Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-04-25
LEES SURRENDER.

f. g. Robinson, late AdJutant ls6
w. Va. Cavalry, furnishes the
press vivid description of the clos
ing days Of the war and the surren-
der of Gen. Lees army of Northern
Virginia at Appomattox Court
House, April 9th, 1885, Of which he
was an eyewitness. The First West
Virginia Cavalry belonged to Gen.
Clusters division of Sheridan's Cav
airy Corps. April 9th, at Big Sailors
Creek, Clusters order to Forward
that Virginia Regiment" brought it
first across the enemy's rail works
and forced the surrender of Gen.
Ewell's corps Of 1000 men. April
9TH, Custer pressed on towards Lees
trains and artillery on the Lynch
burg pike, and met with some resis-
lance from brigade OF infantry
guard. The First West Virginians
were in advance followed by Cd and
Sd and the LIST New York lincoln
Cavalry. Custer rode along the
line, shouting, Forward, men
Don't let the Second Division take
that artillery" Under that inspira-
ton a great part of Lees supply
trains and artillery were captured,
and his line ofretreat towards Lynch
burg headed off. At the moment of
capture, Maj. S. B. Howe was killed.
Grant was near, and on the 9th the
negotiations to suspend hostilitles
came to happy ending. The fol-
lowing is the soldiers own discrip-
ton
Our command was fully mile
nearer the enemy than the infantry,
and Gen. Lee seeing our movements
along the bill top and knowing our
close proximity to his lines, and as
he said desiring to stop the further
effusion of blood,n and knowing his
army was entirely surrounded, wisely
dispatched the truce to stop our
charging column.
A few minutes after the truce Off
Ger left Custer, u brigade Of Confed-
crate Cavalry concealed in the woods
Immediately IN our front charged up
on our division. We were mostly
dismounted and were somewhat sur
prised at this movement, but we're
not long in forming line and clearing
that woods of the enemy. Col.
Whitaker says this brigade tried to
charge through our lines and escape.
1t was the general belief among our
people that day that this brigade
had not heard Ofthe negotiations for
surrender then going on. Our diyis-
ion was now drawn up in line, with
the Virginia brigade in front. Gen.
Custer, who had gone down into
town, soon returned and rode down
the line with his hat off, and his
long, light hair streaming in the
breeze. halted as he reached the Gen.
ter Of the line, and said: General
Lee proposes to surrender the whole
army of Northern Virginia" This
was the first OF the welcome news to
reach our army, and we were the
first to take up the joyful shout Of
victory, and away it rolled like a
great wave from right to left as the
glad news flew along the line; and
then, strange as it may seem, Lees
army took up the cheer, why, / don't
know, but down at the foot of the
| hill and across the fields the brave
fellows in gray halted as they came
IN and .sstacked arms" and yelled
too. But it was not the wild yell
of hateful war. The blue cheered
for victory, but the blue and the gray
shouted together for peace, home,
father, mother, sister, and the girl
we left behind.
Pardon this depression, but Grants
army and Lees army shook hands
that day across "the bloody chasm,"
and closed the gap, and if the men
who were at the front and fought
the battles of that war could have
been the sole arbitrator Of it's issues,
there never would have been o
.bloody chasm" between the North
aud South after the surrender of the
Confederate ames. This is my own
candid, honst conviction.
General Custer on his return from
the Confederate lines brought with
him some ten or more of his old West
Point comrades who had cast their
fortunes with the South. A more
genial. pleasant set of gentlemen /
never met, and their greetings and
general conversation with Custer,
Pennington and other West Pointers
was very interesting, as well as
amusing, as they recalled the differ
ent battles in which they had faced
each other, and other incidents of
their lives.