National Republican., 1885-09-26
THE EX-REBEES RETURN.
INCIDENTS OF A LITTLE KNOWN PHASE
OF WAR TIMES.
A Last Look Mt Gen. Lee-AIarauding
HUMANS summarily Shot by Their
Former Comrndes-An Unfortunate
River Crossing Hospitabie Villagers.

do not think there was a saddcr sight in
all recorded history than might be said Of
the occasion of the men who staked their
guns and piled their colors on the bleak
hills west Of Appomattox Court House on
the 9th Of April, 1865. say that It was
sad sight-sad because nearly all the men
were going to desolated homes-and yet
they had great deal to be proud ot-"they
had fought the good fight; they had kept
the faith" and II might have properly been
said of them, "well done, good aud faithful
servants ~
When IL became patent to the coufeder-
ates that the cause had collapsed, with the
grand majority OF the confederates the
question was, "1Iow shall we get home ?"
j mean the infantry officers and soldiers.
Gen. Grant, with that liberality that char
acteri2ed all his actions In this trying epoch,
he'd made arrangements for transportation
by rail Of all the captured men who lived In
the southern states and even in Maryland,
hut the lines OF transportation did not
touch those who lived In what might be
called the Underwater section" of Virginia.
am glad that It didn't, for had an ex-
perience that the richest man living might
he willing to pay for.
Recurring to the parting Of officers and
men when the arms were stacked and the
colors piled for the last time on the bleak
hillside, / scarcely know how TO write
temperatey. 1t was a dreary partlng-so
dreary that q man who has not had a
blanket partner amidst difficulties and
dangers for years, and who has not come
10 look upon him as his second self, could
not possibly realize. There have been men
who have attempted to describe this scene
10th pictorially and cditorially, but they
fall far short Of the reality, and the truth
Of the matter is / don't believe that any Of
them were there at the time.
= GOING BACK HOME.
Now, after we had fixed up the matter of
paroles, &C., looked about me for an ami
NAL to carry me some 800 miles away. BY
good luck found a gray horsein Eubanks's
battery Of artillery Zone of the few batteries
remaining in the army that had not the
government mark on him, and therefore
had show of color for claiming him as
private property. under the terms Of the sur
render. About 10 o'clock on the morning
Of the 18th Of April, when we had hidden
each other farewell, mounted my horse,
who by the way was almost starved to
death, and struck out by map and compass
formy hone at Fairfax Court House. | can
hardly recall my feelings at that time.
1 was only 2l years old, but In four
years / had comDassed the experience
of an ordinary lifetime. When going out
OF the Gordon of military that surrounded
us, q fellow named Carracoe who lived
near Gainesville when the second battle of
Manassas was fought, rode up beside me
and formed an acquaintance, and we agreed
to keep in company until we got home.
You see his home was not more than twenty
miles from'my own. When we were first
talking with each other we had approached
the infantry pickets OF the enemy, and they
at once halted us. Now, ,Carracoe belonged
to Richardson's battalion Of cavalry
Uee's headquarter battalion), and
j, as an infantry man, had
no earthly right to q horse, but told the
captain of the picket that was sick, that
my horse had no government mark on him,
and that l lived In a section of country not
easily reached by railroad lines. That Yam
| kee officer was u gentleman, every inch of
him, for he not only permitted me to go on.
Iut he pressed a $40 gold piece in my hand
as passed by. ] trust that this may meet
his eye In token that have not forgotten
his Kindness and magnanimity.
THE LAST LOOK AT LEE.
Just before my comrade and myself had
passed the outer line Of pickets we trotted
/ by a closed ambulance followed by platoon
OF cavalry, and in the ambulance we saw
Gen. Lee 10y whom was seated Charles Mar
shall, his aid-de-camp, and on the opposite
seat Walter H. Taylor, his adjutant general
Although my battalion (the Irish .battalion)
was closely connected with headquarters
this was the first time had seen Gen. Lee
since the surrender. AS remember now
his face looked drawn and haggard and
there was strained expression about
the eyes that was very painful to
IN his best days, when he was the
handsomest man and the best horseman in
the entire army. tried to stop the ambu-
lance to shake hands with the fallen chief,
but Col. Taylor waived me Off. When
Carracoe and myself got beyond the Yankee
lines and struck out for the nearest crossing
of the James river we found a mob of men
along the roadway who were evidently a
terror to the people Of the farms adjacent
Il recollect that this section of Virginia had
u never been visited by the actual storm of
war;, terrifying the people and robbng
OF farm pronuce, and, worse still, they were
insulting the women. 1t was actually pam
demonium let loose. ] don't mean
to say that the generality of the
paroled soldiers of the army of
northern Virginia indulged in such prac-
tices. They were TOO brave set OF men for
y any such thing as that But there are black
sheep in every flock, as had occasion to
know In this relation. Before my comrade
and myself got to the James river we met a
little negro boy on mule with bag of corn
he was carrying to the mill-a short distance
t. away-and several North Carolinians who
had been unable, or perhaps disinclined, to
70 southwark on the trains provided for
item by Gen. Grant had seized this boy by
the legs and were beating him out of sheer
deviltry His screams were what at
tracted my comrade and myself, and
we rode forward ut gallop. We Were
10th well armed, and when we took in the
situation there was short scutile, and
there were two less eX-confederates to an
swer the roll-call in case Of possible eX-
change. These men were simply bandits,
and they were of the same gang who had
been reported to us earlier In the day as
having insulted ladies and robbed farm
bouses In the vicinity. As far as / am con-
cerned, | never have felt the slightest COM
junction Of conscience that two or three of
these scoundrels were put out of the world.
When we got to the mill have spoken
II of, we got some grain for our horses, who
were literally on the point of starva-
tion, and then we prepared to cross
a tie James, which at that time was
a turbid and swollen stream about quar-
~ ter Of a mile between the banks, and run
ming like mill race.
CROSSING THE JAMES.
~ The only way to cross the river (fording
H was impossible) was by iat-bottom ferry
Loaf propelled by negro boatnen with long
W poles, aud in the aforesaid swollen condi-
= lion Of the river they were Of little account.
W At the landing were gathered a large num-
m her of officers and men, and the ferrymen
were pickering with them as to the charges
n that were to be made (the people had not
|| even then lost faith In confederate money!.
f 1t happened that one of Gen.
Lees staff was there, and he
~ met me as | rode down to the landing aud
T. explained the situation, II seems that the
~ feTrymen wanted $4,000 or 80, 900 In confed.
crate money to carry over boat-load, and
then they were afraid that more would
a crowd upon the boat than It could hold. AT
b first proposed to seize the ferry vi ct armls
M lut after talking with the boatman he
"a agreed for 50 gold piece land, fortunately
W for me and my family, ! had some 5000 on
81 $500 In gold and greenbacks) to ferry Ill the
'W men and their horses waiting on the bank