Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-07-01

"FOr the river that runs by the realms OF
the blest
Has no song on its ripple, no star on it's
Oh! that river is nothing like this;
For it glides on in shadow, beyond the
Till i It breaks Is' into beauty and bliss"
1 am lingering yet, but linger alone,
On the banks of the beautiful river;
IT'S the twin of that day, but the waves
where it shone
Bears the willow trees shadow forever.
PARTS OF GENERAL GRANTS
BOOK.
The First Volume Of the Work Already
Completed.
The first volume of Gen. Grants
| book is now completed, and much of
the second volume is in the hands of
his publishers, Messrs. Charles L. Web
ster T. Co. of this city. In large type
| the first volume makes about 5O0pages.
For it's frontispiece it has a steel por-
trait engraved from daguerreotype
taken at Bethel, in Ohio, in 1843, when
Gen. Grant was just arrived at man
hood. The great soldier told the pub
fishers that he paid the price of chop
ping twenty cords of wood for it. In
those days it took three minutes to
complete the taking of a daguerreo-
type, and the photographer cautioned
him not to wink during the operation
a caution that he was obliged to dis
regard. Besides a great number of
manuscript documents, the volume
contains an etching by WE. Marshall
of Gen. Grants birthplace in Mount
Pleasant, Ohio. The Commercial Ad-
vertiser of few days contain
ed some extracts from the first volume.
The book is in the form of an autobiog-
raphy. Nothing illustrates the simpli-
city of the work better than the dedi-
cation, which is as follows:
These, volumes are to the American sol
| der and sailor. U. S. GRANT.
New York, May %, 1895,
Here is how he describes Gen. Lees
surrender:
found Gen. Lee had been brought
into our lines and conducted to house
belonging to Mr.. Mclean, and was
there with one of his staff officers wait
ing my arrival The head of his
column was occupying hill, a portion
of which was an apple orchard, across
the little valley from the 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 valley.
Before stating what took place be-
tween Gen. Lee and myself, Twill give
all there is of the narrative of Gen. Lee
and the famous apple tree. Wars pro-
duce many stories of fiction, some of
which are told until they are believed.
The war of the rebellion was fruitful in
the same way. The story of the apple
tree is one of those fictions with a
slight foundation of fact.
As have said, there was an apple
orchard on the side of the hill occupied
by the Confederate forces running
diagonally up the hill was wagon
road which at one point ran very near
one of the trees, so that the wheels on
that side had cut off the roots of the
tree, which made little embankment.
Gen. Babcock reported to me that
when he first met Gen. Lee he was sit
ting upon this embankment, with his
feet in the road and leaning against the
tree. It was then that Lee was con-
Quoted into the house where first met
him.
Ihad known Gen. Lee in the old army,
and had served with him in the Mexican
war, but did not suppose, owing to the
difference in our ages and rank, that he
would probably remember me; while
L. would remember him more distinctly
because he was the chief engineer on
the staff of Gen. Scott in the Mexican
war. When 1 had left camp that morn
ing, had not expected the result so
soon that then was taking place, and
consequently was in rough garb, and
I believe, without a sword, asI usually
was when on horseback on the field,
wearing soldiers blouse for a coat,
with shoulder straps of my rank to in
dictate who I was to the army. When
I went into the house found Gen. Lee.
We greeted each other, AMI after shak-
ing hands took our seats. What his
feelings were I do not know; being a
man Of much dignity and with an i'm
penetrable face, it 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. Whatever his feel
ings were, they were entirely concealed
from observation; but my own feelings,
which had been quite apparent on the
receipt of his letter, were sad and de-
pressed. l felt like anything rather
than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe
who had fought so long and gallantly,
and had suffered so much for a cause
which believed to be one of the worst
for which people ever fought, and for
which there was not the least pretext.
do not question, however, the SINGER
ity of the great mass of those who were
opposed to us. Gen. Lee was dressed
in full uniform, entirely new, and wear.
inc sword of considerable value, very
likely the sword that had been present
ed 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 private
, with the straps of a general, must have
contrasted very strangely with mar
so handsomely dressed, six feet high
and of faultless form. But this was
not matter that thought of unit
afterward.
Gen. Lee and soon fell into CONVEX
sation about old army times. He remark
!. ed that he remembered me very vel