The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-06-15
RECoLAECTIoNs OF GEN. LEE.
Woman's Touching Anecdotes of the
Fight About Petersburg.

"A " AnecuOteS ol
Fight About Petersburg.
Mrs. Roger A. Pryor in Once Week.
His absolute freedom from all rancor raised
him above the prejudices natural to van
quished party. He refused to accept anger or
hatred as guests into his bosom.
A widowed mother oLce brought him her son
as a student in the college of which he was pres
ident, and bitterly expressed her indignation
against the Government "Madam,n said Gen.
Lee, earnestly, 'do not bring up your children
in hostility to the Government. We are now
one nation. Make your sons Americans"
A friend remembers pleasant little incident
which occurred shortly before his death. Per-
ceiving him, at the gate of his home in Lexing-
ton, in conversation with a poor tramp, to
whom he was giving aims, Gen. Lee explained,
.''One of our old soldiers in want" presently
adding ''Ile was not on our side, but that
doesn't signify.n In this spirit he spent the
closing days of his life. In the summer Of 1864
l lived in Petersburg, Va. Our men were in
the trenches, frequent actions occurred between
the armies, and it was not unusual to lend our
houses for the wounded and for the dead that
fell in battle. | often saw Gen. Lee, whose
headquarters were near me. When he assumed
command of the army he was fifty-four years
old, his hair and mustache were black, and his
bright gray eyes shone under his dark brows.
Now, at the end Of three and half years, his
hair was bleaohed by anxiety, and although
nothing ever shook his serenity, his face had
grown grave and reflective as he recognized the
serious position of his army.
Early in September the shelling became in
tolerabe and we retreated to Cottage Farm,
three miles from Petersburg. We had hardly
arrived before Gen. Lee made his headquarters
tl. NHniaI cd in, Yn,,t
of the house, and Maj. Gen. Wilcox pitched his
tents up to our very doors. We had, in effect,
gone into winter quarters with the army.
My husband was captured by the enemy in
November and incarcerated in Fort Lafayette.
The little family, overwhelmed by the news,
gathered around the hearthstone awaiting en-
couragement from the mother, who was com
pletely stunned by the sudden disaster, and who
was recalled at last by hearing the clank of
spurs and a voice saying, ''Gen. Lee desires his
affectionate sympathies.n The General had
paused at the gate, where he was waiting on his
famous horse, Traveller, his face turned with
sad interest toward my window.
Cottage Farm was on the road between his
headquarters and Fort Gregg, the fertilization
which held Gen. Grant in check at that point
l saw Gen Lee almost daily, going to this work
or TO 'Battery Forty-liye," On Sundays he
regularly passed on his way to n little wooden
chapel, going often through sleet and rain
bending his head to shield his face from the
storm. The famine was severe that winter We
lost all dread of the thunderbolts in our fight
with the wolf at the door. We subsisted on
bread from wheaton flour, unmXed with any
thing except the yeast which we made from
little immortelle, the ''Life Everlasting" which
grows in the fields of Virginia. Occasionally
we were permitted to purchase, with five Con-
federate dollars the head of a bullock from the
commissaTy, every other part of the animal
being available for army ratiOns
Our breakfast was bread, and drink which
we made with one cup of milk, one of molasses,
and plenty of hot water, For dinner we had at