Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-07
LEES XMAS DINNER.
No Truth In tho Story Of the "Cab.
bagc Head and "Bitof Bacon"
GEN. LEES pINIOSO OF GEN. PESDER."
"hsf Tie Is Alleged to Have said About
Ponder. aud About the Battle
OF Gettysburg.
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.

When i read in the Dispatch OF Deem
Der 2tth Captain Mackeys story OF Gen
sral Lees Xmas Dinner in 1864 felt
quite sure that there was some mistake
about H. Without meaning to question
the truthfuness OF Captain Mackey.
whom have not The privilege Of knowing.
4 WAS satisfied that he had been imposed
upon by a current camp story.
could not believe that General Lees |
rations had been so reduced that he could |
only AFFORD FOR HIS Xmas dinner "a boiled |
cabbage. eight or ten boiled sweet-pota- !
Toes. and a dish OF rice cooked dry" and |
that the only meat on the table was "a |
small bit OF fat bacon about three inches |
square" And had too high an opinion !
OF General Lees good sense to believe |
that he would have invited five OF his |
generals 10 share with his stan and him
self 50 scant "a dinner. l remember very |
well that there was turkey on the mess |
table at which I d.ncd that Xmas day; |
that dincd with General Gordon one day |
about that time when he had. among |
other things. "A nice turkey on his table. |
and felt very sure that General lee was |
not reduced to "a little bit Of borrowed |
bacon. which his body-servant had gone |
all OF the way 10 Richmond. n distance Of |
twenty miles, 10 borrow.
A FABRICATION.
But rs We arc so fortunate as to have |
as our able professor Of mathematics here |
Colonel Charles s. Yenable. who served |
With such gallantry and distinction on |
she accuracy Of his memory about the |
smallest details. 1 determined TO carry |
fhe story TO him and ask him about II.
Colonel Nenable authorizes me- to use |
his name In pronouncing the story n fab |
ricaton tout OF tho whole cloth" Cen |
cral Lee had nor cook or bOdy-servant |
named "Ephr8im' f: there was never any |
bacon borrowed for his mess and GER |
1ainly none borrowed in Richmond for |
hs Xmas dinner AT Petersburg; he never |
invited five generals T. so scant a dinner. |
and he certainly had much better Xmas |
dinner In 1864 than the one described 10y |
Captain Mackcy. whom Colonel Venable |
does not remember ever 90 have seen at |
headquarters. and who must therefore |
have gotten this story at second hand.
no FLAG OF TRUCE
A for the story about tho New-Years
dinner. Grants message. and General |
Lees wittcism. Colonel Venable saws that !
there was no flag Of truce from Gcneal |
Grant az that time. and consequently no |
such message. and no such rctort.
IL may seem to some a pity 10 have
good story spoiled. but there IL no occa-
sion 10 palm OF such ficttOns as historic |
truth
Rations were very scarce at Petersburg
in the winter OF '6i-'65 but bacon was not
an unknown article even among the pri-
nH.lfn GOLD O.. afs N
for the cook of the Commander-in-C Chief
40 80 twenty miles to borrow q bit
three inches square for Xmas dinner,
a. which General Lee had invited five
OF his generals.
There was at the principal hotel In Pc
tersburg this same Xmas "a magnificent
banquet given by the artillery officers at
which there was am abundance OF tho
best eatables and drnkahles. General Lee
politely declined AN invitation to attend, |
but II cannot DO doubted that the gallant
soldiers and accomplished gentlemen who
had charge OF the affair would have sent
from their stor,s materials for an abund-
ant Xmas dinner at headquarters had II
been suspected that the General was re-
duced 10 "a bit Of Fat bacon. three inches
square"
SUBSTANTIAL Ky SUPPLIED.
The truth is that besides what could
De drawn from the Commissary, or OBJ
|
mess. a genial son OF the Emerald Isle"
the friends and admirers II General Lee |
kept him constantly supplied with the best |
that the land afforded and while IL was |
his custom to rob his own mcss-table OF
delcacies 20 send to his poor boys in the |
hospitals he would scarcely have re-
duced his supply so low as this story re-
presents when he expected five Of his
generals 10 take Nmas dinner with him. |
JARED AS WE'LL.
And as for the pass between him and
General Grant about the New Years din
ner 0eaving out the obvious fact that
even ~ Grants secret service" was so |
admirable that he knew what Lee had
Tor dinner the day before" he would
scarcely have taken pains TO inform the
Confederate troops Of the facO. IL is Sc
Iiously questioned whether with the ex-
ceptlon OF wines, brandes, WHISTLES, and ,
cigars. Lee did not have "a better New
Years dinner than Grant. at least in the
Judgment Of those Of us who prefer old Nir- |
ginia dishes and cookery to Boston
baked beans" dessicated soups, and
''canned goods" generally
AS TO GENERAL PENDER.
have read also the letter Of General G..
C. Wharton. copied from the Wilmington
IN. c. Messenger in which he quotes
General Lee as saying. In a conversation
with General A. Il. lin and himself, In |
the Shenandoah Valley. not long after the
battle OF Gettysburg: II ought not 10 S
have fought the battle Of Gettysburg; It
was a mistake. But the stakes were so Z
great l was compelled TO play. for had we
succeeded. Harrisburg. Baltimore, or
Washington, was In our hands, and"
with great emphasis, Eve would have sue
ceeded had Pender lived" Then turning
10 General Hnl. he added: General Hill,
\ fhfuk General pandar xVaa tba Ynaet
promising Of all our young ofiicers." Cen
eral Hill assented, and added: His death
was great loss TO the army, an IT.
reparabe loss TO me-"
The editor OF the Messenger further
quotes Major James II. Foot as saying
that General Lee told him when he In
ouired n 10 was true that Pender was
dead: ''Yesl IL II true There wasl a SOL
dier who never held his proper rank. lie !
ought TO have been one OF my corps com.
manders."
A DIFFICULT MATTER.
Now have no sort OF doubt that these
gentlemen mean to be entirely accurate In ,
their reports OF these conversations, but
unless they were written down at the q
time. and thus preserved. II is really very I
Clfsicult 10 repeat verbatim conversation
that occurred over thirty years ago, and
must DO pardoned for saying that some
OF these statements are very much unlike
General Lees usual style OF talking.
lie was very reticent In expressing his
opinion Of the merits OF his officers AMI
comparing them with others, even when
asked by the War Department or TIE
President 10 do so. and II seems a li.t,c
singular that he should have-said 20 49,
5or Foot IN July that General Pend. !
ought TO have been one of his cofns ,
commander when. on the sd OF Nj
preceding, Ewell and A. l.. Hi had bee
on the recommendation OF General L.
made acknowledgements. and on the 81. 3
OF May General Pender had been Dg-
NOTED from brigadier TO ina1or-genoigl
IL General Lee thought that Pender oub.., .
10 have been put In commard OF one of ,
his corps II is strange that he dM not r. &
commend him for this position instead of {
A. p. Hill or Eweli.
ABOUT GETTYSBURG.
General Lee. In view Of the failure a,
Gettysburg. may have said Din the same 6
spirit Of self-abnegation as that In which ,
he said when moving among his shat G
tered iegions after the battle. This Is all !,
NV fault. have lost this battle. and yOe ! ..