The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-23
The Barnwell People.
Largest Circulation in the County
THE STORY OF APPomATioA
,,,nu , rONrsD VIEW.

S,,rrrulCr-GCn. Lco NcScF olcFctl
his Sword 10 Grant and the Latter
Never Declined to Take 1t.
Col. Charles Marshall, of Baltimore,
who WAS GCn. Lees chief of stall, has
contributed the following interesting
statement Of what occurred at Apo.
luuttox to the Washington Post:
| have frequently noticed that whom
Old soldiers and sailors meet for u talk
about the civil war they sometimes for
get the reverence duo tho divinity
Truth For my part, | have heard
events that occurred under my own
eyes described in such way that |
failed to recognize them.
We do not yet know with certainty
the facts Of tho battle OF Waterloo, and
as to charlottesville and Getty sburg,
although | witnessed both, | some
times think, in Wow OF tho absolutely
irrCcUnciaDlc accounts VIC have OF
these two engagements, Bishop
WhatlCy might readily create historic
doubts ns to whether either was in fact
fought.
With the full knowledge Of this ten
Ucncy to error will give you Us &C.
curNtcly rs | can an exact narrative Of
the circumstances "ttunuing the fur-
muttox, AS they fell under my direct
observation. will exclude everything
not immediately connected with the
great event, "5 | HiU convinced that 1T
possessed sufficient interest IN itself to
render cUmmCUt necessary, If not in
appropriate.
TnrrU !. one very important matter
| wish sCtliCd at the outset, however.
y is this !: Gen. Lee did not meet Gen.
Grant in the Mclean house on the
mOrni. & Of April q, i6U1, for the pur-
pose Oi then ana LNurU cnrcting u SUR
render OF his "rmy. On the contrary,
1T was simply FOR the purpose Of near
ing Grants terms. AS u matter OF
Tact, II they bad not suited Gen. Lee
ne would not have accepted them {: but
Grants oIitr was SO liberal, 50 mag
unanimous, ard so Chivalrous that it
was accepted forthwith. 1t is well to
adu LuNt h&d Gen, GranG'S terms been
less favorable than those he made,
Gen. Lee would not have accepted
them, no matter what the ci.cun-
stances might have bceh. We had be-
come accustomed somewhat to deal
with desperate circumstances.
wish to have another matter under
stool before beginning 4 consecutive
narrative OF the surrender. This is in
rcgaro to Gen. Horace pcrtcr's state
mCnt, made clcAtGu!y, orally and in
writing, thIt Cen, Lee offered his
sword to Grant. Lee never offered his
sword to Grant, ANA the latter never
refused 1t. If WAS With the great
SoutnCrn ChlGitaiu from the time he
greeted Grant in the Mclean house
until he rode away, and the only tiloc
Ih9 mIntlOn OF a. swOrG was made was
"hch Grant apolOgiZed to Lee for his
drea:, cNpiulElnG that it was not pos
elD!c luf aim TO get across to his bag
gage anu ~ the same time keen the
appointment. The terms Of capitu, a.
tlOn expressly excepted side. Arp1 :.-aoi
in view OF that fact il N-jinld havc bcnn
most unusual procedure for Gen. Lee
10 10 nave oHGrgGG> his sword to Grant
, I"cSC "~itlcr& are unimpOrtant in
...E ...E .naelycs, out IL is well for the sake
OF history TO hHvC them cleared up.
After the disaster Of Sailors Creek,
III April, 1850, the army, reduced to
two corps un0cr the command OF Gen.
Long#trcct and Gen. Gordon, moved
through FArmViiic, where ratiOns were
issued TO some OF the starving troops.
~ close pursuit by the overwhelming
army OF Cen Grant made it necessary
20 remove the wagon trains before ali
nant OF the great army Of North crn
Virginia: exhausted by tight and star
vation, moved On the road to Appom4t-
toX Court House.
GA the afternoon OF Ith of April,
I0bo, Gen. Grant wrote to Gen Lee
stating that the hOpclcs5ness of fur
thcr Resistance was apparent and asking
surrender o! the army OF Northern
Virginia.
When tbIs letter WAS received there
was some difference Of opinion amoog
the general officers as to the nature OF
the reply 10 be made TO Gen. Grants
lctter: some thinking it was yet DOS
Slolc 10 save the remnant OF the armv
tlnaiiy, however, Gen. Lee decided to
meet Grant, and WAS directed to draw
up communication to that effect. This
Is the letter Gen. Lee signed
April /, lSG5.--Gcncral have ro.
cc!Tcd your note OF this date. Thou rb
not entertaining the opinion Won cy
press OF the hOpClcssncss Of further re-
si"tancc ON the part Of the army OF
Nofthcfh Lginia, | rcciprocate your
ucSlrc 10 AVOID useless clluSiOn Of blood,
ana, thCrclorc, before considering your
Propoailton, ask the terms You will
oncr on Condition Of surrender. Ncry
respectfully, your obcdicnt servant.
X T.. LEE, General
IT WAS nOU until the next dav that q
reply was received to this LETTER
Grant stated tGaJ he would insist upon
Dut one condition ; this was that tho
men ana officers surrendered should be-
disqualified to take up arms against
inc United States until properly tx-
changed.
Even after this correspondence Gen.
lee ana not abAt don hopes of succe IS.
luily cXtricating himself from the
uiiehllna. The army has been in straits
almost rs dCpl0rablc.
me march was continued during
April $, with little interruption from
the enemy. In the evening we hulted
near AppomattoX Court House, Gen.
Leo intending to march by wav of
Catnpocll Court House, through Pitt.
sylvania County, toward DanvilIe, with
view OF opening communications
win the army OF Gen. Joseph E. John
ston, Ten retreating Before Cen. Shrr.
man tbi ough North Carolina. Cen
Lees purpose was to unite with Jo} n.
ston to attack Sherman, or call John.
sion to his aid in rcsistiny Cro,,t