Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-12-11

4
postmaster general of the Southern Con-
federacy, delivered IA lecture i'll San An
tonic, Tex, on the evening of April 20
| in behalf of the fund for Confederate
monument and 'the Southern Battle alb
| bey," in the course of which he related
the following:
"On the morning Of the second battle
Of Cold Harbor, in 1864, Judge Mere
dith and Judge Lyons, two of the judges
in Richmond, and myself rode out to
the battlefield, crossing the Chickahom-
my at Mechanicsville and riding along
"a road Il few hundred yards i'll the rear
Of our line of sattle. The battle was
then raging the whole length Of our
Line. Squads of prisoners Were from
time to time being brought back TO the
road we were on. When we reached the
point where we had view of the
Gaines hill farm, we saw that the en-
emy's shells were falling in the field
about General Lees headquarters At
that time there was IL good deal of solic-
itude, both in he army and among CT
villains, abols General Lees exposing
himself SO rAuch IL battle, and it was
felt that his loss would be great ca
lamity. ] suggested to Judges Meredith
and Lyons that / would ride down to
the generals headquarters. They said
they would not go. but asked me sug-
gest TO General Lee the question as to
l,,tl l.
some large trees few hundred yards in
his rear ana from these send his orders
and RECEIVE reports us well as from the
exposed position he was then in.
"When | reached his headquarters
his staff officers Were all out none but
an orderly with him. | mentioned that
a good deal Of artillery was being used
He said, Yes; more than usual
amount on both Sides He added, That
does not do much harm. And waving
his hand of pretty much to the front
Of him, whore the musketry firing made
a noise much like the tearing of sheets,
he said, That is what kills men.
then mentioned to him what Judges
Meredith and Lyons had suggested about
his covering himself by the large trees
in his rear To this he replied that
when the shells began to fall III the field
where he was he had ordered the wagons
containing the quartcrnastcr, commits
sary, ordnance and medical stores back
behind the timber, but that it was nee
cSSary for him to be rs near the line Of
battle us practicable.
'He then said to me that General
Grant WAS at that time assaulting his
lines at three different places, with col
umns Of from six to eight deep Upon
this | asked him if his lines should be
broken what reserve he had. He replied
Not regiment, and added that if he
should shorten his lines to make re-
serve the enemy would turn him, and if
he should weaken his lines to make
reserve they would be broken And he
said that had been his condition from
the opening on the Rappahannock. He
also SAID that he had lost more men
from excessive fatigue and from want
Of vegetables than by bullets, and re-
qucsted me TO sec the commissary gen
eral on my way back and urge him to
send, as soon a. possible, all the pota-
toes, onions and other vegetables he
could. He said that he had requested
the men to cat sassatrps and grapevine
buds as Il substitute for vegetables, but
that these did but little good.
There he was, with his back on
Richmond, seven miles from the city,
his line being assailcd by force vastly
more numerous than his own, and he
was apparently as cool and self possessed
and as free from excitement as if nothing
unusual was occurring. even then keep
ing i'll mind the welfare and necessities
Of the soldiers under his command. 1t
made such an impression on me of the
greatness and grandeur Of his character
that | could not forget it, and because
Of that impression l have made you this
statement.
'As illustrative Of the intrepid valor
and military enterprise of General Lee
when that quality would serve his pur-
pose, | Will mention another incident,
which, as far as | know, has not been
noticed by the historians of the war.
when the Federal army was at Cold
HarbOr, in front of Richmond, in 1864,
with the white house at the head OF
York river rs their base of supplies,
General Lee determined to move the
great body of his command around Cen
eral Grant right and put himself be-
tween Grant and his base of supplies
and TO put Grant between his (Lee's)
command and the city of Richmond.
This movement, if it had been executed,
would have resulted either in the de-
struction of the Federal army or in the
fall of Richmond. After some of Gen
eral Lees divisions had been put in mo-
ton TO execute this plan he received
dispatch advising him that the Federals
were advancing on Lynchburg in force,
and that without immediate help that
city, which at that time contained
large amount Of military stores, must
fall,into the hands of the enemy. He
Immediately ordered General Brecxin-
ridge to go to the relief of Lynchburg
with his division General Rreckeuridpe