Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-04-30

victory Inc end had long been fore
seen. The utter exhaustion of resources,
the annihilation of armies, which had
been steadily going on for year, could
have but one termination. Johnston,
he said, would certainly follow his ex-
ample and surrender to Sherman, and
the sooner the confederate armies were
all surrendered the better now Moth
ing could be accomplished by further
resistance. When Grant discovered
that Lee entertained these opinions he
urged him TO address the confederate
government and people, and use his
great influence TO hasten the result
which he admitted was not only newt
able, but, under the circumstances, de-
sirable. But this step Lee was not in
clined to take. He said that he was
now prisoner. of war, and felt deli
cacy about advising others to put them
selves in his position But he had no
doubt they would speedily arrive at the
same conclusion without his urging.
The conversation was protracted, and
the restless Sheridan, not used to wait
ing, at last rode up and asked permits
sion to cross the lines and visit some of
his old comrades in the rebel army.
Leave, of course, was given. and with
Sheridan went Gems. Ingalls, and Seth
Williams, both men of the old army,
with as many personal friends among
the confederate officers as under the
union flag. They soon found acquaint-
ances, and when the interview between
Grant and Lee was over the three re-
turned, bringing with them nearly every
officer of high rank in the rebel army
to pay their respects to Grant and thank
him for the terms he had accorded them
the day before. Lee now babe good
morning and returned to his own head
quarters, while the union chief and
those with him repaired to the farm
house hard by where the capitulation
had been signed.
Hither, also. came Longstreet, Cor
don, Heth, Wilcox, Pickett, and other
confederate officers of fame, splendid
soldiers, who had given their enemies
much trouble; and Sheridan, Ord, Grit
fin, and the men on Grants staff met
them cordially. First, of course, the
rebels were presented TO Gen. Grant,
who greeted them with kindness. Most
OF them he knew personally. Long.
street had been at his wedding; Cadmus
Wilcox was his groomsman Heth was
subaltern with him in the Mexican
war; others he had served with in gar
rison or on the Pacific coast. They all
expressed their appreciation of his
magnanimity. One said to him: Gen
eral, we have come to eongratul ate you
upon having wound us up" ~ hope,
replied Grant, lit will be for the good
of us all.
Then the other union officers took
their turns, shaking hands cordially
with the men they had met in many
battle, or with whom they had either
shared tent or blanket on the Indian
trail or on the Mexican frontier with
classmates of West Point and sworn
friends of boyhood. Some shed tears
as they Rugged each other after years
of separation and strife. Countrymen
all they felt themselves now, and not
few of the rebels declared they were
glad the war had ended in the triumph
of the nation. Their humility was
marked; they felt and said that they
had staked all and lost. They in
quired if they would be permitted to
leave the country, but none dreamed
they would ever regain their property.
TIE officers sat for an hour or more
on the steps of the porch, or on the
veranda, and at noon Grant mounted
his horse and set out for Washington.
not having entered the confederate
lines.
On April II, the Army of Northern
Virginia was formed by divisions for
the last time. Lee had already given
his personal parole and was not pres
emit But commissioners had been APP
pointed on each side, under whose di-
rection the troops marched to spot
in the neighborhood of Appomattox
Court House. The union column he
ed on distant hill, where a wi.we
flag was waving. No guns were in
position, no bands played. In pro-
found silence the southeners dressed
their lines, fixed bayonets, stacked
arms. and deposited their accoutre-
ments. Then slowly furling their flags
they laid them down; and many vet
eran stopped to kiss the stained and
tattered colors under which he might
fight no more. All day the sad cere-
mony went on; the disarmed men
streaming to the provost marshals'
tents fer their paroles. Then they
started for their homes.
There was hardly a man possessed
OF a particle of money, and some had
thousand miles to travel in a country
where railroads had been annihilated.
They were allowed to wear their uni
forms, but without insignia, and to
pass free over ali government trans
ports and railroads. Lee rode from
Appomattox Courthouse to Rich
mond, which he entered on the 18th,
while his army was laying down its
arms. A few of the inhabitants gath
cred around him on his way home, but
he discouraged any demonstration, and
no disturbance occurred. The popu-
lation had been fed by the union
authorities since the capture of the
town, and the officer who had charge
of this duty issued a ticket for ''des-
titute ration" for Gen. Robert L. Lee
PREVIOUS STRATEGY.
When Grant broke camp at City
Point, March 90, his chief commissary
of subsistence inquired what number of
supplies should be carried by the
troops, and the general-in-chief replied:
Twelve days rations. The surrender
of Lee occurred on the twelfth day.
This was not the only part of his
scheme which had been foreshadowed
before its accomplishment. The in
structions to Sheridan and the dis
patches to Sherman during the last
days of March laid down almost the
exact plan which was followed to the
end On tho 6th of March Grant said
to Sherman: II shall be prepared to
pitch into Lee if he attempts to evac-
uate the place" On the 21st he said
to Sheridan: "There is now such a
possibility, if not probability, of Lee
and Johnston attempting to unite, that
l feel extremely DESTROYS not only of
cutting the lines of communication be-
tween them, but of having a large and
properly commanded cavalry force
ready to act in case such an attempt is
made" On the 22d he wrote to Sher-
man: 'Sheridan's instructions will be
to strike the south-side road as near
Petersburg as he can and destroy it, so
that it can not be repaired for three or
four days, and push on to the Danville
road as near to the Appomattox as he
can get" This is precisely what Sher-
idan did about two weeks later, only in
the presence and in spite of all Lees
army. ''When this movement COM
mences, continued Grant, II shall
move out by my left with all the force
| can, holding present intrenched lines.
Ii Lee detaches, | will attack, or if he
comes out of his lines | will endeavor
to repulse him, and follow it up to the