion. For once General
Grant was in the humOr to talk aud talked well
for over an hour on all branches of the subject.
giving clear. concise history of the DAYS pre-
ceding the surrender and all events connected
with 1t. lie narrator says all present were
thrilled by the recital and the bank books were
closed by the vice president of the bank. who
declared the meeting adjourned to listen to this
chapter of history: General Grant himself
showed much emotion at times In speaking
of the meeting of himself and General Lee when
the latter came to arrange with him the terms
of surrender, he said that they shook hands as
Old comrades In the army and first talked over
West Point experiences and those of their army
course way. as if they had met again under ordi-
nary circumstances Then, when General Lee
said to him, General Grant, we come here,
each representing our own country. to treat
with each Other" ''Not So" firmly said General
Grant, eve do not represent two
countries, but one" He said that more than
once. when General Lee used the same form of
expression he interrupted him, insisting that
but one nation was represented by both of
them. His whole idea. as understood by his au-
differs, was to convey to General Lee the i'm
preston that 1t was not two foreign nations
that had warred against each other buta pater-
nal government. which having sufficiently chas-
tised naughty child. was willing to forgive
and receive the child again as child on con-
ciatOry terms.
General Grant said that he sat down at the
table in the memorable MCLEAN farm house
and wrote out the terms of the surrender and
that when General Lee saw them and he (Gen-
eral Grant, said to him: "Let your officers and
men keep their horses; we don't want them and
they will need them, for it will soon be time for
them to begin their farming and they will want
the horses to help them want all of you to
take your horses home with you" General Lees
eyes filled with tears, and he said more than
once, as he read the terms of the surrender,
''This will have splendid effect at the SOUTH
General Grant further said to him: 'Now this
war should be all over. You, with your inf1u-
ence- at the SOUTH should see to it that not an
other gun is fired, not another life lost. After
this a lite lost in any fight would be murder,
and you can prevent it," General Lee an
swered: "Well, will speak to Mr.. Davis about
It,. General Grant, in telling the story, added:
''lf that had been 10 Johnston instead of Lee.
he would never have said that. He would him
self have assumed the responsibility of declaring
that the war should be over on his side as did
on NINE but Lee did not like to take the re-
sponsibility of making that pledge to stop the
lighting at once until he had consulted with
Davis"