The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-01-26
GENERAL LEES CHRISTMAS FARE.
There Were Cabbage and Bacon, but the
Bacon Was Only Borrowed.

There Were cabbage and Bacon, but the
Bacon Was Only Borrowed.
AS the fortune of war has favored his
larder, through some skillful foraging
of Ephraim, negro, who was his faith
full cook. bodyservant and waiter
three gentlemen in one-General Lee
invited several officers to dine with him
on Christmas day, 1864. The lucky
recipients of the timely invitation were
five in number, all officers Of distinc-
ton, among them Generals Longstreet,
Gordon and Kershaw. They were all
on time when the dinner was called. 1t
was served on rough pine table, with
out cover, in General Lees weather
beaten tent 1t consisted of boiled cab
bage, and eight or ten boiled sweet po-
tatoes and q dish of rice cooked dry.
The piece de resistance, which indeed
the knightly guests found it hard to
resist, was small bit of fat bacon,
about 3 inches square, that lay on top of
the large cabbage. Now, bacon was as
rare IN the Confederate camp at that
time as are roses on the northern hill
tops in December. You can imagine,
therefore, the self restraint exercised
by each guest as they declined in turn
slice of the delectabIe meat proffered
by their host, who held the carving knife
and fork ready to cut and help.
1t was observed that when the gen
eral, after helping to the cabbage, said
to the guest whose plate Ephraim held
out, ALLOW me to help you to a slice
of the bacon?' the devoted old seryi-
tors hand trembled greatly. In fact,
he seemed to be in state of decided
fright. The high military rank of the
guests would not account for his trepi-
dation, for he daily served near mas
ter who outranked them all. There
was no splendor left in the tracery of
faded gold lace on their battle stained
uniforms to dazzle his eyes and cause
them to roll about and glance from ba-
con to guest, and from guest to bacon,
as each answered the half question with
the words, NO. thank you, general"
The discomposure of the serving man
was all the more striking from its con-
trast with the serene, self poised dig
nifty of his benign master.
Dinner over, the general and his
guests retired from the tent, but as they
passed out General Lee turned and said
in low tone, ''Ephraim, we have an
other cabbage, have we not?''
The answer was, Yes, sab, Mass
Bob. We's got anudder cabbage, sah."
''Then, Ephraim, said the general,
1,n n Of 70 II
that cabbage"
The prompt and decisive reply, "No,
sab, Mass Bob, | can't do dat! 1 jis
borrow dat piece of bacon for seasonin
from friend ober dar in Richmon, and
| done glib up my parole oh honor dat
I'll glib him back dat same bacon what
/ borrow"
The general, who could not be party
to any mans violation of his parole Of
honor, consented at once to the return
of the bacon that had so successfully
run the gauntlet of six hungry diners.
He must have reflected, too, on the ex-
tremity of his fortunes that led to the
borrowing of part of his Christmas
dinner ON the hard condition that it
should be returned untouched. His
New Years dinner was still more mea-
ger, judge, from what he indicated to
General Grant next day.
A flag of truce had been sent into the
Confederate lines with an inquiry re-
garding a Union officer who had been
wounded and taken prisoner, and the
officer who bore it, after stating it's OBJ
ject, said, General Lee, L am directed
by General Grant to give you his COM
pliments and to say that he is thor
oughly informed as to all your move
ments, and even knows what you had
for dinner yesterday"
General Lee took the pleasantly in
good part and answered, 'Please, cap
tain, present my compliments to GEN
eral Grant and say that must doubt
the correctness of his information, for
know him to be humane man, and
if he had known what l had for my
dinner he would have sent me part Of
his own. louisville Courier-J ournal.