Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-01-29

brother, Gusts, was q member of my staff
and after q conference We agreed that il
was useless to send the boy back to school
and that he probably would not wait il
| Richmond TOR tie return Of his father; sc
we selected battery which had been or
ganized in Richmond and sent Robert tt
join it General Lee told me that at tht
battle of Sbarpsbur9 this battery suffered
80 much that II had to be withdrawn fol-
repairs and some fresh horses; but, as be
had no troops even to form a reserve, al
soon as the battery could be made useful II
was ordered forward. He said that as il
passed him boy mounted as driver ol
one of the guns much stained with powder,
said: "Are you going to put us in again,
General?" After replying to him in. the
affirmative he was struck by the voice oi
the boy and asked him, "Whose son are
vou?" To which he answered, IT am
Rpbbie," whereupon his father said: "God
bless you, my son, you must 20 in."
When General Lee was IN camp near
something to improve his mess-table. A
lady noted for the very good bread she
made had frequently favored him with
some. One day, as We were riding through
the street, she was standing in her front
door and bowed to us. The salutation was,
of course, returned. After we bad passed
he asked me who she was. / told him she
was the lady who sent him such good
bread. He was very sorry he had not
known it, but to go back would prove that
he had not recognized her as he should
have done. His habitusl avoidance of any
seeming harshness, which caused him some
times, instead of giving a command, to
make a suggestion, was probably defect.
| believe that he had in this manner ipdi-
Gated tnat supplies were to be deposited
for him at Amelia Court house, but the
testimony of General Breckenridge, Secie-
tsry of War, of General st. John, Com
missary General, and Lewis Harvie, presi.
dent of the Richmond and Danville rail-
road, cooclusively proves that no such
requisition was made upon either of the
persons who should have received it; and,
further, that there were supplies both at
Dauville and Richmond which could have
been sent to Amelia Courthouse if infor-
m alton had been received that they were
wanted there.
Much has been written in regard to the
failure to occupy the Round Top at Gettys-
burg early in the morning of the second
days battle, to which failure the best
judgment attributes our want of entire
success in that battle. Whether this was
due to the order not being sufficiently posi-
tive or not, will leave to the historians
who are discussing that important event.
I have SAID that Lees natural temper was
combative, and to this may be ascribed his
attack on the third day at Gettysburg,
when the opportunity had not been seized
which his genius saw was the gate to vic
tory. L. was this last attack to which
have thought he referred when he said it
was all bis fault, thereby spariug others
from whatever blame was doe for what had
previously occurred.
After the close of the war, while l was
in prison and Lee was on parole we were
both indicted on a charge of treason; but,
in hot haste to get in their work, the in
dictment was drawn with the fatal omis-
sion of an overt act. General Grant inter
posed in the case of General Lee, on the
ground that he had taken his parole and
that he was, therefore, not subject to ar
rest. Another grand jury was summoned
and bill was presented against me alone
and amended by inserting specifications of
overt acts. General Lee was summoned as
a witness before that grand jury, the
object being to prove by him that was re-
sponsible for certain things done by hin
during the war. l was in Richmond, hav
ing been released by virtue OF the writ of
hgbeas corpus. General Lee met me very
5000 after having given his testimony
before the grand jury, and told nae that to
the inquiry whether he had not, in the
specified cases, acted under my orders, he
said that he had always consulted me when
he had the opportunity. both on the field
and elsewhere; that after discussion, if not
before, we had always agreed, and there
l. n,I
proval only what he might have done if he
had not consulted me, and that he accepted
the full responsibility for his acts He
said he bad endeavored to present the mat
ter as distinctly as he could, and looked up
to see what effect be- was producing upon
the grand jury. Immediately before him
sat big black negro, whose head had fall
len back on the rail of the bench he sat on;
his mouth was wide open, and he was fast
asleep. General Lee pleasantly added that,
if he bad had any vanity as an orator, it
would have received rude check.
The evident purpose was to Offer to Lse
q chance to escape by transferring to me
the responsibility for overt acts. Not only
to repel the suggestion, but unequivocalIy
to avow his individual responsibility, with
all that, under existing circumstances, was
implied in this, was the highest reach OF
moral courage and gentlemanIy PRIDE
Those circumstances were exceptionally
perlous to him. He had been indicted for
treason; the United States President had
vindictively threatened to make treason
odious; the dregs Of society had been
thrown to the surface; judicial seats were
held bv political advenrurers; the United
States jadge of the Virginia district had
answered to a committee of Congress that
he could pack jury so as to convict Davis
OF Lee-and it was under such surround
ings that he met the grand jnry and testi-
fed as stated above. Arbitrary power
might pervers jnstics and trample on right,
but could not turn the knightly Lee from
the path Of honor and truth.
Descended from a long lie of illustrious
warriors and statesmen, Robert Edward
Lse added new glory to the name he bore,
and, whether measured by a martial or an
intellectual standard. will compare favor
ably with those whose reputation it de-
volved upon him to sustain and emulate.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
The Cape uf Childrau