The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-09-01
Private Smiths Story.

IL oiAh0o'
SAM. P. JONES.
Private Smiths Story.
Henry H. Smith, the well-known
cotton broker Of Atlanta, Ga, is a
model business man, and apparently
the last person in the world to take
any liberties with a stranger. But
appearances are sometimes deceptive,
and Smith makes out q strong case
against himself in a story which he
told at the Kennesaw reunion Of the
lcgions of Cobb and Phillips.
''In the early part Of the war;" said
Smith, II was a private soldier under
Stonewall Jackson in Virginia. At
that time I was a mere boy, and my
gun was almost as big and heavy as
was. You can imagine how tired and
hungry I was after I had marched two
days without food. A driving rain
storm came on, and I could hardly
drag one foot after another along the
muddy road.
"a tent by the roadside attracted
my attention, and / saw a gray-beard-
ed face peeping out at the marching
troops.
TfsHello, old mani l shouted; got
anything to eat in there?'
"Yes, what's the matter?'' the
man in the tent replied.
II told him I was hungry, and had
been marching two days without a
scrap of food.
"'Come right in said the old fell
low, pleasantly.
Into the tent I plunged in hurry,
throwing down my gun and smacking
my lips in anticipation of a square
meal.
"The stranger opened a camp chest
and invited me to help myself. You
should have seen the way | sailed into
the rations. I ate r%avenously, without
saying a word, and for the time forgot
all about my kind host.
FINALLY he asked me if | would
have a drink Of water, and handed me
q guard from a bucket in one corner. of
the tent. I took a big drink and got
ready to start. :.
"'You have been very kind to me,
I said to my new friend, land [ would
like to know your name
"'My name is Lee was the ans
wer.
"'Lee-What Lee?' l asked him
not General Lee?'
THAT is my name,' was the quiet
response.
well, wa taken aback, Of course,
but I was 20 j lg and CHEEKY, and /
made the best Of it. Soldiers had no
handkerchiefs, and so I wiped my
hand on my breeches and gave the
| generals paw a cordial shake.
"He asked me my name and told me
to take care of myself as / left.
"a few days later my command was
on the march, and had just reached a
bridge when it was ordered to open
ranks. to let General Lee pass.
ri was standing at the head Of the
line, and when the general dashed up,
followed by a negro servant riding on
another horse, I could not keep still.
"'Howdy, general!' I shouted.
"sWhy, Smith, my boy he replied
as he pulled up his horse. Here,
Smith, get on this horse and follow
me-
"The negro turned wei his horse to
me and / mounted him.
II rode off with my commander,
feeling mighty good, I can tell you;
but those ~rascals at the bridge were
bound to have their fun, and about a
thousand Of them set up a yell.
"'Take him along, general they
howled. He amt no good-never
was on a horse before in his life
can't do nothing but eat--take him
and keep him!'
"That was the send off Of my COM
rades gave me: but the general under
stood the humorous side of camp life,
and he merely smiled and kept straight
ahead.
II accompanied him short distance
and returned to my company in the
course of an hour or two, after the
generals staff had joined him.
''That is the story of my meeting
with Bob Lee. Do you wonder that
we boys all took o fancy to him? He
was just as clever to Private Smith as
he would have been to u general, and
I could see that it was a. pleasure to
him to share his rations with me.
"But the boys guyed me about it for
a long time. They told the story with
lots Of fanciful fourishes, and three
years later, when | went to the West
as an officer on General Forests staff,
I found that the tale HAD preceded me
ard had made me we'll known in array
circles.
"Ah, those were grand days; full Of
great men and greatdeeds. Even now,
after the lapse of a generation, my
heart thrills with pride when I recall
my two meetings with the Confedera-
cy's grandest chicftain, the idol Of the
people, the father of his soldiers
royal old Bob Lce!'- Wallace Putnam
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