Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-06-05
LEES SURRENDER 70 GRANT
GEN. roRrER's cRAruc sroav OF
THE END OF THE cIyIL WAN.
brooklyn school children r.fstcn to
Realistic Narrative of the
Death of the conference.-the
ute Description OF Scenes.


civil war was closed yesterday In All
Souls church, South Ninth street, near
Bedford avenue. brooklyn. by Gen
Horace Porter. who Eave the school
children who composed his audience
a brilliant and vivid description OF the
surrender OF Gen. Lee TO Gen. Grant
at Apncmatox Courthouse on Sunday.
April .. 1865.
Gen. Porter was on Gen. Grants
stan In those momenious final days
OF the tremendous struggle between
the North and the South. and he was
an eye witness OF the closing scenes.
Iie was present when the surrender OF
Lee took place, and Il was he who
handed Gen. Lee tho pencil with which
the Confederate leader corrected the
rough draft OF the terms OF the sur
render handed TO him for his inspection
by Gen. Grant
In order to give the children most
realistic picture OF the surrender, Gen
Porter arranged the platform TO cor
respond with the room In which the
equalization took place In the center
was table TO show where Gen. Grant
sat while he wrote the terms In one
corner was smaller table to show
where Lee sat. booted and spurrcd
and with his diamond-atuded sword
hanging by his side. Three chairs were
placed together to represent the old
fashioned sofa at one Side Of the room,
and the positions OF tho fireplace and
of the. windows and doors were all
marked.
To an intcnts AMI purposes. Gen. Por-
ter stood once more after tho lapse OF
80 many years. In that small room OF
the brick house at Appomatox where
the closing chapter Of the war was
written by the two chief actors, and,
as he described. without any show Of
oratory, but In an easy, conversational
style, the surrender, 10 its minutest
details. including the small items or
the personal appearance, the by-tnlk
and the manners OF those who took
part In the surrender. its dramatic
features were pictured before the eaE-
erly-lsteninE children In a very cf-
festive and realistic style.
The general held up In sight OF his
audience. one after another piece
OF the flag OF truce sent by Gen. Lee
TO Gen. Grant slice OF the famous
apple tree and tho Identical pencil
with which Lee had corrected the draft
OF the surrender lie exhibited photo
graphs of the two tables used by the
generals.
THE pencil" said Con. Porter "has
not been rewarded properly for the
part It has played. II should have
been hrevetted Into pen"
The nag OF truce. Gen. Porter told
the children. was an lmpromptu nf-
fair, and was, In actunl point OF fact,
the cleaner Of two towels which Con-
federate officer had shortly before
bought for $40 In Confederate money.
That officer" said Gen. Porter '',yns
| evidently bound TO keen clean at any
COST There were other saliIea OF
humor through tho lecture.
II VIII begin my story" Gen. Porter
said, Two DAYS before the final sur
render. when Gen. Grant renched the
village OF Fnrmville, on the Appomatox
river. II was there the correspondence
| opened between Grant and Lee.
AT noon on April Gen. Grant and
MS stan took possession OF the COM
iortaple piazza OF the only hotel In
fhrmville An old army surgeon soon
brought up word from the Confederntea
OF a conversation In which Lee had
said that his retreat had become a rout:
mat II would be wicked for him 10
shed the blood OF his men any longer.
ana that he felt he ought TO surrender.
That afternoon a ltng, lean, lanlt
Confederate came up TO the porch Of
the hotel
who are your we asked.
I'm Confcd crate he said. and
l reckon ] am the only portion or my
regiment that has succeeded IN hold
Ing together, I own this hotel. and
1 stopped on to see low things were
getting along
He probably had never hnd 40
many guests beforehand at such re.
duccd rates."
Gen. Porter described the memoirs
BILE scene that might, when the Union
soldiers, on their way TO fight Lee across
the river, marched past Grant CARRYING
Body"
Gen. Grant slept that night IN tho
bed Lee hid occupied the night be-
fore. At midnight The answer wua re-
ceiyed from Lee to Grants letter, ad.
vising him TO surrender Ice wnnted
TO know the proposed terms.
'Grunt answered the next morning."
said Gen. Porter. making the terms
liberal. Grant moved forward that
night. the night OF April S, IN order
TO get closer to Lee, At midnight,
while In great pain from the loss on
sleep and anxiety, another letter was
received from Lee. lie sat up on the
lounge in the farm house and read
II by the Hight Of candle. Lee nnid
he had not yet determined 10 surrender,
but would like TO meet Grant At 10
n. m. the next day and discuss gem
eral terms OF peace.
Grant was military officer. and
could not do as Ice suggested SO,
after reading over Les's letter slowly,
he said; Gen. Lee sun wants 10 fight.
Tomorrow he shall have all he wants, +"
The school children broke out into
loud applause at this sentiment
About daybreak on April 10" said
Gen. Porter. II found Gen. Grant pnc-
ing the lawn in front Of the house
witch his hands 20 his head He
wouldn't take coffee. and he refused 20
40 into an ambulance. Mounting hts
big gray horse he Joined Sheridan, and
had worked his way 10 within eight
miles OF Appomottor. when he was
met by a galloplnE horneman with o
letter from Leo saying he had CON
cluded to surrender Grant dlnfnounted.
and from a grassy bank by the road
side he told Les 20 meet him Mt APP
pomatox.
AS Cen Grant got on his horse ]
asked him how his pain w1z
do you know" he said that pain
left mo the moment I got that letter
from Lee"
Grant reached Appomntox Mt 10
o'clock IN the forenoon. and NJ once
was directed 10 the house whore Lee
was waiting 10 receive him, Gen Por-
ter gave q very detailed description OF
The Incidents N the surrender, repro
duciur from his personal notes Of all
" the conversation between Grant and
Lee in it's exact ianguaFe lie con-
"a.