Arizona silver belt., 1891-07-11
An Incident of sehns,on's surrender
Eugene Field.l

fore his death. "They will probably never be known to the publc-I refer, of course to the personal incidents that seem amusing now, but which at that remote time wcro full of tragic and pathetic meaning to us. l recall one day that l went over to Sherman head quarters to talk over the preliminarIes ef the proposed surrender Of course, Ii was my wish to secure the best terms 1 could; | wanted to spare my people all unnecessary humiliation. r oc- cured Co me that if Shermans feelings could be worked upon-if His heart could be touched--I would be able to secure more advantageous terms from him, Accordingly, on this particular occasion, I asked him if, npon the fol- lowing day. l might bring John c. Breckinridga over to talk with him.
 "'And who is Breckinridge? asked sherman.
 He is our secretary of WAT, said L
 "No, sir, said sherman, harshly; I shall allow no civilian to interfere in this matter. We are 10 conduct this aiiair upon basis oi war, and IS be- tween soldiers.
 But, said I, determined to bring Breehiandge oloqueucg to my assis- tanee, our secretary of war is ma ior general in our army ,"
 Very we'll then, said Sherman. '' i should be glad to talk with Gen eial Breckinridge, but I intend that no civilian shall have anything to dc with this matter.
 Next day Breekinridge and l start el for Shermans headquarters. Now, Breehiarijge was a man who had been ased Ia his ten CT twelve drinks per diem. Circumstances over which none of us had any control hal finally cut of ali sgpplies. Breeldnriige vas sim ply Perishins for want of driuk. l recall how, as We toilei along in the heat, poor BreckiHril.;e sighed dolor- ousls and kept roi'eratirg hs liaing for a keg of fine old Kentucky sour mash At last, in sheer despair, he reached around and whipped out of his pocket long, tain plug of green to- bacco. This, too, was rare iuXury at that particular time. 4 friend had given it to him only the day beflra. Iia bit of au ample chew, and as We t-udged along on our way he solemnly masticated the cud as though, forsooth, he hoped thereby to allay the cravings 9i his parched fauces. When we reaehsd the headquarters Sherman was not there but presently he came with a set of sadilebags over his arA. Hs WIS as cheerful as breath Of curly spring
 Gentlemen, said 3hermon, T nave brought along some hospital supplies. Will you honor me, General Breekiu- ridge, by sampling this brandy?'
 'Breeklnridge made 10 answer. I . shall never forget how deitly he got his hands up to bis lips, gathered that to- bacco out oi his mouth and hurled the odioas aud into an obscure corner. Gpon my word. twss pathetic.
 !" Ton say when, said sherman, tip ping up bottle and pouring ont the cool, delicious beverage,
 But, bless you Breckinridge WAS not the man to cry enough No, sir, he just let sherman fill to the top and then at one prodigious draught he drained off the amber liquid The of feet wes instantaneous; ull at once be was the Breckirr;dge of old And eloquent? Never before had tue man pleaded for his fellows ns John c. Breckinridge pleaded for his fellow Confederates that day. Antiquity was ransaeked for instances illustrating the benignity and mercy of conqueroes .o conquered; the realms of poetry were invaded and bits of tender verse were utilized to soften the auditors proud heart; history, biography. philosophy yes. every sri was employed to gain the speakers end; t was a masterpiece of scholarship, of oratory, of eloquence, of pathos.
 sherman was yisibly affected. With his hands thrust down into the pockets of his trousers, he paced restlessly to and fro. l never saw man more deeply moved He strove to but could not conceal his agitation. When rnally Breckinridge ended and sat down Sher- man said not word for several mo- ments, but continued to pace the floor neryously. Breekinridge reached around, drew forth the plug of green tobacco and took another chew. The silence, so long unbroken, became painful
 At Inst Sherman turned tho saddle bags, picked them up, produced the i brandy bottle again, and poured out Il i noble horn of the fiery substance. As