The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-20

I-enaoNA odflh ara inAupefdbie diesh-
vanisges under and against which this
Incompatible soldier 70 bravely contend
ed. but with George p. Pickett. while Fight
ing under the Stars and Stripes at Chapul-
tepec or under the stars and bars a; Get
tyEbUTE. duty was his polar star. and
With him duty was above consequences.
and. at a crisis. ne would throw them
overheard. Fiat JUstitia peTeat mundus.
Grsel b the tsrf above Jhes.
Fsisad G; ny better aAys.
Nors turE 81 sgt 70 lsv- tkez
Nor raned thee bet 70 prsffs
The Fall of Richmond.
oddly enough. the book begins with quo
tstion from the man who destroyed the
COnfederacy When some enc applied 90
President Lincoln for a pass 20 go into
Richmond. be graveiy replied:
! don't know about that. have given
passes TO about $1,000 men 20 go there
during the past two years. and not one
of them has gone there yet"
Under this quantity humorous remark
OF the great-hearted emsncipator lay a
world Of sorrow. and so il Is with this
story, Yet II is told in bright entertain
ing style. entirely free from lamentations,
but touching nevertheless. The first chap
tiers. dealing with the fail OF Richmond
and Mrs. Picketts subsequent personal
experiences. are the most novel and Yaiu-
able, since they reveal In a series OF
graphic pictures what might be termed
the Southern wOman's side Of the war.
Later IN her history OF her husbands
battles she Is Obliged TO rely upon rec
ords. principally on his reports; but OF all
the scenes described in the opening chap
teTs she was an eyewitness and an active
participant. Beginning with the morning
Of Sunday. April .. when President Davis
and his Cabinet hurriedly left church IN
the midst Of the services In order TO es-
cape from the doomed city, she sketches
the ensuing scenes Of panic. riot. and ter
Tor with the pen OF one IN whose mind
they are yet vivid realities. The burning
OF the public buildings and ensuing de-
struction by fire which the invading Fed
erals finally subdued Is dramatic BIT OF
description. and Immediately atter"ard
she adds a humorous sketch OF the dliapi-
dated old carriage in which the city au-
thorities OF Richmond went out TO tender
10 the Federals the surrender of the city,
written on the back Of piece OF wall
paper. Truly a woman who could see the
comic side of such a situation Is possess
cd OF the saving grace Of humor, which
maketh many a rough experience smooth-
In the burning of Richmond Mrs. Pick
EFT lost all her bridal presents, ana house
hold furniture, a calamity which every
woman will appreciate. Heretofore the
ancestral home Of Pickett had been burn
ed by Gen. Butler, possibly out of revenge
for having been bottled up" at Bermuda
Hundred by the dashing Confederate Gen
eral; whereupon the author relates nov
fire has followed her through her whole
life, nearly involving herself and her hus-
band in the holocaust of the SpOttswood
Hotel, in Richmond; burning up an oil
portrait of Gen. Pickett and two prasen-
tation flags, and even destroying the first
manuscript of pickett and His Men"
upon which she had spent thirteen years
OF labor Yet she Cnly adds: Let me
hope that the only fire which will attach
TO my present effort to record the history
of those gallant soldiers is the long-ago
burnt-Out flames which surged over the
unfortunate capital of the COnfederacy."
Her Meeting with Lincoln.
Later she relates how, while over her
frugal breakfast of beans boiled without
salt-for that commonest necessity of
cookery was an unattainable luxury IN
Richmond at that time-her little brother
brought word that there was "a Yankee
down stairs" expressing fear that this
much-dreaded demon had come to kill
the family. Not without trepidatiOn, for
Yankees were popularity reported TO have
cloven hOofs, she went down 10 find that
her visitor was a former friend of Gen.
Pickett i'm the Federal Army. Although
he bad taken pains to seek the wife of
his present enemy, such was her pride
that she would not accept any assistance
from a Yankee, even though she was
practically penniless and alone. reports
of Gen. PiCkett's death being generally
believed. But later she met some Yankee
friends of her husband whom there was
no resisting. and this is the story of her
meeting with the greatest of them:
Short as was Mr. Lincoln's time when
he passed through Richmond after the
surrender he came to the old Pickett
home 10 hunt up his former friend and
partner. the Generals uncle He asked
about the General himself -,Lincoln pro-
cured Pickett's appointment TO West
Point and was always friendly 10 HIM
and then for the Generals wife. / had
seen the carriage and the guard and the
retinue. but | did not know who the Wis
itors were. When l heard the caller ask
for George Pickett's wife. | came for
ward with my baby in my arms.
Il am George Picketts wife l said.
"'And | am Abraham Lincoln
1.-THE PRESIDENT
No; Abraham Lincoln, Georges odd
friend
Seeing baby's outstretched arms Mr..
Lincoln took him, and little George open
ed wide his mouth and gave his fathers
friend a dewy baby kiss. seeming TO feel
with the prescient infant instinct the tie
that binds. As ! took my baby back
again, Mr.. Lincoln said in that deep,
sympathetic voice which was one of his
greatest powers over the hearts OF men:
Tell your father, the rascal, that | for
give him for the sake of your mothers
smile and your bright eyes.
Il had sometimes wondered at the Gen
erals reverential way of speaking of
President Lincoln, but as | looked up at
his honest, earnest face and felt the
warm clasp of his great, strong hand. 1
marveled no more that all who knew him
should love him. When. but a few DAYS
later, the wires flashed over the world
the tragic message which enveloped our
whole nation in mourning, Gen. Pickett
said:
a." My God, my God; the South has lost
her best friend and protector, the surest,
safest hand to guide her through the
breakers ahead. Again she must feel the
smart of fanaticism.'
Fugitives from the Country.
This speech of Gen. Pickett proved a
true augury, for il was not many days
before he wss forced TO fee from the
country 10 Canada 10 escape what threat
ened 10 be a general persecution of all
prominent -COnfederates Gen. Grant
afterward declared, in sending him free
pass home again. that the terms of the
cartel OF surrender would have been re-
specied If IL had brought on another war.
but at the time this flight seemed the
Wisest thing. Again the young wife WAS
left, with the prospect Of Joining her hus-
band when he should wire her that il was
safe. Even she assumed a name and went
10 visit relatives in Baltimore but on
the way she fell in with Federal detec-
tive who tried to detain her. On her
way To Canada the baby. which had been