Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-17
EE'S REAL LETTER.
! Application for the Benefits Of the
Amnesty Proclamation
MCCORMICK IMPOSED ON.
Is Document n Base Forgery-No
sAdmission by General Lee That lie
.>yas wrong-WouId DO the same
Again.


<kents concerning General Lee, anu '
5&x,, n hurried reply. as ! was on my
ey 10 meet an appointment TO preSc"'
81 now desire TO reply more fuzzy anu
E92 show that II Mr.. Mccormick mas any
3< nch letter from General Lee 10 NnDi'"
- neon as he "a reported 10 nave sa''
bls lecture he has. then some one ''"'
med off on him a base forgery
"a perfectly true that Gsnerai Lee
NOT an Original secessionlst ~tha'
s,ood with John Letcher. John B'
,d,vip .JuhaI A. Early, and The over
4 Ginning majority OF the people OF VIZ
pia I'm favor Of staying In the Union
long as II could be done with honor
IN sELF-DEFENCE.
put when Mr. Lincoln. In violation OF
kiIghted faith. attempted 10 reinforce
or, Sumter, and compelled the Confede-
rateg TO capture it-as pure an act OF
relf-defcnce as is to be found in ancient
az modern hlstory-and then used this as
fhc occasion for calling for 1o'vw men
10 coerce sovereign States, VINO had e%tr-
clsed their constitutional rlghts anu Sc
ceded from the Union. Old virginia, true
10 her traditions and history. at once
passed her ordinance Of secession, threw
herself into the breach, and called on her
sons to rally TO her defence.
The response OF the "Union-men" or the
States was prompt and heroic. John u.
Baldwin but voiced the general sentiment
when Din reply to a letter ftom a Iriend
at the North, asking What VIII
the Union men In virginia 10
powY0. he wrote: I'VE have no
Union men in Virginia now. Those
who were Union men Will stand
10 their guns and make a fight which
shall shine out on the page OF history as
an example OF what brave people can
do after exhaustlng every means OF paci-
fication."
NONE FROM VIRGINIA.
John Letcher replied to Mr.. bncoln's =
call for troops: you can have no troops
from Virglula, for any such wicked pur-
pose. You have chosen 10
inaugurate civil war" And despite what
some ultra men said about his SLOW
ness" prior 20 that time, Honest John
1.etcher threw himself at once into the
great struggle for constitutional free
dom" with a zeal. energy, and real ability
which have written the name OF our
Great War Governor" on bright pages
OF Virginias history.
FOR ACTIVE SERVICE.
John b. Baldwin and Jubal a. Early
at once raised regiments Tor active ser
vice. others OF the "Union leaders went
into the army. and the Confederacy had
no more heroic defenders than the
"Union men Of the Old Dominion.
Fitz Lee once said. In speaking Of
General Early al one OF our army meet
ings. He may have been slow in draw
ing his sword but when he did draw IL
ne threw away the scabbard, and has
never been able 10 find II since"
This was equally true OF Robert Edward
a,lt, q he f.s.fa,f.
command of the United States armies
rendered him by Mr.. Lincoln and
promptly cast I'm his fortunes with the
land of his birth and the State OF his
love-
A GREAT STRUGGLE.
II unquestIonably cost him a great
struggle to leave service to which he
had devoted so many Of the beat years Of
his life and In which he had won inn
perIshable laurels. but the question once
decided was decided for all time for him,
and be never changed his conscientious
conviction Of what was right nor doubted
\ for single moment that IN drawing his
sword In defence of Virginia and the
South ne had followed the path OF duty
and Of right.
HIS DUTY.
In the summer OF 1869 he said to his
great lieutenant the able and patriotic
General Wade Hampton. I'm speaking of
the cOurFe ne had taken at the breaking
out Of the war: II did only what my
duty demanded I could have taken no
other course without dishonOr, and " II
were all to be done over again should
oct In precisely the same manner"
] heard him again ana again ex-
press himself 10 the same effect
and | very distinctly remember Il made
notes of the conversation mt the time
II ~
"Reminiscences Of Lce') n conversation
with him IN 1866, In which. In reference
90 certain results Of the war General LIE
said very emphatlcally: Yes: all that Is
very sad, and might be a cause Of self
Ieproach. but that we are conscious that
We have humby tried to do our duty.
We may, therefore with calm satisfaction
trust In God. and leave results to time"
PRIVATE PAPERS.
In having the privilege, after his death,
Of looking through his private letter-books
and reading hundreds Of his letters. / not
5nly did not find n single sentence ad-
aitting that the cause OF the Confcderacy
was unjust, or that his own course In
reference TO II was wrong. but | found
many expressions to just the opposite
AFFECT. He never spoke OF the war as a
rebellion" but was accustomed TO call
II "the great struggle for constitutional
freedom" and always spoke In the most
confident and emphatic terms OF the jus
tice Of our cause.
COPIOUS EXTRACTS.
I might Illustrate by copious extracts
from his letters. bat one or two must sui.
fice. Under date OF July 9. 1866. he writes
70 his old friend. Captain James May
Rock Island, ILL.,. a letter In reply TO one
from him. In which Lee says; 81 must
give you my special thanks for doing me
the Justice 10 believe that my conduct
during the last five eventful years has
'been governed by my sense OF duty
had no other guide. nor had | any other
object than the defence OF those princi-
pies Of American liberty upon which the
constitutions OF the several States were
originally founded and unless they are
strictly observed. i fear there win be
an end Of republican government iii this
country"
In a letter TO Chauncey Burr then the
Rhle and fearless editor OF the Old Guard.
he wrote as follows:
LEXINGTON. VA. January s, 1866.
mir. Chauncey Burr:
MY Dear Sir,-i am very much obliged
to YOU for your letter OF the 18th utimo
and for the number OF the Old Guard
which you kindly sent me- l am glad to
Know that the intelligent and respectable
people at the North are true and con-
serVatNe In their opinions; for l believe
by no other course can the right interest
Oi the country be maintained All that
the south has ever desired was that the
Union as established by our forefathers
should be preserved. and that the gov
eTnmcnt as originally organized should
be administered In purity and truth. II
such ls the desire Of the North there can
be no contention between the two sec
tions; and all true patriots will unite In
advocating that policy which VIII soonest
restore the country 10 tranquility and
order and serve 10 perpetuate true re-
publicanism.
PLEASE accept my thanks for your ad-
vocacy or right and liberty, and for the
Kind sentiments which you express to-
ward myself: and believe me 10 be. with
great respect.
Your obedient servant
CSignedD 'R. T.. LEE"
HIS OWN HANDWRITING.
In reference 20 his letter to President
Johnson. applying for the benefits OF the
amnesty proclamation" I found in his
leitsr-book. in his own weil-known hand
writing. a copy OF both this letter and
hs letter 10 General Grant, through
whom his letter 10 Andrew Johnson was
sent. and published them for the first
uine CPersonal "Reminiscences OF Lee"
page 2oi)