The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1899-03-16
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TGtL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whiled
Away Life In Camp-Foraxing Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

sion of the famous surrender to Grant
on April 9. 1865, which he calls The
True Story of AppomattoX." 1t is the
first authoritative account of the his
toric event written by Confederate
officer of high rank having confidential
relations with Lee:
There is one very important matter
j wish settled at the outset. 1t is this:
General Lee did not meet General
Grant in the Mclean house on the
morning of April ., 1895, for the pur-
pose of then and there effecting Il sur
render of his army. On the contrary.
il was simply for the purpose of hear
ing Grants terms. AS a matter of fact,
if they had not suited General Lee he
would not have accepted them, but
Grants offer was SO liberal, SO mag
unanimous, and so chivalrous that 1t
was accepted forthwith.
l wish to have another matter under
stood before beginning n consecutive
narrative of the surrender. This Is In
regard 10 General Horace Porter's
\ statement. made repeatedly, orally and
in writing, that General Lee offered
| his sword to General Grant. / take ex-
| ception TO this statement. Lee never
| offered his sword to Grant and the lat
ter never refused 1t. | was with the
| great Southern chieftain from the time
| he greeted Grant in the Mclean house
until he rode away, and the only time
the mention of n sword was made was
when Grant apologiZed TO Lee for his
! dress, explaining that it was not pcs
sible for him TO get access to his bag
| gage and at the same time keep the
4 appointment. The terms of capitula-
| ton expressly excepted side arms, and
in view of that fact it would have been
a most unusual procedure for General
Lee to have offered his sword to Grant.
| These matters are unimpOrtant in them
| selves. but ii is well for the sake of
J history 10 have them cleared up.
| After the disaster of Sailors creek.
| in April. 1865, the army, reduced TO two
corps under the command of General
| Longstreet and General Gordon, moved
| through Farmville, where rations were
issued to some of the starving troops.
A close pursuit by the overwhelming
| army of General Grant made 1t nes-
sary TO remove the wagon trains before
all the men could be supplied, and the
| remnant of the great army of Northern
| Virginia, exhausted by fight Qnd star
| yation, moved in the road TO Apo
| mattoX courthouse.
On the afternoon of April Z, 1865,
| General Grant wrote to General Lee
| stating that the hopelessness of further
| resistance was apparent, and asking a
surrender of the army of Northern Vir-
ginia. When this letter was received
there was some difference of opinion
| among the general officers as to the ma
| ture of the reply to be made to General
Grants letter, some thinking it was
yet possible TO save the remnant of the
decided to meet Grant, and / was di-
rected to draw up communication to
that effect. This is the letter General
Lee signed:
April Z, 1S65.-General: | have re-
ceived your note of this date, though
not entertaining the opinion you ex-
press of the hopelessness of further re-
sistance on the part of the Army of
Northern Virginia; l reciprOcate your
1esire TO avoid useless effusion of blood.
and therefore, before considering your
proposition. ask the terms you will Of
FER on condition of surrender. Very re-
spectfully, your Obedient servant.
X. Z. LEE, General"
1t was not until the next day that
reply was received to this letter. Grant
stated that he would insist upon but
)ne condition; this was that the men
and officers surrendered should be dis
qualified TO take up arms against the
United States. until properly ex-
changed.
Even after this correspondence Gen
eral Lee did not abandon hopes of sue
sessfully extricating himself from the
dilemma. The army had been i'm
straits almost as deplorable. The march
was continued April s, with little inter
ruption from the enemy. In the even
.ng We halted near Appomattox court
house. General Lee intending to march.
9y way of Campbell courthouse.
through Pittsylvania county, toward
Danville. with a view of opening COM
munication with the army of General
Joseph L. Johnston, then retreating be-
lore General Sherman through North
Carolina. General Lees purpose was
10 unite with General Johnston to At
TACK Sherman or call Johnston to his
aid in resisting Grant, whichever
might be found the better The ex-
hausted troops We're helted for rest
near AppomattOx courthouse, and the
march was resumed at l a. IN.
We made our simple toilet, consisting
mainly of putting on our caps and sad
ding orr horses. Somebody had a
little cornmeal, and somebody else had
tin can, such as is used to hold water
for shaving. A fire was kindled and
each man in his turn, according to rank
and seniority, made can of oatmeal
Cruel and was allowed TO keep the can
until the cruel became cool enough to
lrink. General Lee, who reposed as
we had done, not far from us, did not |
ireshments as / have described.
AS soon as we all had our turn at |
The shaving can we rode toward Appo- |
mattoX courthouse, when the sound of |
guns announced that Gordon had al |
.eady begun to attempt to open the |
way.
He forced his way through the caval- |
" of the enemy, only to encounter a
force of infantry far superior to his !
own wearied and starving command |
He informed General Lee that 1t was
impossible to advance further, and 1t |
became evident that the end was at |
sand.
General Lee had written Grant, stat |
ing that he would meet him at 10 |
o'clock the morning of April 8, on the |
Did stage road to Richmond. Attended !