Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-31
THE ORIGINAL
OF General Lees Farewell Address
to Ills Army.

TO Ills Army.
To the Editor OF the Dispatch
/ enclosed your admirable editorial on
the so-call,d original copy OF General
Lees farewell address now owned in
England TO Colonel Charles Marshall, Of
Baltimore. who was General Lees ac-
complshed military secretary. men,
toned u Colonel Marshall that distin-
gulshcd gentleman had told me, as l re-
collected it. that he had once seen the
original order in Colonel Marshalls home,
and asked MIN for q letter. which l might
publish. and which would settle the ques-
ton. The following is his reply:
Baltimore, Md, December %, 1888.
Rev. j. William Jones:
Ny Dear Mr.. Jones' our letter OF tne
Oth instant was received yesterday win
the enclosed clipping from the hlcnmohu
Dispatch.
wrote a letter a good many years ago
iu which 1 save my recOlecuous OF InG
circumstances under which the IareWeH
address of General Lee TO his army was
written, and also stated what, according
10 my recollection, had become or the
original OF thai address. unfortunately,
j retained no copy Of the letter referred
10 ia the Dispatch, as 1 do not retain
copies Of any letters, except letters OH
business.
1 have no doubt. however, that the let
ter referred 10 by the Dispatch, which
appeared some ten or twelve years ago
contains correct statement OF al tne
facts concerning Tie preparation OF the
farewell letter and its publication TO the
army
When the letter was published ia the
shape OF I'll general order FOR distribution
i'm the army. copies OK 10 were sent to all
commanding OiIcerj, and no DOUBT null
tpled by them Tor distribution among
their own commands. Many copies OF the
order thus came TO DO distributed IN the
army, and i remember that "a good many
OF the recipients Of those copies during
the cay on which IL was issued (the 10Th
OF NprlD sent their copies To headquar-
teFs in order TO have those copies signed
by General Lee himself for preservation
for their private use. i'm that way copies
Of tho order bearing General Lees own
signature came into the hands or quite q
number of persons. and l have no DOUBT
that other PERSONS. who obtained copies
Of the order for their personal use, be-
sides those who received copies OF IL OIL
clally, also procured General Lees Sig
nature 90 their copies for preservation or
Their use. i'm this way great number OK
copies OF the order bearing General Lee 5
own signature were disseminated. and L
have had occasion very frequently 70
state tails fact On explanation Of the great
number Of copies bearing General Lee
signature. which came 20 the handS OF
thar theirs were original orders. re-
member that Massachusetts, officer was
reported as having presented the original
OF the order 20 the Governor OF tnat
state. and / received a letter asking
whether tho paper 70 presented 20 the
Governor VI Massachusetts was the origi-
nal draft. AZ 1 knew what had become
or the original draft, / supposed tnat IL
was one or those crafts OF the order Dear
ing General Lees own signature, which
FI.a g.. HHIf |s.N %
have above described. My attention has
been called 20 several sO-c3lleJ "oflsl-
nails" Of the order and 1 have no doubt
that the copy referred 10 I'm the clipping
from the Dispatch is an original OF the
The actual original, written in the am
buignce which stood before General Lee S
tent the morning after The interview pe-
tween him and General Grant AZ the Mo
Lean house, was written I'm pencil Inc
ufeht before. being the night OF the 9TH
OF April General Lee sat with the oIil-
GERS of his personal stan at MS camp
fire. In the course Of the conversation no
expressed very freely and strongly ms
feelings with reference, TO his army ana
10 was after he had so expressed himse 7
that ha requested me to prepare hefdratt
OF an order to be issued 20 the army tie
next morning expressive or MS feellhk
and sentiments. as they had been uttered
by him Ia the course or that CONVERSE
ton. III was under tho influence OF the
FEELINGS expressed by General Lee that
tine draft of the order was prepared the
next morning, and / endeaVOred 10 make
| it as accurate an expression OF those feel
ines us possible. At the end OF the pencil
draft prepared in the ambulance, ] could
not help adding sentence, prompted
more hy my own personal leennEs, caileI
forth bv the circumstances under when
] was writing, than by anything that
General zee had said tho night before, IN
which i gave expression 10 the feellns
with which the surrender, ana the CIR
cumstauces which had made the surren-
| der necessary, were regarded by every
| soldier lu the army That sentence now
ever it expressed tho personal feelings
which / was sure filled the heart OF every
soldier ON that occasion, was not perhaps
appropriate TO the work l had IN mana
! Commemorative when / took the rOuBn or3Ll
OF the order 20 General Lee for his eN-
animation before copy Of IL In INK was
prepared by one OF the clerks IN the adj
/ iutlut-geueraIs office. for General Lee !
| signature. the General struck the CON
Guiding sentence from the pencil draft OF
| the order and made a few peDcil altera'
| t0ns I'm the remainder. none OF when
affected the meaning OF the draIL~ln Jus
curiafcd and corrected form i took the
draft 20 the adjutant-generafs Office, m
| order 10 have q COPY of IL made IN INK
| for the Generals signature. When tnis
/ was done / took the ink copy thus made
| by the clerk 10 General Lee, and ne sign
/ was the original OF the farewell letter
| and 7 do not know what became OF H.
| There was, however but one such orisl
nal.
The pencil copy OF the letter to which
! have referred was LETT IN the adJuldnt-
| generals office. and what became or IL
! do not know. nor did / think about It al
! an al the time. OF for many years atttr
| The original ink copy or the letter, 7,
| which 1 have referred, was leIt with an
| ID.il
generals office in that Office. II was, OF
| course. multiplied for distribution IN me
regular course among tie oiIeers li
| command or the troops. TIE cOYies thu,
| distributed bore the olncial SIGNATURE o.
| General Lee. per ". II. Taylor. \. A. O.
| When those official orders reached the
| different commanders OF troops, those
| commanders In turn distributed copies ol
| those orders 10 the troops under thelf re-
! snecfive commands. Those into whose
| hands these official copies OF the lettel
came I'm the way that j have above ce
| scrilsd or those who got pOss sslOn OF
| those official copies In any way, sent thel
| comics 10 General Lee 10 obtain ms sig
nature 10 those copies instead or the ON
| cial signatures which those COPIES bOfe
| and IL was thus that there came into eN
| fsteuce such a number OF what aDptafes
| 20 be ORIGINALS OF the order. me real cflsl
! nal. however, was the pencil dfait pre-
| pared by me under the circumstances
| have described. which was corrected anG
| changed by General Lee with his OWi
hand as / have above stated; signed By
/ him I'm pencil. and taken in that form q
| be- copied IN ink by the clerk in the adju
| taut-aeneraPs office. and distributed IN
| tho army I'm the usual way.
| What became az the pencil draft / have
] no means Of knowing. nor what became
| of the first ink copy of that draft
I ana sure however, OF one thing ina
| ana not have either and You must b'
| I'm error ia suDposng that ! ever exhibit
| ed either the pencil or INK copy or th'
| ietter after tho war. 10 my dear an,
! norored old friend whose name you men
1 f.Hf