Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-07
THE IMPRESSION TIE NEWS PRO-
OUCEO ON HIS SOLDIERS.
CONSERVATION and Amarement Which
Spread Through the Ranks Like = Con
dagrstion-The Blow Felt Most KeenIy.
Talk of the Men.

Gen. Echuls opened and read it | instantly
| perceived that it contained momcutouS and
disastrous news His face became intensely
flushed, and then grew deadly pale He
| quietly requested me u follow him out Of the
| thruug did 50, and when We wcrc a few
| lSacCs away he read mo the dispatch. which
| WIS from Grn LnmaN and III these words
Gen. Lee, surrendered this morning at or
near AppOmatto1 court house am irving
with my oHm division and the remnants of
Fitz Loc's and RnSSar's divisions to arrange
to make "A junction with YOU"
Although prepared to hear Of disaster,
| had not cNp~rted anything 50 dreadful as
this, and the announcement almost stunned
me. can never forget the feeling of utter
| diSlnay and despair with which heard it, or
the impression it produced upon the troops
when the information reached them.
Gen EcholS had not intended To immedi-
ately divulge it After II brief conference we
agreed that the news should be concealed. if
possible, from the men until the next day,
and communicated that night only % the
brigade and rcgimental commanders We
LOpSi that some plan might be devised which
would enable Us to hold the TROOPS together
until We could learn whnt policy would I've
pursued 10y Mr.. Davis, and whether it would
be our duty To endeavOr TO Join Gen. John
stun But To- conceal such fact when even
one man was aware of it was impossible b.,
fore "" had concluded our brief conversation
We knew from the hum and stir in the any NioIls,
nark-bro"eH crowds nearest to Us, the rest
less oscillation OF the long column as whlN-
per flew along II, the excitement which sonn
gre" almost % tuiEuIt, that The terrible It'd
ilSs hah gotten apfnad' Ihat night no man
slept. strangely as the declaration may now
sound there was MOI one ot the o,hO or I,"N
tneh satheieu at OhTlStiallShurg who had en-
tertainel the slightest thought that such an
event could happen and, doubtless, that feel
ing PcrNadcd the ranks OF the Coniederacy.
RICHMOND HAD FALLEN.
we khe" tua' hlchmond had thllen. We
knew thnt the heroic army which had 50
long defended fachnond was IN retreat We
kle" mat would be honlanlc That It's
operations 'ouiu no longer De conducted
upon INC hle'nods "hich support regular
warfare anu thet everything necessary to
MAINTAIN us eniclehcy was io>t We could
haEru II" '"hJNture as I" what would I've
nohe' YET trat Tue army ot northern Nr-
Glhia' WIN Lee al itS mead would ever sur
Ieiiuer .an never ei'Iei'u our iiihas. lh"rf-
'oie' inc ii'u's,ll"ahIe CONSERVATION aiid
aihazeii'eht "hich spread ike a c"nhaSratlon
through the RANKS "heh the thins was told
can Scaf',.E pe imagined by one who has not
nal slil'i!"r experience.
for 'our years the people of the southern
STATS had H'ei unnef separate government
"l their own Siu hal looked upon themselves
s constituting ulStih't nationality. The
very iAct til't' thoSe iour years hhh been years
OF struggle, danger ana sacrifice only the
more intensified their aspirations for political
separation and independent governmental
existence.
What n, f'rs, may have b,.on with tb. mass
q, ,ha ,,o,r,I.t;,,, ,,,or. ,,r.,i,,,I;' -,
"e - HS S'ii'e
nav C'''i'iieh "i a' neSt o'i' an l"eai love oi
the treS'don winch, IN us widest sense, means
the right of the people Of every sovereign
TO control, without interference