Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-01-11
Gen. Lees Christmas Dinner.


diers of the army Of Northern Virginia
had in the winter Of 1864. He says;
/ On Christmas day Of that year the ra-
ton was a-half pound OF tough beef
and pint of cow peas 10 each man.
/ The peas were quite digestible. If cook
/ ed for week or two, but when un-
done. and followed by drink of water,
they would convert the toughest sol
dier into "howing swell, in very
| painful sense of the term.
/ The fare OF the officers was but little,
il any. betterthan that OF the soldiers.
/ What il was, as TO quantity and qual-
lty. may be we'll gauged by General
/ Lees dinner on Christmas Day, 1864.
/ As the fortune OF war had favored his
/ larder through some skillful foraglng
of Ephraim, a negro, who was ms
\ faithful cook. body servant and wait
/ er-three gentlemen in one-the Gen
/ eral invited several officers 10 dine
with him on that day. The lucky
/ recipients of the timely invitation
were five in number, all officers OF
| distinction, among them Generals
Longstreet, Gordon aud kershaw.
| They were all on time when the din
ner was called. Ii was served on
rough, pine table, without cover,
| in General Lees weather beaten tent.
! 1t consisted of boiled cabbage aud
eight or ten sweet potatoes and dish
| Of rice, cooked dry.
The piece de resistance which, indeed
the knightly guests found it hard TO
resist, was IA small bit OF bacon about
three inches square that lay on top
the large cabbage. Now, bacon was
as rare in the Confederate camp at
that time as are roses on the northern
hilltops in December Even lgnatius
Donnelly. with all his genius for un-
folding the hidden, could not have
discovered a trace OF il ia the mess
stores Of that army.
You can imagine, therefore, the vast
amount of self-restraint exercised 10y
each guest, as they declined in turn
a slice OF the delectable meat proHered
| by their host. who held the carving
/ knife and fork ready TO cut aud help.
! It was observed that when the Gen
eral, after helping to the cabbage, said
to the guest, whose plate Ephrain
held out, ALLOW me to help you To II
! slice Of the bacong' the devoted old
servitor's hand trembled greatly. In
! fact, he seemed to be in n state OF
decided fright. The high military
rank Of the guests would not account
for his trepidation, for he daily served
near master who Outranked them
all. There was nosplendor left in the
tracery OF faded gold lace on their
battle-stained uniforms TO dazzle his
ewes and cause them TO roll about
and glance from bacon 10 guest, and
from guest TO bacon, as each answered
the half question with the words
mo, thank you, General y The dis
composure of the serving man was
all the more striking from It's contrast
with the serene, self-poised dignity OF
his benign master.
Dinner over, the General aud his
guests retired from the tent, but a.
they passed out General Lee turned
back aud said In "a low tone: "Eph-
rain, we have another cabbage, have
we notT'
The answer was: yes, sab, Mars
Bob. We'sgotanudder cabbage, sab. u
Then, Ephraim, said the General.
save the piece of bacon TO cook with
the other cabbage.
The prompt aud decisive reply was
No. sab. Mars Bob. can't do dat j
jis borrow dat piece ob bacon for sea
sonin' from friend ober dar in Rich
mon and done gib mp my parole ob
honah dat I'll glib him back dat same
bacon what borrow
The General, who could not be a
party TO any mans violation OF his
parole Of honor, consented at once TO
the return Of the bacon that bad 30
successfully run the gauntlet Of six
hungry diners. Hemust have reflect
ed, too, on the extremity Of his sor-
tunes that led TO the borrowing Of a
part OF his Christmas dinner, on the
hard condition that IT should be re-
turned untouched. His New Years
dinner was still more meagsr, should
Judge from what he indicated 10 Gen
eral Grant on the following day.
A flag Of truce had been sent into
the Confederate lines with an inquiry
regarding a Union officer who had
been wounded and taken prisoner,
and the officers who bore IL, after
stating its object, said: General Lee.
am directed by General Grant TO
give you his compliments, and TO ray
that he is thoroughly informed a. TO
all your movements, and he even
knows what you had for dinner yer
Ierdsy.'
General Lee took the pleasantly In
good part, and answered: Please,
Captain. present my compliments 10
General Grant, and say that | must
doubt the correctness Of his informa-
ton. for know him 10 be a humane
man. and IL he had known what !
had for my dinner yesterday be
would have sent me q part Of his
own"
well" said facetious stranger to
a member OF the brass band, there
| 4 ,,,a .hfpg for vou IN he thankful