Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-03

again as. a unit. We gained an advantage
on the morning of the 9th which. If 1t had
been followed up, must have proven very
decisive. In the evening the enemy gained
an advantage, but was speedily repulseo.
AS we stood at the close, the two armies
were relatively in about the same condition
to meet each other as when the river had
divided them. But the fact OF safely cross
ing was a victory"
On the morning of the 7th we sent out
pickets and skirmishers to discover the posi-
tion of the enemy, but Lee showed no dis.
position to come out. About midday Cen
eral Warren was directed to make a recon-
noisence in force. This drew some sharp
firing, buAthcre was no attempt ON the part
of the rebels to drive him back. This ended
the battle of the Wilderness. Our losses in
the Wilderness were 2,261 killed, s,7S5
wounded, and {, 1902 missing: probably near
ly all the latter captured by the enemy"
In giving "reminiscences of Lees surrel,-,
der. General Grant says: II found General
Lee had been brought into our lines and
conducted to a house belonging to a Mr.;
Mclean, and was there with one of his
staff officers awaiting my arrival. The head
of his column was occupying a hill, a por-
ton of which was an apple orchard.
Wars produce many stories of fiction. The
story of the apple tree is n Of those
f~lctions, with a slight foundation of fact.
Running diagonally up the hill was a wagon
road which at II point ran very near one
of the trees of the orchard SO that the
wheels had cut off the roots of the tree
which made a little embankment. Cen
eral Babcock reported to ME that when he
first met General Lee he was upon this em-
bankment with his feet in the road and
leaning against the tree. 1t was then that
General Lee was conducted into the house
where [ first met him. I had known Cen
eral Lee in the old army and had served
| with him in the Mexican wal, but did not
/ suppose, owing to the difference in our ages
| and rank, that he would probably remember
| me, while 1 would remember him more dis
| tinctly because he was the Chief Engineer
| of the Staff of General Scott in the Mexican
war.
When I had left camp that morning I had
| not expected the result so soon that was
then taking place, and consequently was in
rough garb. and, I believe, without a sword,
as I usually was when on horseback OH the
field, wearing a soldiers blouse for a coat,
| with shoulder-straps of my rank to indicats
who I was to the army.
When 1 went intothe house I found Gem
eral Lee. We greeted each other, and after
shaking hands took our seats. What
his feelings were I do not know.
being a man of much dignity and with an
impenetrable face-but my W feelings,
which had been quite apparent on the re-
ceipt of his letter, were sad and
depressed. / felt like anything rather than
rejoicing at the downfall of a foe that had
fought so long and CALAMITY and had suf-
fered so much for a cause which I believed
PtO be one of the worst for which a people
ever fought, and for which there was not
| the least pretext. I do not question, how
ever, the sincerity of the great mass of those
who were opposed to us. General Lee was
dressed in full uniform, entirely new, and
wearing a sword of considerable value, very
likely the sword that had been presented
by the State of Virginia. At all events, it
was an entirely, different sword from the
one that would ordinarily be worn in the
field.
In my rough travelling suit, which was the
uniform of a private with the straps Of a
General, [ must have contrasted strangely
with a man so handsomely dressed, six feet
high and of faultless form. But this was
not a matter that I thought of until after
wards.
General Lee and I soon fell into CONVEX
sation about old army times. He remarked
that he remembered me very well in the old
army. Our conversation grew so pleasant
that I almost forgot the object of our meet
ing. General Lee was accompanied by ore
of his staff, a Colonel Marshall. I1ad all
of my staff with me. a good portion of whom
were in the room during the whole of tho
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