The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-04-09
NINTH DAY OF APRIL.
THIS Is THh 8OTH ANNIVERSARY or
TIE SURRENDER or LEE.
The Scores at Appomsttox Described by
Co,onaI Charlie. mar1hslI. Who Was
General Lees Secretary.

This Is the OH Of April, the thirtieth
anniversary OF the surrender Of the
Army OF Northern Virginia at Apo
mattox. What could be more appro-
pirate than the publication Of the follow
ing. an address delivered before the So
cicty Of the Army and Navy OF the Con-
federate states, In Baltimore, Md, ON
the 18th Of January. 1884, by Colonel
Charles Marshall. military secretary to
General r. l.. Lee?
Whom old soldiers and sailors meet for
a talk about the war; IL must mo admit
ted that they sometimes forget the rev
erence due the divinity commonly spoken
Of as the Goddess OF Truth.
For my part. / have heard events that
occurred under my own eyes described IN
such way that 1 failed to recognize
them.
distinguished Confederate officer who
was dangerously wounded ia one OF the
battles In Virginia, but not saving losl
consciousness. remembered those VINO
bore him from the field, told me That II
all the mon who had claimed that they
a sisted In that charitable work had been
present in fact on the occasion ana had
taken part In the engagement the odds
as 20 numbers would have been greatly
IN favor Of the Confederate army. In
fact. some of the war stories ] have
heard remind me of an anccdote General
Lee once told me Of General Zachary
Taylor.
was I'm General Lees tent ono day
Just before the battle OF characteristics
when an officer who had been with
scouting party came I'm with report
The report was not a little affected by
the excitement that usually begins TO be
felt when an engagement is Impending,
and did not In the least understaie the
number OF the enemy that the scouting
party had seen. General Lee listened
very quietly and attenuvely TO the mar
rative which bore on its face evidence or
its own want OF probability. though the
narrator may have believed 10 10 be ac-
curato When the officer left the tent
General Lee said in his grave way
That report reminds me or something
beard General Taylor say when J was
with his army ia Mexico, before | joined
General ScOits AS We advanced into
the interior OF the country there were
rumors Of the approach of General SANTA
Anna with an overwhelming force, ana
taere was more or less excitement and
anxiety on the subject No considerable
force OF Mexicans had in fact been SEEM
and the alleged army Of Santa Anna was
left to the Imagination, which always
exaggerates the unknown ana unseen.
one day a cavalry officer came 10 Cen
eral TAYLOR and reported that he had
seen 1900 MeXicans, with $50 pieces OF
artillery General Taylor said 20 him:
Captain. do you say that YOU saw that
force The captain asserted that he had
seen IT, ThereupOn General Taylor re-
marked: Captain. n you say you saw II,
of course I must believe H. but | would
not have believed II if had seen It my
self"
IMPAIRs HISTORY.
This tendency TO exasgeratc and invent
in describing events that excite great IN
terest ard particularly such as appeal
to the feelings and passions of men,
makes itself felt long after the events
have occurred. and impairs the value OF
history We do not yet know with GER
tainty the facts OF the battle OF ater-
leo. and as to Charlottesville ana Get
tvsburg although ! witnessed BOTH /
sometimes think. IN view of the absolutely
irreconcilable accounts we have ~ those
Two engagements, a Bishop WhatclN
might readily create historic doubts as TO
whether either was In fact fought.
am tho more impressed with the want
OF accuracy in the accounts Of military
operations by my experience during the
late war II was my duty TO prepare the
reports Of General Lee under his direc-
tons To do this. as he required IL 10 DE
done. ] had first to read all the reports
m6de by the different commanding Off
GERS. who always forwarded the reports
OF all their subordinates, down TO com
pany commanders. From all these 1 pre-
pared statement with great detail. OF
course using such Information as / pos
sessod from my personal knowledge ana
observation as stan officer, and from
ord rs and correspondence.
ore Of the most difficult things l had TO
do was to reconcile the many conflicting
accounts OF the same affair. Sometimes
THIS was impossible. and when the matter
was important enough 10 warrant H.
was required 10 visit the authors of the
conflicting reports or they were brought
together and required 10 reconcile or eX~
rlafn their respective narratives. After
exhausting every means 70 attain entire
accuracy, a more general report Of the
whole was prepared and submitted 10
General Lee who made such corrections
a. he thought proper. and directed the
omission Of such things as ne deemed un-
necessary for a clear understanding Of
tho subject and the report thus verified
and corrected was then written for his
signature.
one who has had this experience can
appreciate the different ways In which
the same thing presents itself 10 differ
ent minds. especially when the descrip-
ton Is written long after the event. and
IN the midst OF the distractions incident
10 active service. Yet II Is from such
sources az these that the details Of mill
tary operations must be derived by the
historian
II 1 may be permitted TO dwell lit
tie on this subject. ! desire 10 say that
much OF this confusion and contradiction
OF statement Is que 10 the fact that the
narrators OF such things do not always
..onfne themselves strictly 20 the state
rnent as 10 what they did themselves.
but are much disposed 10 include I'm their
reports what they think was done or
omitted TO be done by others
An ILLUSTRATION.
remember striking illustration OF
this which occurred during the battle OF
INredericksburg.
Fighting on that occasion took place on
the right and left Of the Confederate
army. it's centre nobhaving been engaged
at ali. General LOngstreet on the Con-
federate left had repulsed the repeated
attacks made on the troops posted at
the foot OF Marye's lin. and General
jackson had repulsed the assault made
on our right near Hamilton's Crossing.
The distance between the TWO scenes or
yomhat was between three and four
mica
In the afternoon was sent 70 the
r1sht with Al order to General Jackson.