Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-06-23
nently strung up to the first convenient tree on
the roadside. Such Is the cdnsaraderie Of war
AN ARMY IN TEARS


drawn up on their own ground at ordered
| arms, when the farewell address of Gen. Lee
was read to them, and do not exaggerate
when say that at the conclusion, there was an
| army in tears.
The day was spent by the officers in making
out the paroles OF the men. printing press
| had been set up at Gen. Grants headquarters,
and the requisite number OF slips containing
| the parole struck Off and distributed The
| parole was to the effect that the men and Off
| GERS might return to their homes, and during
! good behavior remain unmoested until ex-
changed The commissioned officers gave their
| personal parole, and the commandments
| OF companies signed q muster-rOll Of their men,
and then inserted the name of each man in a
blank parole, which was given TO him for pro-
tection. AT last the morning came for the final
scene OF the stupendous drama. The troops
were ordered to gather their belongings and to
strike the shelters they had erected preparatory
| to dlsbaldment. Each regiment and battalion
moved TO the spot designated stacked arms and
pied colOrs thereon. Then the final ORDER
. Break ranks. foreverl" was given. Fervent
Misunderstanding and embraces were then given,
and old comrades who had shared the toll.
danger and glory of four years Of bivouac.
march aid battle separated to meet, many of
them, no more on earth forever
And here l must pay deserved tribute to
THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
for their tender consideration of the feelings of
the men who had so long contended with them.
From the moment of the surrender down to the
hour OF dishandment of the Army of Northern
Virginia there was exhibited to them by the
Army OF the Potomac from the highest to the
lowest, naught but sympathy and good feeling
Malicious and petty spite the part of the
federal soldiers was first encOuntere by the re-
turned cOnfederates when they came in contact
with the bomb-proof regiments who had long
held the Qualifications around Washington.
hn f1,, iaklo
of hostile minnie ball. or the en-
| livening music of the confederate veil
| Gen Grant had ordered train to be in readi-
ness to convey to Petersburg and thence by
steamer to Baltimore, all those of Lees army
whose homes We're in that direction. But. as
lew could 60 at a time. and there might be
delay OF days in getting OFF, those who lived in
northern, middle and western Virginia pre-
ferred to strike out across the country OH their
own nook and take chances for prOvender. No
provisions had been issued to us save the three
days ratiOns Of which have above spoken and
to secure sustenance in devastated region of
| country was at least doubtful But to men in
our situation anything was preferable to delay.
HEADING FOR HOME.
had managed to secure diapidated old
gray horse that had no government mark on him,
while matters were being settled and although
doubtful whether l would be permitted to take
him through the lines, as was an infantry Off
i
thought that if could prevail in that direction,
with feeding and kind treatment he would carry
me bravely to my home which was at Fairfax
Courthouse about rs miles as the crow files
Noticing that the close ambulance which had
been furnished to Gen. Lee by Gen. Grant to
carry him home. was about to start in company
with trooper OF Richardson's battalion whose
home was near Manassas Junction. fell in
with the mounted officers attendant upon
the ambulance and followed in the wake.
/ no tSi6 10 nil EntC fall
was reached General Lees ambulance was not
halted, nor were his immediate staff but the
rest OF US. who We're trying to save our nags
under the cover of the wing of headquarters
were quickly brought up standing. the more so
| as 10 stretch of imagination could have turned
me into staff Officer,-my horse being
| equipped with an old citizens saddle and diap-
! idated bride, and my uniform incrusted with
the mud and pOwder-grime accumulated in the
past week. The officer in charge Of the picket
was however, a knd-heartcd fellow, and when
showed him that there were no government
marks ON the animal. and told him l was
sick and utterly unable to travel on
| foot be permitted myself and my companion 70
/ pass, while some Others were turned back to
| take out proper papers for their horses. We
struck out for the nearest crossing of the James
river. not many miles away. and just before we
got there, along came, fortunately for US, negro
| boy astrIde of a mule on bag OF corn, which he
was carrying to the mill. He was at once halted
/ as our animals were nearly starved to death and
| could scarcely walk. We only intended to take
| peck or SO from the bag. but the young imp.
frightened out of his wits, sprang from the mule
and darted into the bushes on the side of the
road. aud that's the last we saw of him. Having
| fed the horses and started the mule up the road
in the way he was headed. we soon arrived at
the ferry over the James. Here a large crowd
| hau Collected, both horse and foot.
UPSET IN TIE JAMES.
| The river was over two hundred yards wide.
4 and rlnpinCr like a mil hav io
| len by the late rains. There was only a fiat
bottomed ferry-boat, about twenty feet long
and six wide, with two men to pole it across,
and the men wanted to be paid before they
made trip, and were willing to take confeder-
ate money. Now, at the surrender, the troops
| had thrown away their money worthless in
deed, there were some thousands tramped in
the mud in the bivouac of my company alone.
| Happily, had preserved some of each GenOmi-
nation as keepsake. and tor $50 bill it was
agreed trip should be made If we
| had known how to manage the boat we should
have made short work of objections to our
! crossing, money or no money. Not liking the
looks Of the crazy craft crowded as it was with
men and horses. took off my sword pistol
and blanket and hung them about my horses
neck, and advised others to look out for an
| upset 1t was well I did so; for missing the
point OF landing, the boat was swept down, and
the men becoming excited pressed too much to
I one side and over she Went in about five feet of
mud and water. All finally got safely to land
| but two men were fshed out in an insensib,e
state and with difficulty brought to. On
the route from the James to GOrdonsville the
people were generally kind and gave US of the
best they had. which was but little
| The whole country was filled with
| struggling soldiers, and to feed them
must have been severe tax on an already sOrely
impoverished people We heard no complaints,
| however. and l do not think that there were
many depredatiOns committed for there was
/ literally nothing to depredate upon. Nc signs
OF cultivation of the fields were at that time ap-
| parent: the fencing had long ago disappeared;
large tracts of land. once fertile and cultivated
/ had grown up in bushwood and broom sage
and there We're no cattle or sheep in the fields,
no hogs in the pens and no focks of fowls in the
/ iarm-yards. And yet the people we met and
| talked with did not seem cast down or despair
ing. There was perceptible relief exhibited
now that the terrible strain of the tour years of
| war was over. and hope for the future was gen
orally expressed. My companion and l slept
in a house at night when we could fluid
one near at hand, and in default there of
| curled up in the bushes on the roadside although
the constant rains rendered camping out I'M
comfortable. Yet what with swimming and
| fOrdng rivers and creeks whose name ia legion