The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1895-02-22
THAT APPLE TREE.
Fiction and Fact In Regard TO Lees
Surrender at Appomattox.:
Leo Never Gave Grant His sword. conse-
quently Grant Never Returned 1t
Three Versions OF ths
Incident.

II is strange that after SO many
years and so many authentic state
ments Of the facts in the case, per-
sons who should be well informed
continue tomisrepresent the circum-
stance of Gen. Lees surrender.
The Waterbury American recently
said:
Surrender, the Virginia post of
flee where, under the famous apple
tree, Lee handed his sword TO Grant,
is Appomattox once more"
Then comes Murat Halsted in the
Brooklyn Standard Union to correct
the Waterbury man, and goes wrong
himself, as follows;
Tits so surprising to see so exact
and particular paper as the Amer
lean tumble into this long exposed
historical misstatement. The only
tree under which Lee gave up his
sword To Grant-who gave it right
back-was Mr.. McLean's roof tree,
several miles from the famous apple
tree under which the surrender
never took place, but under which
Lee once rested. But it sounds
pretty, and that goes with some"
The Richmond Dispatch puts the
matter exactly right when it says:
Lee never handed Grant his
sword, consequently Grant never
gave it back What Lee expected
to do when he went forward to meet
Grant nobody knows. Thescrupulous
care with which he dressed himself
and his eprecaution to put on his
sword aud sash indicate that he
wished to be prepared for any con-
tingency.
If Grant had demanded formal
surrender and Lee had accepted his
terms Lee would have swallowed the
pill and made the surrender of his
sword to Grant.
After what Lees father had
written in criticism OF Corvallis
though we don't believe any prompt
ing of that sort was necessary
never would Lee have thought OF del
egating such an unpleasant duty to
another.
However, the terms arranged be-
tween Grant and Lee were that the
confederate officers were to retain
their sidearms, aud all the officers
and soldiers and horses, which were
their own property. So there was no
sword business in the surrender.
Grant behaved very handsomely at
Appomattox. ourpeople will never
forget this"
The allusion to Light Horse Harry
Lees criticism Of the action of Corn
wallis was dwelt upon by Col. Charles
Marshall in a notable address made
by him in Baltimore on Lees birth
day last year. 1t is we'll known that
on account OF the treatment of our
army at Charleston BY the victorious
British, Washington insisted that
the formalities Of surrender should
be gone through with at Yorktown.
CORVALLIS would not appear to
grace rebels triumph. Gen. O'Hara
represented him, and Gen. Lincoln
Washington. Thus CORVALLIS
shirked disagreeable duty. Light
Horse Harry thought-as no doubt
Washington thought that it was
disgraceful conduct on the part OF
CORVALLIS and in his memories
said SO.
AT Appomattox (as Col. Marshall
relates), Grant in one of his letters
to Lee, suggested that the arrange.
ments could be made by proxies.
Lee never entertained the suggcs.
ton. He went forward in person.
When in the parlor Of the Mclean
house, Grant saw Lee before him.
calm and disuiticd in manner. anG
tremendously dressed, he had moi
the heart tosuggcst any formal Law,
ing down Of arms. Lee had put on
his sword 10 70 10 The meeting, but
Grant did not ask for it. nor did Lee
offer il, Atlanta Constitution.