Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-09
GEN. LEES SURRENDER.
THE STORY AS TOLD BY GEN.
GRANT IN HIS BOOK.

Gen. Grant In Rough Garb and Without
Hts sword-BOth Generals Meet in the
Houss of MIR. McLean-The seige of
VicksburG.
NEW YORK, June Seen. Grants
book, to be published in few months,
viii contain the following "reminiscences
of Gen. Lees surrender:
IL found Gen. Lee had been brought
into our lines and conducted to a house
II belonging to MIR. Mclean, and was there
Il with one of his staff officers waiting nv
8 arrival. The head OF his column was oo-
81 cupying the hill, a portion of which was an
q ample orchard. Across the little valley from
Fl t6e 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 val
E lev. Before stating what took place be-
& tween Gen. Lee and myself, l will give all
there is Of the narrative of Gen. Lee and
the famous apple tree. Wars produce
many stories Ot fiction, some of which are
told until they are believed. The
war of the rebellion was fruitful in the
81 same way.
The story of the apple tree is one of
those tctions with slight foundation OF
iact. AS l have said there was an
81 apple orchard on the side Of the hill Occu-
ued by the Confederate forces. Running
q
which at one point ran very near one of
the trees, SO that the wheels on that side
had cut of the roots OF tue tree, which
81 made a little embankmGnt. Gen. Bab-
81 cock reported TO me that when he first met
s. 5en Lee he was sitting upon this en-
q utEment, with his teet IN the road and
Banning against the tree. 1t was then
l.aJ Gen. Lee was conducted in the house
81 here l Brst met him.
81 had known Gen. Lee in the old army
and had served with him in the Mexican
Nar, but did not suppose, owing to the
81 difference in our ages and rank, that he
81 would probably remem Der NE, while l
Would remember him more distinctly be-
4 cause he was Chief Engineer on the staff
II Of Gen. Scott in the Mexican war.
when had left camp that morning l
had not expected the result so soon that
then was taking place, and consequently
was in rough garb and, believe, without
my sword, as / usually was when on
horseback, on the field wearing soldiers
blouse for a coat with the shoulder straps
Of my rank to indicate who l was to the
army. When | went into the house |
found Gen. Lee. We greeted each other,
and after shaking hands took our seats.
What his feelings were l do not know.
Being a man OF much dignity and with
8 an impenetrable face, IL was impossible
to say whether he felt inwardly
glad That the end had finally come
Or whether he felt sadly over the result
and was too manly to show IT. Whatey-
er his feelings were, they were entirely
concealed from observation. But my own
q feelings, which had been quite apparent
& on the rec4ipt Of his letter, We're sad and
depressed. ] felt like any thing rather
81 than rejoicing at the downfall of the
q foe that had fought SO long
and calamity, and had suffered so much
for the cause which ! beleYed to be one
b Of the worst for which people ever
Il fought and for which there was not the
least preteXt. / do not question, how
ever, the sincerity Of the great mass OF
those who We're opposed to US.
Gen. Lee was dressed in full uniform,
OtrelY new, and wearing a sword OF
considerably value-yery likely the
s sword that had been presented
90 him by the State of Virginia.
40 all events it was an entirely differ
,nt sword from the one that would Ordi-
narily he worn on the field. In my rough
ayelng suit, which was the uniform of
a private, with straps of a General, |
must have contrasted very strangely with
man 50 handsomely dressed six feet
high and Of taultiess form. But this was
Dot matter that l thought of until after
wards.
sauon about old army times. He re-
marked that he remembered me very well
ln the Old army, and | told him, as
matter of course, ! remembered him per-
lectiy. but owing to The difference in years
t1ere beng about sixteen years differ
tnee in our ages and our ranks, thought
very likely Bad not attracted his
attention sutlicr atly 10 be remembered
a'ef sucn lOn2 pe iDd. our conYersE-
4 81 ]
lar o'Jeet of our meeting. Gen. Lee at
lhti time was accompanied by one of his
SIAN officers, Col. Marshall. / had all OF
my stan with me, a good portion of whom
were ma the room during the whole Of the
ulerWeW.
I'm an article on the battle OF Shiloh,
%hlch | wrote for the Century MdgGziHe,
stated that Gen. A. Med. McCOOk, who
commanded division of Buelfs army,
Expressed some unwillingness to pursue
tle enemy on Monday, April !, because OF
le condition of his troops. Gen. Badeau
W ms history also makes the same
Ss"t ihent on my authority. Out
justice to Gen. McCOok and
n@ command l must say that
uel lett a point twenty-five miles east
'aFdhnah on the morning of the 6th.
lom the heavy rain OF few days preyi-
V"a' aud the passage Of trains and artil-
o,!' the roads were necessarily deep m
i1U'' Which made marching slow. The
81 Wv F'a'on had not only marched through
. ''s huu the day before, hut IL had
Den an he rain all night without
.ts.. 10 was engaged in the battle ot the
o.1oHV DAY, and did as good service as irs
'a'O'1 allowed. In TACT, an opportunity
, ied Tor it to perform conspicuous
lllautry, which elected the high
"mepdation from the division COM
in the Army Of the Tennessee.
."' 'Aeiman, in b0tn bis memoirs and
I's mahcs mention OF this
Gtu. McC0ok himself he-
4 10 family which furnished
volunteers 10 the army.
,. Itior 10 these circumstances with
ness, because dd Gen. McCo0k
'.lee in my article in the Century.
'"t' not 20 Tho extent one would have
NV, ,,d Wom the public press. / am
c..." 'hus lo do any one injustice, and If
need that have done one / am al
wiling 70 make the fullest admis-
c... 'ieksbure newspaper, which We re-
regularly while before Nicks-
. lRf'u-h The courtesy OF the rebel
SAID prior TO The An, in speaking
Yankee boast that they would
INNER In Nioksburg that dnv, that
receipt for cooking q rabbit was
rNlNtt Hrut fVhn nu~rr az fhia