, 1890-06-26
TiIE TURN OF FATE.
How General Lee Might Have Com
uanded the tnion Army.

D How General Lee Might Have Com
I manded the tnion Army.
Washington Post.
But for his devotion to the state
which to-day honors him, General
Robert T., Lee might have been the
commandments of the Union
forces All his biogrnphcrs are
agreed upon this point, and quite n
number of officers on the Northern
side have corroboratcd the fact,
which dos not, however, appear to
/ be generally known. Lee, who was
| in Texas when the war-cluud first
| threatened had been summoned to
[ Washington. Between him and Cen
eril scott, then commander.iu.Chief
Of the army, there existed the warm
est personal friendship. while the adj
mirution OF the elder officer for the
abilities Of his younger colleague
was extreme. General scott used
every argument to keep Lee from
resigning his commission In the reg
ular army. 10 retain him in the
service he had been appointed upon
his arrival in Washington to IL full
colonel, and soon after his name
was sent in, with others, by Scott as
II proper person TO III the vacancy
caused 10y the death Of Brlgadier
General ,Jessup. To these practical
evidences of regard General scott
added his personal and almost ire
s!stihle appeals.
When 1t is remembered that Lee
WIS 1T this time regarded ns the
ablest officer In the army; that he
had rcudc-cd valuable and intclli.
gent service in the Mexican aud In.
dian wars, and that he wAs of
famous lineage, wealthy and of un-
sulllcd character, IL IN not n matter
of surprise that President Lincoln
also desired to retain his services.
That oveTtures were made TO Lee to
take command of the army seems
established leyond "a doubt, al.
though still denied In some quarters.
Mrs. Lee, writing to friend, stated
that her husband had been told by
General scott that when the lnticrrc-
sigued Lee would get the position.
Francis Preston Blair, the father of
Montgomery Blair, then In Lin
coins cabinet, went To Lee and said!
81 come To you on the part of Preri-
dent Lincoln to ask whether any IN
ducement that he can oller will pre-.
vail on you To take command Of the
union armym
"If | owned, replied Colonel Lee,
the 4OUD,OO slaves ! would cheer
fully sacrifice them to the prcservu-
tion of the union, but lift my hand
ngninst my own state and people IL
impossible"
This conversation was repeated by
Mr. Blair to u well-known resident
of this city, who made II uemoran-
dun Of It. the most valuable tcsti.
m0ny, however, is that of General
Lee himself, Hs given in Il letter ad.
dressed to the Hon. Revcrdy John
son on February %, 1868. In this
letter he used the following Ian
guage:
III never intima'ed To any one
that ! desired the command of the
United states army, nor did | ever
have conversation with but one
gentleman, Mr., Francis Preston
Blair, on the subject, which wa. AT
his invitation, aud as I understood,
Mt the Instance of President Lin.
coin. After listening to his re-
marks ! declined the offer he mad.
To- take command Of the army that
was To be brought into the field.
stating, AS candidly and courte
ously ns ! could, that, though on.
posed To secession and deprecatlnp
war, could take no part in AN in
vasion of the Southern states.
"l went directly from the inter
view with MIR. Blair To General
Scott--toid him of the proposition
thht hau been made to me and NV
decision. Upon reflection after re-
turning home | concluded that /
ought no longer 10 retain any com
mission l held in the United States
army, and on the second morning
thereafter ! forwarded my resigna.
tlon TO General Scott.
"At the time | hoped that pence
wouid have been preserved Ithnt
some way would he found to nre.
serve the country from the culanL.
ties OF war; and then had no otncr
Intention than to pass the remainder
of my life ~ II private citizen.
"lwo days Hiterward, on the i'm.
vitation of the gOvernorof VirvInin
i repaired to Richmond, found thai
the convention then In session Ind
passed the ordinance withdrnwinv
the state from the Union and ne.
cepled the commission OF commnnder
OF It's forces, which was tcndered
me These are the simple facts of
the case.h vi
THE LETTER or REsIaNArIoN
to which General Lee refers wao
dated at Arlington OH the pOth Of
April, 1861, and was as follows,
"t'eneral: Since my interview,
with you on the 18th inst. / have
felt that | ought not longer to re,ain
my commission In the army
therefore Jeu,ier nv re'
signat:on, which request
You will recommend for nc.
ceptancc. IL would have been nrc.
sented Mt once hut for the strngo,o
u has cost me to separate mysrIf
rrom service to which / hays d.
voted all the hest years of NV lii,
and all the ability | possess.
During the whole of that tjmo
more than quarter of II centurv...
! have experienced nothing I'm,
Kindness nom my stIperlors nnd IN
most cordial f,ieniahI, '"c