The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-12
LAST DAY OF THE CIVIL WAR
How the Meeting Between the Two Great
American Generals Was Arranged.
the Close of the Rebellion-History as
Made by General Badeau.
Joaquin Miller.

Joaquin Miller
This morning, here in Baltimore, / met the
most striking figure that now survives the last
day of the great American battles. know this
assertion may seem strange to many. The truth
is, this Col Charles Marshall, the last of Lees
staff on that day, is busy man, and strangely
shy and modest one, who has long since left the
war and the sad story of the surrender far be-
hind him. But little has as yet been said or
written about the man who rode with General
Lee into the battle lines of General Grant to dis
cuss the terms of capituation However, /
think he may some day publish his side of the
story, and when told it will not entirely agree
with General Badeau's story. Nor is this to be
wondered at, for certainly the shield here has
two sides to it, and doubtless two colors.
This Col. Charles Marshall is a native of Eau
quier county, Virginia, where the log cabin of
the great Chief justice is still pointed out to you.
and where only last year went hunting for wild
turkeys with brother of the late General Ord
"a wild and splendid land with fertile valleys
and steep and fruitful hills Colonel Marshall is
lineal descendant of the Chief justice, and his
face bears striking resemblance to that Of the
bronze figure at the base of the Capitol in Wash
ington-placed there last year by the famous
poet and sculptor, W. w. Story, of Rome. He
is the leading lawyer here in Baltimore, where
great lawyers are not scarce, and a political and
social power Like all the Marshalls of Vir-
ginia, he seems like man of great physical
force, and looks the soldier from top to toe. AS
Captain Goddard, late of the Union army,
marked as we returned from our call on the
Colonel, He looks as if his name could not have
been anything else but Marshall"
Colonel Marshall has all the memoranda and
notes written by General Lee in these last days
and kindly offered to furnish me with copy.
But as they would fill more space than could be
permitted In this letter preferred to take from
his lips of the salient features of these
days and leave the details to be given in the life
of Lee. which suppose is in course of prepare
ton.
Il am not an interviewer Colonel Marshall,
but will you tell me what you think of General
BadeauS history of the surrender
Colonel Marshall pushed back his spectacles,
moved a little further from him the pile of IN
opened letters that lay in pile on the table by
the side of a heap of law books and looking
straight at me, said:
Let me say this one thing first of all: what
ever they may set down in their histories, the
Union officers there on that last day did every
thing in their power to soften our pain and
tighten our humiliation. Yes, SIR if they had
rehearsed their parts and each man had been
especially instructed to treat us like brave and
honorable gentlemen, they could not have be-
haved in a manner less calculated to give US
pain"
But Gen. Badeau says that Gen. Lees meth
cd of submitting to the inevitable was neither
frank nor altogether honorable?"
Colonel Marshall did not answer directly, but
after a few moments said:
when General Grants message reached Gen.
Lee with the letter proposing surrender, it
found US not by the roadside is set down by
General Grant and General Badeau. We we're
in a field of apple trees near barn, and good
dicfny frnT1 fhn rnnd npal I.ao had hao
almost constantly in the saddle for nearly week;
he had not slept at all the night before, and 80
now was entirely Frustrated. We had piled up
some rails under an apple tree, and spreading
our coats and blankets on these, we induced Gen.
Lee to leave the saddle and try and take mo-
ment's rest He resting there half leaning
against the apple tree, his feet hanging down
over the blankets and rails to the ground, when
Babcock rode up with the letter from General
Grant"
This was not the first letter that had passed
between the two great generals on the subject of
surrender"
by no means Several had passed; the first,
however came from General Grant to us. Ger
Lee answered that he desired to negotiate terms
for peace. But General Grant mad answered
that he had no authority to deal with any ques-
ton but the surrender of the army. These let
ters had been passing to and fro for some time"
And fighting going onW
Eyes, and desperate fighting, too. But the roar
of battle had died away almost entirely now
In fact Gen. Fitzhugh Lee was almost the
only one that was fighting now on our side, and
L had been sent to stop him."
''And he did the last nghting?"
1.-THE very last He was returning from a
little skrmish with two cannon he had captured,
and about two hundred prisoners at this time"
Where and when did you first meet General
Grant2"
II will tell you. After Colonel Babcock came
up to where General Lee reclined on the rails
under the apple-tree with the proposition from
General Grant to meet him. either in his lines or
ours, was requested by Genera! Lee to find a
suitable place where such a meeting could be
held. In little time set out in the direction
from which Colonel Babcock had come, and
toward where General Grant was supposed to be.
1 was only little in advance of General Lee and
Colonel Babcock They were followed only by
an ordely or two"
"And this was inside the confederate lnesq"
''All inside of our lines. l had not rode far
until met farmer And now here was some
thing singular This gentleman whom / met
was Mr.. Mclean, the same Mclean whose
home is so often mentioned in connection with
the battle of Manassas. He had left Bull run to
get out of the track of war. The first battle had
been fought around his Preside, and he had
come away to get out of the wreck and ruin.
instead of that here he was right in the midst
of the last great fight"
And greatly disguised, no doubt"
HE was a gentleman. SIR and gentlemen al
ways accept the inevitable patiently. He pointed
out house that stood near by, but which had
been wrecked and was unfit to occupy And so
he took me little further along to a neat little
brick house. his own private residence. l en-
tered the parlor and finding it entirely comfort
able, went back and told Col Babcock Joined
Gen. Lee and we entered the house together
Col Babcock sent off his orderly, and also soou
after entered the house. This house stood on
high ridge, and little apart from the village of
Appomattox. We waited here about half an
hour for Gen. Grant
I am tempted to here insert a paragraph from
the history of my friend, Gen. Badeau as show
ing how honest men may honestly differ as to
the color, size, and shape of the shield
Badeau, after describing the Mclean house
says (page COZ, volume 81: Into this house the
Generals entered, each at first accompanied by
single aid-decamp. but as many as twenty ma
tional officers afterward followed, among whom
were Sheridan, Ord and the members of Grants
own staff. No rebel entered the room but Lee
and Col. Marshall, who acted as his secretary