The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-07

peculiar character To the copitulation
was unstudied and It's language spon
taneous. Yet the language is as pre-
else as words can make it, and enun-
ciates policy which has done as
much as victory itself to secure the
results of the war: Each officer
and man will be allowed to return TO
his home, not to be disturbed by the
United States authority so long as
they observe their paroles and the
laws in force where they reside"
The terms, however. were not in
the least the result of chance or care
lessness, or Indifference. They were
the legitimate outgrowth of Grants
judgment-the consequence ofall that
had gone before-embodied then for
the first time, because then for the
first time the necessity for the EN-
bodiment had arrived. In this way
Grant always did the greatest Things.
1t may be strange or inexplicahle, hut
he could not often explain his meth
DDS. nor, indeed, always his reasons.
He had at this moment no defined
large views about separating he mil
itary from the civil power, far less
any intent Of encroaching on the do
main or prer0.ative of politics. He
did not even, like Sherman, take in
to consideration the fate or condition
of other forces of the enemy although
he was general-in chief; ne confined
himself to the business before him
the disbanding and dispersion of
Lees army. He wanted t. secure
that neither that army nor any of its
members could ever again confront
the national authority and when
this was determined he was unwiIl-
ing to inflict on one OF those members
single unnecessary humiliation or
suffering. He was, am sure, uncon-
scious af any special magnanimity in
this course. He thought nothing of
himself, and little as yet of the far.
reaching effect of his terms on the
population of the south. What his
hand found to do. it did. land no more;
in peace as we'll as war.
The confederation of all this is the
fact that the idea of allowing the Off
GERS to retain their side-arms and per-
sonal effects were suggested to him as
he wrote. He wore no sword, hay-
ing been summoned hastily from his
own headquarters two days before to
a distant portion of the field with no
opportunity Of returning afterward.
Lee, how ever, had dressed himself
with care for the ceremony. His
headquarters train had been burned
by Sheridan in the pursuit, and Lee
and his officers, able to save only IA
single suit of clothes, had secured the
finest. In this way Lee was hand
soDeIy clad; he wore embroidered
gauntlets and the sword presented to
him Ivy the ladies of Virginia. The
conQuerOr, battIe-stained, in e m.
mon soldiers coat, looked mp at his
foe. elab0rately arrayed, and the gilt
ter of the rebel weapon suggested to
him to spare the conquered the hu-
initiation of surrendering it. Then
he wrote the lines permitting officers
Is retain their side-arms, horses and
personal effects. This statement has
been questioned, but | give it on Gen.
Grants authority. He saw and cor
rected the account of the interview
in my history of his campaigns.
/ stood near him as Lee left the
room and thus happened to be the
first to congratulate him upon the re-
suit. l said something about the
event being one that would live for
ever in history. l am sure the idea
had not occurred to him until | ut
tered it. The effect upon his farce,
upon history, was not what he was
considering. He was thinking of
the captured soldiery returning home
without their weapons, to work their
little farms; of destitute country
ravaged by war, but now to be re.
stOred.-Addm Bddeau's Letter..