The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-07-17

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were the same that had been used sc
vigorously on our column il short time
before. protested against the moving
of these guns, and was assured that the
object was to water the horses, which
was being done i'll Il small creek near by.
| saw this with my own eyes, but MOTTO
ing that the guns were gaining an ele-
waited position on the opposite side want
cd more evidence of good faith before I
took an announcement of surrender back
to General Custer.
| AT this moment. General Orl'S in
fantry line of battle was seen closing i'm
on us from the West, and Twas begged
to announce Il surrender of the army to
that line. l hesitated for Il moment, and
then said: will make the announcement
if the rebel officer will go with me. Tn
til Il few years ago, | had supposed it was
Sims who went with me, but he wrote
from his home in South Carolina that
Captain Crown of Gor,lon'S staff went
with me. There was no time to lose.
pulled ont the o.d white towel and rode
out To the Union Infantry line, and said
to General j. l.. Chmmberlainc of Maine
that Lees army had surrendered uncon-
ditionally. The line halted mt once. and
AMI Il shout went up along the line from
II rht to left that words fail to describe.
| left the rebel Captain Brown with
Chamlcrlainc. and then gallopeil back
across the field To General Custer. to
make the same announcement of Lees
surrender. 1t was in this way that the
infantry historians claimed that sur
render was first made to them
''||onc of the writers have stated that
Il single rebel officer took the announce
m,nt. natural error when it is remcm-
b'rrd that | instantly galloped back
aero IS the field to report what had done
t. General Custer. He had become very
impati,n. over my delay in returning.
and took Il pocket handkerchief us a truce
and tried to find me. All this occurred
before O'Clock i'm the morning. General
Lee some time later reache the Union
infantry under Meade, several miles in
his rear, and asked there II suppose. or
am informcd.) 4 suspension of hoStilitics
t. enable him to find General Grant and
get terms the best he could. lie did not
find Grant in four hours: he Grant had
followed in General Shpridan'S circllitous
route IL the South of the Court House.
which he did not reach until about u.
m.
1T was about this time that the two
Generals met ut McI.can'S house. and
the generous terms proposed hy General
Grant weac signed on Il table which Gen
cral Sheridan bought and presented to
Mrs. General Custer. with letter stat
ing that the country was indebted To her
gallant husband more than to any other
pens III for the glorious event of the dav.
cut Il small piece from the truce of sur
render. and then gave il To General Gus
ter. HIS widow informs me that she
hlS provided in lcr will that ut her death
onc-half of thc towel is to 90 to West
Point and the other half to me. II WAS
through the efforts of General Sims to
get possession of this relic that lcd To a
correspondence Ertwccn us lust after
General Clusters death. which have.
fortunately. printed. | say fortunately.
because find that i'm General Gor,lon's
lecture, and in General LongStrcctS book.
They both omit all reference To the inter-
view with me. and tine real unconditional
surrender Cf Lees entire army by the
officers then iii command of it at 9 9o'clock
in the morning. in rrponSc to Il demand
mad' through me lN General Custer.
''ln conclusion. let me say that of all
the battic;icldS of the war of the relpl-
lion photographed on my brain .\ppomat-
toN was the lnoSt magnificent The Slop-
ping, open fields, glittcring for miles with
moving armies. i'm the sunlight of that
glorious Sunday morning seemed de-
sign d by nature for the last scene in "A
great play of war. And il is my belief
that the men who met on that field of
lattle were the flower of two of the finest
armies that were ever nlarSlalrd on the
earth. . Washington National Rcpubli-
can.
J he Ideal Panac:a.
Jrn,nS | Francis tlInr,,,,n fp,;u,,.,,