The Washington times., 1901-11-01
Lee. the Christian Hero.

| chusetts, on Wednesday, Mr.. Charles
Francis Adams read a most interesting
paper on the subject of a crisis which
| occurred in the history of the country
at what proved to be the close of the
civil war, but which but for the firm
| and noble decision of General Robert L.
Lee might have marked the beginning
| of a guerrilla struggle with all the hor-
rors that we read of in South Africa to-
day.
In his paper Mr.. Adams offers histor
zeal evidence in support OF his state
ment that it was only by resisting great
pressure upon him. brought to bear by
Jefferson Davis and other irreconcila-
BILE leaders, that he was able to bring
the war to an end, and send the shat
tered remnant of his once splendid
Army Of Northern Virginia home Ito
make a crop" He was urged to ca
pitplate in such a way that his soldiers
could scatter to their home States and
report to their Governors with a view
to continued resistance; in other words,
TO fill the South with guerrilla bands;
and the Transvaal, Orange River, and
that would have meant. But no." said
General Lee to General f. p. Alexan-
der, his chief of artillery, on the morn
ing of the surrender at Appomattox;
you must remember we are Chris
tian people. We have fought this fight
as long and as well as we knew how.
We have been defeated. For us, as
Christian people, there is now but one
course to pursue. We must accept the
situation these men must go home and
plant crop, and we must proceed to
build up our country on a new basis"
General Lee was the absolute master
of the situation. The South loved,
trusted, and would have followed him
to the bitter end and to death. even as
the people of the North loved, confded
in, and would have followed Lincoln.
Upon Lees action alone depended
whether there should be honest surren-
der and peace or mad struggle against
a million seasoned and victorious Fed
eral troops, which would have made the
Southern States a wilderness, demor-
allied the North, and retarded the prog
ress OF the Union century. His de-
tie later Pressed by Jefferson Davis
to break up his army and let it take
to the mountains in detachments. he
said: Mr.. President, the South feels
that ii is whipped and IS tired of the
war" That was the finish. Johnston
surrendered to his old friend and West
Point chum, Sherman. So. through the
grand, pervading influence of that good
and great American. Robert E. Lee, the
sword was relinquished for the plow,
and the Confederate armies went home
to make crop"
To General Lee, says Mr.. Adams, the
American people owe an everlasting
debt of gratitude for debating the
course of the Confederacy in its last
movements in the direction of peace,
and in inducing its people 10 accept ac-
complished facts as frankly and brave
ly as previously they had accepted the
issue Of war. The present generation
in the North already shares with Mr.
Adams his high appreciation of and
veneration for that great man. His
tory and posterity will forever keep his
laiTels green. But, as far as his NOR
taleye could see, the gratitude of which
his New England eulogist now speaks
was nowhere visible beyond the boun-
daries Of the section for which he had
fought and prayed so long and so we'll
For years, and until he had been some
time in his grave the passions engen-
dered by the war were allowed full
play in the North. The men who had
been careful not to expose themselves
in the war were bowling for revenge
upon a stricken people. The frightful
reconstruction period-precursor OF
what the people of South Africa Will
suffer by and by, was in fun swing
Thousands of General Lees veterans
felt in bitterness of spirit that it would
have been better If his decision on the
day of Appomattox had been different
He never thought so. To his pure soul
but one ideal presented itself-the high
ideal of the duty of d Christian soldier
and gentleman.
By the blessing of God, the prejudiees
and mad vindictiveness of the years
that followed the surrender and the
assassination of President Lincoln are
things of the past. Since then the blue
and the grey have stood shoulder to
shoulder In a war against foreign foe, |
and in the cause of justice and human |
liberty. A gallant Northern soldier |
President can stamp his foot on the |
embers of the old time prejudice of his |
section, and declare himself proud that |
one of his uncles was a Confederate !
admiral and that another uncle fired |
the last gun that belched from the bat
terry Of the Alabama. And all of us |
from ocean TO ocean, and from the |
Lakes to the Gulf can join in singing |
the praises of the brave Of our race |
who stood up like men against each |
other In a war in which each side sin |
cerely believed 1t was right. The |
thanks Of the American people are due |
10 Mr. Charles Francis Adams for call |
ing their attention to the great and !
ominous question which General Lee |
was called upon to decide, and glorious |
~ decided for the good of the whole ma
tion on that momentous morning Of |
April 9, 1865. Truly, the gratitude of |
the country should ever enshrine the |
memory of the great Virginian.
General Butler and Ladysmith.
It is condition and not theory that |
now confronts General Sir Redvers