The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-14
MosBY WRITES OF LEE.
With en- Enthusiasts Pen Ho Describe
the Southern Comm ander.

With en- Enthusiasts Pen He Describes
the Southern Commander.
Col j. s. Mosby in San francisco Examiner.
Our regiment marched from the Shenan.
| doah valley and arrived on the field Of
Manassas the evening before the battle. At
critical moment Stuart charged and
! routed the Ellsworth Zouaves | saw him
riding at the head OF the regiment few
minutes before he went in. He seemed to
feel the inspiration Of Marst on Mount
| Tabor. / was not In the charge. Stuart
| sent the major with part of the regiment
\ IN another direction and | was with him.
| The major contented himself wieh march
| ing up the hill and then marching down
again."
Some days after the battle was detailed
| TO carry dispatch from our camp at Fair
fax Court House to Gen. Joe Johnston,
whose headquarters were still near the bat
| tlefeld. A staff officer to whom the dis
patch was delivered met me at the door of
| the house where be was 1uartered. | stood
| on the porch while he went into the room to
read IL. While l was waiting old joe, with
| bis grim visage, came out on the porch.
just then thunder storm came up and 1t
began to rain. We stood on the porch
some minutes, neither one speaking to
the other. After awhile the staff
officer came out and told me there
was no answer to take back. AS l
had been asked neither to enter the
house nor to take a seat on the
porch, started to GO. Gen. Johnston said
to me that had better go into one Of the
couriers' tents in the yard until the storm
was over. II be had told me TO remain
where was until 1t stopped raining, would
have staid; but telling me to go ont into a
| tent when was already under the shelter
| of the porch out me to the quick, aud in a
ft OF indignation mounted my horse before
bis eyes and rode off in the rain. Not long
before his death dined with him in Wash
ington, and was strongly tempted 20 tell
him Of the time when l left him incog. to
go out like Lear into the storm.
When l was private L met Gen Lee
but once. Shortly after the battles around
Richmond, when he defeated Mcclellan. I
was captured by raidiug party Of north
ern cavalry and taken to Warrington,
where / was kept ten days in the old capt.
| toll prison, and was then exchanged.
| During my imprisonment kept my eyes
| open and obtained some valuable informa-
| ton. Although born and raised In Vir-
| GINA, had never seen Mount Vernon until
| went up the Potomac on steamer as a
| prisoner OF war
| While lying on the steamer in Hampton
Roads | saw a large number of transports
with troops passing out by Fort Monroe, and
learned that 1t was Burnslde's corps that
had just come from North Carolina and
| was going to reinforce Pope, who had been
given command in Northern Virginia.
The reinforcement of Pope indicated the
withdrawal of MoClellan's army from Har-
risons landing, where he had been lying
since his defeat in the seven days battles
before Richmond, and Its probable transfer
Co the department commanded by Pope
As soon as we landed at the point of ex-
change on James river | started to walk
twelve miles under an August sun to carry
the information OF the movement to Gen.
Lee. l knew it would result in CORES
ponding movement on our part.
shall never forget the awe AMI oppres-
sion felt when l came into the presence of
| the great commander. His benevolent look
and kind manner soon put me at ease. He
Immediately started a courier with the
news TO Stonewall Jackson. The result was
Jackson's victory at Cedar mountain, whore
he defeated Pope before the reinforcercents
from Burnside reached bin.
SAfser exhaustiIg my budget of informa-
tion, Gen. Lee asked ma how | vas
captured. told him that va. at Beaver
Dam station waiting for the train when a
| regiment Of northern cavalry Harris
Eighth gobbled me up. He said: Couldn't
you run awayr l answered: Eyes, but
not 80 fast as a horse"
brought with me from Fort Monroe a
hsversack full OF lemons. Such luxury
as lemonade was then unknown in Rich
| mond. As / rose to leave l took out
dozen lemons and laid them on the table.
He said, in the gentlest way, that had
better give them to the sick and wounded
In the hospital; that he didn't need them.
| But / went away and left them, | have no
doubt that some wounded soldier got them.
/ was a common soldier, in my shirt
sleeves, covered with dust, without any
political influence behind me and no pros
pect Of promotion. ny feet we're sore and
blistered from the long walk through the
hot sun, yet felt that the privilege Of the
few minutes interview with the great gen.
eral, who then Hlled the world with his
fame, was ample compensation for all the
stotls and dangers of war that had under
gone. IL was certainly distinction to
which had not permitted myself to aspire.
We did not meet again until after Gettys-
burg, in his tent on the Rapidan. In the
meantime ! had become an officer, and he
knew me by reputation. 1 doubt, however,
whether he ever knew that the soldier who
gave him the lemons was the same person
/ for whom he wrote the following letter to
President Davis:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
March 81, 1865.
HIS ErceHencv Jefferson Davis, President OF The
COnJede ate States:
Mn PREsIDESI-You WILL know, be graft
fed to learn by tbs inclosed dispatch that the
appointment you conferred few days since on
/ Capt. j. 3. Mosby was not unworthily bestowed.
The point where be strucS the enemy is north
/ OF Fairfax Court House. near the Potomac, aud
far within the lines Of the enemy. | wish
could receive his appointment las major or
some official notification Of Il, that might an.
/ nouuce IL 20 him. With great respect. your
oDedent servant Il. E. Ike, General.
Although the weight Of the southern con-
/ federacy then rested on his shoulders be
did not seem 90 be oppressed by 1t nor dis
couraged by defeat. His spirit was as bold
as Il was on the day that he drove MoClel-