Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-04-11
APPOMkTTOy.
STORY APPRENTICESHIP 400

tV&tulHk tHt huffthttt W INV ~ Rppe
mastcx, and the magnasimity OF Grant
upon that occasion. With the view o.
throwing as much ligh; as possible
upon tho events Of those days, the Con
sfifsfion correspondent to-day paid q
visit TO the home Of General Longstreet,
who was member OF Lees historic
council Of war held on the night Of
April &, 1865. The Generals residence
Is situated on a wooded eminence one
mile north Of and overlooking Gaines
vile. Arriving about o'clock your
correspondent soon found himself IN
the presence Of the gray old General,
whose bravery was the pride OF the
men who followed him.
"Generai, you know that Grant is
lying on his dcath-bed, and the news
papers are having a great deal to say
about his generosity to General Lee
when he surrendered at Appomattox,
some claiming that Grant was very
msgnanimous, others, among them
General Early, holding that Lee vir-
tually forced him to honorable terms.
Won't you tell the readers Of the Con-
sfasfioa what you know about it"
"0n the 9Th Of April, 1865, just
twenty years ago to-day. we found our
selves almost completely surrounded by
the Federals. So critical was the situa-
tion that General Lee at once called a
council Of war TO meet that night"
"Wbo composed that council9"
"Genersl Lee himself, Gordon,
fitahugh Lee, Pendleton, and myself"
"At that meeting was it supposed
that the surrender was so nesr?"
"No, we fully expected to pass
through Appomattox."
did you expect 10 fight through
or cut through, as they say"
"No. Gordon said there would be
no trouble about it. He said he could
get through all right, and was instructed
to do so by Lee. The plan was for him
to pass Appomattox long before day
light on the morning Of the 9th. |
thought that he had succeeded until the
news came that he failed, and Lee had
surrendered"
"You brought up the rear in the line
of march, did you not?"
Yes; and would have carried my
command through if Gordon had done
what he thought he could do"
How was il that Gordon failed !"
"There seemed to be some delay in
moving the cavalry, which l could not
understand"
alt was not thought then in the
council that you would have to surren-
der, and you were not ordered TO cut
through the lines, either before or after
the psrley between Lee and Grant ?"
~ was not ordered to cut through
at all, but was simply to follow Cor
don, who had no doubt about getting
through"
"Wbat induced Lee to first sue for
peacef"
"The simple fact that when Gordon
was stopped we were completely sur
rounded, and could not hope to hold
out longer
SHOW long was Lee and Grant en-
gagged in discussing the terms of sur
renderY"
"Not over twenty minutes. Grant
simply stated the terms and Lee &C
copied them. We ak knew beforehand
exactly what Grant would ask, and we
knew nothing was left Lee but to ac-
cept his terms. Grant asked nothing
more than what he was compelled to,
and none of us felt that he ought to
have asked less"
"Whst about Grant declining to ask
for Lees swordY"
"Oh, well, the custom ofsurrendering
the sword belonged to the old day. l
don't suppose Lee or Grant thought of
it,
"Then you were not ordered by Lee
10 hold yourself in readiness to cut
through the Federal lines in the event
that Grants terms were not favorable
enough?'
"No, received no such orders"
"You do not think that any order of
Lee had any influence upon Grant in
proposing the terms Of surrender"
IL do not"
Thanking the General for his kind
ness your correspondent then with
drew.
A TALK WITH GENERAL J. b. COR
DON.
General Gordon said Z" can do no
better than to give you copy Of let
ter which i have just written, and
which was just about to send out for
publication.
The letter is in the following terms
KIRKwooD, NEAR ATLANTA, GA,
April s, 1851 wish to give my recol-
lection Of some of the circumstances
attending the surrender of General
Lees army to General Grant at Apo
mattox Courthouse, Va. The fact that
the struggle could not be prolonged by
General Lee beyond few days with
any organized army had been evident
for at least forty-eight hours preced-
ing the final engagements on the morn
ing Of the 9th Of April. The continued
embarrassment and constant delays in
cident to retresting army, by reason
Of the necessity for keeping the wagon
trains in advance Of the troops, while
the pursuing army is, in large measure,
freed from such embarrassment, be-
cause It's trains may be left in the rear
the want ofrations for the men and forage
for the horses the number Of Con-
federates who daily and hourly fell on
the line Of march from sheer exhaus-
ton, as well as in the constantly re-
curing battles exceedingly small
numbers under General Lees command
~ compared with the army Of General
Grant. left little ground for hope to the
Confederate General Of escaping
speedy surrender. On the night of the
8th Of April the last council Of war was
held at General Lees bivouac, near APP
pomattox Courthouse. Al this council it
vas decided that an effort, though des-
peYate, should be made the next morning
to cut through the lines Of General
Grant, and, il possible, pursue the re-
treat towards Lynchburg. General
Lopgstreet commanded one wing of
~~... III.