St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-24
CHAT WITH SHERIDAN.
That Railroad Yarm-His Famous Ride
Lees Last Ditch.

Ouei iuau tue otneF uay, 10 STORY LnaC is go
Ing the rounds of the newspapers, to the eff
feet that when he and Sec. Lincoln were 60
ing to Sandusky on their fishing excursion
last May they boarded the limited express on
The Pennsylvania Railroad ;that the conduct
or refused to recognize their passes; that they
refused to pay; That he threatened to put
them off, and that they finally paid and re-
ported the matter to the President of the
road, who wrote an apology and refunded the
money.
The general laughed and said it was a very
interesting story, but was not exactly true in
some of the essential points.
'sWe did go to Sandusky,n he said-''that
much is true--and We did have passes; but
we didn't board the limited express or any
other train on the Pennsylvania road, for that
line does not go to Sandusky. We went by
the Baltimore 81 Ohio; the conductor didn't
refuse to recognize our passes, but accepted
them and treated us with the greatest courte-
sy. He didn't threaten to put us off, and we
didn't pay him any money. l didn't write
to the president OF the road, and didn't re-
ceive an apology from him. Otherwise the
story is true"
NO BUNCoMBE FOR HIM.
Getting back to army "reminiscences, /
asked the general if it was true that he never
issued an encouraging order to his soldiers
before an engagement, Or a congratulatory
one after.
''Oniy once did do such thing he re-
Piled" and that was when I was geeen. It
was after the battle of Missionary Ridge, and
then l congratulated the boys on the good
work they did. But there was too much of
that sort of foolishness in the war, and
didn't care about sharing it. My soldiers
didn't need that sort Of thing you know, and
don't believe in <buncombe in or out of
the army.
81 knew that the men realized as well as
the Importance of their duty, and they
knew that | believed in them; so, you see,
it wasn't necessary. They shared with me
the joy of a victory, and wouldn't have felt
better about it if | had issued thousand or
ders. Then, again, you know, the largest
number of buncombe orders were issued by
successful commanders to cover their fail
ures and divert attention from defeat
II may be said of Sheridan that, while few
generals were so much talked about during
the war, he never blew his own horn. He
was never what is so often called ''paper
General;' never announced what he was
going to do, and never boosted after he did
it. After his last campaign, which crushed
the lettering rebellion, he would have been
pardoned for at least one triumphant pean
of victory, but he did not even take part in
the grand review at Washington. He mod
estly unsaddled his horse and took the cars
for Texas without so much as aword of fare
well or congratulation to the country or to
the ARMY he had SO successfully commanded.
"REMINISCENCES OF LEES SURRENDER.
The General tells very interesting story
about that last campaign against Lee, and
the incidents of the surrender.
It will be remembered that he headed off
Lee at Appomattox Courthouse, and captur-
ed II trains of supplies which were waiting
for him there. When Lee found out that he
had no stores or ammunition for his army,
and that his retreat was cut off, he sent a
flag of truce, which Custer received and con-
Quoted to Sheridan. The two armies laid on
their arms waiting for Grant, who was on
his way to the front.
In the meantime Sheridan and some of
his staff started to ride over toward Appom-
attox Courthouse, when they were fired up
on by a regiment Of rebels, half-concealed
among some underbrush. The General and
his party waved their hats toward the place
where the shots came from, and made all
sorts of demonstrations to silence the unex-
pected and mysterious attack; but to no pur-
pose. Finally the Confederate officer who
brought the flag and Major Allen, Of Sheri-
dams staff, rode over to see what the matter
was.
They found South Carolina regiment,
whose Colonel, in a grandiloquent tone, in
formed them that the war wasn't over, and
that he and his regiment did not recognize
the authority of General Lee to make terms
for peace. ''Be Gawd, SIR" exclaimed this
gallant Johnny, "South Carolinians never
surrender"
THE LAST GASP OF LEES ARMY.
The two officers rode back to Gen. Sheri-
dan, who, with his party, had retired under
cover, and reported to him the situation
Tie General called Custer and told him there
was one regiment over in the brush which
hadn't got enough of it, and 1t would be
well for him to 90 over there and ''snuff it
out.''
Custer ordered his bugler to sound ''for-
ward" and at the head of a regiment dashed
across the interval which lay between the
two armies, which were drawn up in long
lines and stood at rest. 1t was beautiful
Sunday mornings perfect Spring day-and
the sight of that regiment, with Clusters
long tawny hair as their banner, dashing at
full gallop across the fields, evoked a cheer
from both armies.
Meantime, Sheridan had reached the
Court house, where he met Gen. Gordon, re-
Gently Senator from Georgia, and Gen.
Wilcox, who had been his classmate at West
Point, but whom he had not seen for many
years. Wilcox has since been q dookeeper
of the United Slater Senate.
While this party were sitting on the steps
of the Courthouse, chatting familiarly over
the situation, heavy muskektry was heard In
the distance. Gordon looked up in anxiety
and alarm, and asked one of his aids to ride
over in that direction and find out what it
meant.
Never you mind, General" said Sheri-
dan. Its all right. l know what it means.
Custer is over there having some fun with q
South Car6inian who never surrenders.n
Gordon insisted upon sending the officer
to stop the fight, but before he got there the
doughty Colonel had presented Custer with q
very-much battered sword. 1t was the last
gasp Of the Army of Northern Virginia.
he SPEAKS ''INJUN.''
/ showed the General another newspaper
story, which represented that he was famil-
lar with several Indian languages, and that
when he went among the red men he never
required the services of an interpreter.
Il wish it was true he responded, ''but
it's only one of the many fctions that have
been printed about me IN the papers. l don't
know why people get up these yarns" he
said, land it's very provoking to be com
PEELED to confess that one lacks accomplish
ments that are universally attributed to him.
The only Indian language I know is the
Chinook, dialect that is used by all the
tribes on the northern Pacific sIope-a sort of
court language which is used in great coun-
ellis. All the tribes understand 1t, and con-
verse together in that exclusively when they