The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-30
All BoSh /!

! y great deal OF gushy bosh has been
written about Grants so-called mag
nanimity to the Rebels at Appomattox.
1t is one of the many historic lies.
What did Grants generosity amount
to? He gave the Rebels three days ra-
tons of food while they were beng pa
rolled, and allowed such of them as had
horses to take their broken down,
spawned old hacks to ride home on,
provided they could get food sufficient
! to keep them alive on the tIip.
! Bear these facts in mind! Gen. Lee
was not captured he surrendered. He
told Grant to his face that if not given
! has oUn terms he would return to his
army and cut his way through to the
| mountains. What were his own terms ?
FIRST, that my men shall retain their
| side arms and personal effects. Second,
they shall be paroled to return home.
Third, they shall be furnished rations
until paroled and allored to start home"
\ These things Gen. Lee fatty demand-
cd, and Grant a. once granted because
fhe knew (lst) that if Lee should be
forced by hard terms to resume the
fight he could easily escape /; though
possibly at a great sacrifice Of life;
end he knew that if Lees army sur
rendered, it would end the war (3d.)
by paroling the prisoners he got rid of
the great cost and delay of keeping
them, (and hampering his march to
help Shermanl, besides in allowing
them to start home promptly he extend
ed the panic Coach paroled prisoner as
he returned through the country report
ed the war at an end,) (4th) he knew
that every commander since the world
began has promptly issued rations to a
surrendering army (when Burgoyne and
CORVALLIS surrendered. the American
officers took them straight to their tents
and treated them as honored guests);
and, finally. he knew that the few Rebel
horses were half starved. and broken
down by the long winter, and ten DAYS
dragging through the mud without food
and would be of no use to him, while
they might help the Rebels to scatter
faster, and thus relieve him Of their
care. Let it be kept in mind hat each
and every feature of Grants so-called
''maCnanimitv'' was a bargain, entered
into detWeen tro armies, (Lee had fully
10000 men ia ranks the day he sent his
flag Of truce though he only surrender
ed 10. C00,--several brigades and hosts
OF stragglers having escaped without
parole) /; and ven if it had not been
agreed upon, was a matter of virtual
necessity with Grant under the circum-
stances. Where would be the sense ia
keeping 10000 prisoners and marching
them 200 miles through rain and mud to
a distant prison. when already every
Yankee prison was packed full of men.
costing millions to feed and guard?
AS for the broken down horses. re-
member that Lees army was almost
entirely infantry, and many of the
colonies were on foot and as for the
cavalry nearly half of it escaped. Ros-
ser's whole command went off ia a
body, and could have been followed by
the army had not Gen. Lee decided that
the shedding of blood must cease.
The truth is, it is not in Grants ma
ture to be generous. He was smart
enough to see when he had a good bar
gain, but his entire life has shown him
to be a selfish nature, greedy to get, and
tight IN keeping, a receiver of gifts from
a ten dollar hat to a hundred thousand
dollar house t~reacherous to those who
trusted him in his W party a despot
over the South,-a man who by the ac-
cldents OF fortune has done more to de-
bauch the American Republic than any
man living.