Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1885-08-20
Grant on Appomaitox.
His Description of Lee'sl Surrender
and How 1t Was Negotiated.

General Grants book, soon to be
published, will contain the following
"reminiscences Of Lees surrender:
II found General Lee had been
brought into our lines and conducted
to house belonging to Mr.. Mclean,
and was there with one Of his staff
officers waiting my arrival. The head
of his column was occupying a hill, a
portion Of which was an apple or
chard, acroes little valley from the
court house. Sheridan's forces were
drawn up in line of battle on the
crest Of the hill on the south side of
the same valley. Before stating what
took place between General Lee and
myself will give all there is Of tie
famous apple tree. Wars produce
many stories Of fiction, some OF which
are told until they are believed. The
war of the rebellion was fruitful in
the same way. The story of the ap
pie tee is one of iho:e iictions with
slight. foundation Of fact. As have
said, there was an apple orchard on
the aide Of the hill occupied by the
Confederate forces. Running diag-
onally up the hill was wagon road,
which at one point ran very near one
of the treea, so that the wheels Oh
that aile had cut off the roots Of the
tree, which made a little embankment
Gan. Babcock reported to me that
when he first met Gen. Lee he WAS
sitting upon this embankment with
his feet in the road and leaning against
tho tree. 1t was then that Lee was
conducted into the house where | first
met him. l had known Gen. Lee IN
the old army, and had served with
him in the Mexican war, but did not
suppose, owing to the difference in
our ages and rank, that he would
probably remember me, while / would
remember him more distinctly because
he was chief engineer on the staff OF
General Scott in the Mexican war.
When | had left the camp that morn
ing had not expected the result 40
soon that then was taking place, and
consequently was in rough garb, and
l believe without a sword, az | usn'
ally was; when on horseback on the
field, wearing soldiers BID use for a
coat with should my rahk
wnsn l went into l'0und
Gen. Lee. We greeted each other
and after shaking hands took our
seats. What his feelings were | 90
not know. Being man OF much
dignity, and with an impenetrable lace
it was impossible to say whether he
felt inwardly glad that the end had
finally come, or whether he felt sadly
over the result aud WAS too manly to
show it. Whatever his feelings were,
they were entirely concealed from OBJ
servation, but my own feelings, which
had been quite apparent on receipt OF
his letter, were sad and depr, ssed. |
felt like anything rather than rtJolc'
ing at the downfall Of the foe that
had fought 80 long and gallantly, and
had suffered 20 much for q cause
which I believed to be one OF the
worst for which people ever fought
and for which there was not the least
pretext. / do not question, however
the sincerity of the great maaa ol
those opposed to us. Gen. Lee was
dressed in full uniform, entirely new
and wearing sword of considerable
value, very likely the sword that ha'
been presented by the State OF VAR
einia. At all events it was an en-
tirely different sword from one tha
would ordinarily be worn in the held
In my rough travelling suit, whl'I
was tho uniform of a private Wit
: straps of general, must have con
trasted very strangely with a man s
handsomely dressed, six feet high, c
: faultless form. But this WAS not
: matter l thought Of unt,l atterwart
I. General Lee and l soon fell into cor
e yersation about old army times. ID
| remarked that he remembered N
t very we'll in the old army and tol
4 him, as matter Of course, rernen
3 bered him perfectly, but owing to Il
i difference in years, there being abo'
u sixteen years difference IN onr age
Il aud our rank, thought it very like
8 | had not attracted his attention su
Is 6ciently to be remembered after su'
long period. Our conversation gre
't 40 pleasant that I almost forgot Il
object of our meeting. General Il
% at that time WAS accompanied by o.
sr of his staff ofIicera, Colonel Marsha
/ had all of my staff with me- a go'
rortion OF whom were in the roc
1t during the whole of the interview
The Philadelphia Press editorial
says:
DiI oT,o ooddon hiscnit a.