Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-01-30
1aalg greas and 9 sas5oaass; III
LEE AND THE conFsDERAcY.
A Scrap from the Unwritren History
OF the COuntry's Darkest Days.

A Scrap from the Unwritren History
OF the COuntry's Darkest Days.
Washington, Jan. 8-SGid ex-senator
Pumeroy, OF Kansae, to me to-day:
+ waspresent when. the command OF
the confederate army was offered to Gen.
Lise. l stood within SIX feet OF him.
Nobody in the party knew me, as I had
ist arrived il Washington from Kansas,
Ind was almost an entire stranger here.
Lane andI were elected TO the senate
kept q diary. The other day | was
ieading it over, and it recalled to me
that about the 18th or i76h OF April,
1861 q committee of twelve men can .
up from the secession convention then
meeting at Richmond, and | discovered
that they had come TO see Gen. Lee, vile
was over at Arlington. Ona afternoon
they started of in carriages, and a friend
OF mine end | got buggy and followed
them. We joined the procession before
" got to Arlington, and acted just as
II we were o part of their crowd.
When We reached the old mansion,
Gen. Lee, who was evidently not ex-
pectlng any callers, cameout in his dres-
sing gown and slippers, and / tell you
he was as noble a looking man as / ever
Saw. The chairman presented the dele
CATION to the general, u by one, and
when they had been introduced his Isas
gan . speech, which / wrote down as
nearly aa / could remember in my diary
that night. 1t was very nearly III these
Wordg: "Gen. Lee, we are authorized
by the convention o in session at
Richmond to convey to you an expres-
sion OF their confidence and esteem Of
one OF the most distinguished citizens
OF Virginia, and to tender you the com
mand OF the troops that hsve been raised
to protect the old state from the peril
which now confronts her. We aro en-
eour9gedby the belief that you, as o
son of Virginia will respond to her call,
aud direcu the military forces SO as to
prevent the inTasion oil her sacred soil.
The convention at Richmond ia waiting
anxiously for our return with your ans,
@er, as your acceptance will give strength
aud encouragement to the
people" To this Lee re-
sponded: Gentleman, | am opposed
"a war, although bred to the profession
OF arms. | am especially opposed tc
civil war, to strife between brother and
brother. l regret that one section oil
the country is o rayed against the other.
l cannot resist the call of the sovereign
State to which | owe my first allegiance,
bat remember, gentlemen, / shall draw
my sword only in her defence and with
the prayer that we, in defending our
rights, may not be compelled to shed
the blood of Il hrsthren." He then
said that he would go to Richmond OFT
once and report in person to the govern
ment. I drove back to Washington aud
went right up to seq Mr.. Lincoln. He
could scarcely belIeve what | told him,
Ms he had understood from Gen. Scott
and others that Lee vas loyal aud was
doing NIL he could to prevent the seces-
sion Of Virginia. Ele said that Leo Ind
committed no overt nct of treason and
" would create q great excitement
and perhaps complicate ai-
fairs il he was arrested. Y
urged him 30 hard that he FINALLY
tJll me to go and talk to Seward about
it. Seward wonldn,t believe a word
ha told him, and thought I had gone
crazy. He said that Gen. Lee was as
loyal a nan as there was III the District
u Columbia; that he had been with
Gan. Scott all day arranging for the de-.
fence OF Washington, and was using his
influence to prevent the secession of y,r.
GINA; that Lee was recognized as n
union man at Richmond, aud that the
Virginia YSbais would not dare to offer
him the command OF thei2 army. | went
back to MIR. Lincoln and told him what
Seward had said. He replied that he
did not want to disgrace Lee or do any
tuing to chow that his d~isloyalty was
suspected. The next morning every.
body knew that Lee had gone to Rich
mond, aud within t%wenty-four hours the
newspapers contained his order assnm-
ling command of the Virginia troops.