The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-04
HOW LEE ENDED THE WAR.
Refused TO Keep Up "a Guerrilla
Struggle After AppOmattOx,

george r. ftOdT, 41E- EuWdlu |IINclSlA
Hale, Charles Francis Adams and
Stephen Salisbury. -----.--.
Mr.. Adams in his paper drew an in
teresting parallel between the present
situation in South Africa and the clos
ing days of the Civil War, showing how
by. Gen. Lees decision to surrender
the country was saved the horrors of
guerrilla warfare. In the course of
his address, he said;
1t is unnecessary for me even to re-
fer to the series of events which fol-
lowed the abandonment of Richmond
and preceded the surrender of Apo
mattoX. II Is sufficient to say that the
capitulation Of the Army of Northern
Virginia had become inevitable. Not
the less for that, the course thereafter
TO be pursued as concerned further re-
sistance on the part of the Confeder-
acy was still to be decided. 1t is we'll
known that. in the face Of disaster,
jefferson Davis had not for an instant
given up the thought of continuing the
struggle. To do SO was certainly prac-
ttcable. Foreign opinion, for instance.
was on this point settled; it was as
summed as certainty of the future that
the conquest of the Cpnfederacy was
impossible. The English Journals had
always maintained, and still did main
tain, that the defeat of Lee in the field
or even the surrender of all the Con-
federate armies. would be but the close
of one phase of the war and the open
ing OF another phase-the final phase
being long, fruitless effort to subdue
a united people in a region so vast that
it would be impossible to penetrate
every portion of it, much less to hold
1t In subsection. AS an historical fact
the scales on April 8. 1885, hung waver-
ing in the balance: a mere turn of the
hand would decide which way they
were to incline. Thus, on the morning
OF that momentous day, 1t was an alb
solutely open question, an even chance,
whether the course which was actually
pursued should be pursued or whether
the leaders of the Confederacy would
adopt the policy which President Kru-
ger and Gems. Botha and DeWet have
in South Africa more recently adopted
and are now following.
The decision rested in the hands Of
one mantle commander of tine Army
of Northern Virginia. Fairly reliable
and very graphic accounts of what took
place at Gen. Lees headquarters IN
the early morning hours of that day
have either appeared in print or been
told in conversation, and to two of
these accounts I propose to call at
tenton. Apparently the second of the
interviews described followed close on
the first, not more than a. couple of
hours intervening between them. of
the first, I find this account in a book
recently published by John Sargent
Wise, entitled The End of an Era"
John Sargent Wise is the son of Hem
~ A.. Wise, once prominent in our ma
tional politics. Governor of Virginia
in the later fifties, he was subsequently,
a brigadier general in the Confeder-
ate. service. Though in 1865 but a
youth of 10, John S., Wise was a no.
Confederate, and had already Seen
wounded in battle: At the time now
in question he CHANGED to have beer
sent by Jefferson Davis then on his
way from Richmond to DanYille, with
-dispstc to- Lee. and while seeking
Lees Headquarters he came, in the
early morning of April g., across his
father, Governor and Gen. Wise in
biVouac with his brigade. The father
was then nearly 60 years of age, bur
the son found him lying on the ground.
asleep among hiss men. A Typical
Southern fire eater" of the extreme
type, Henry A. Wise was an out an
out secessionist and Confederate
Aroused by his son from his uneasy
slumber, almost the first wish he cX.
pressed was to see Gen. Lee, and ne
inquired impetuously OF his whore
abouts. The son knew where the Con-
federate headquarters We're, and the
two started together to go to them.
Vivid Picture of the scene.
John s. Wise has described .yividly
the aspect of affairs as they passed
along: The roads and fields were I'LL
ed with stragglers. They moved, look
ing behind them, as if they expected
to be attacked and hatried by a pur-
suing foe. Decentralization, panic,
abandonment of alf-hope, appeared on
every hand. Wagons were rolling along
without any order or system. Caissons
and timber chests, without command
ing officers, seemed to be floating aim
lessly upon tide of Reorganization
Rising to his full hight. casting a
glance around him like that of an
eagle, and sweeping the horizon with his
long arm and bony forehnger, my faith
er exclaimed, This is the endr 1t is
impossible TO convey all idea of the
agony and the bitterness of his words
and gestures" Then follows this de
scription of the interview which en-
sued:
I'VE found Gen. Lee on the rear por-
tico of the house that / have men
toned. He had washed his face in a
tin basin. and stood rying his beard
with a coarse towel as we approached.
Gen. Lee exclaimed my father. my
poor, brave men are lying on yonder
hill more dead than alive. For more
than a week they have been lighting
day and night without food, and, by
God, sir, they shall not move another
step until somebody gives them some
thing to eat!'
"'Come in, General said Gen. Lee,
soothipgly. They deserve something to
eat and shall have it, and meanwhile
you shall share my breakfast He dis
armed everything like defiance by his
frankness.
1T was but a few moments. however.
before my father launched forth in a
fresh denunciation of the conduct of
Gen. Bushrod Johnson in the engage
ment of the 9Th. / am satisfied that
Gen. Lee felt as he did, but, assuming
an air Of mock severity, he said: Cen
eral, are you aware that you are liable
to court martial and execution for in
subordination and disrepect toward
your commanding officer?
4i''My father looked at him with lifted
eyebrow and flashing eyes, and ex
claimed: shot! You can't afford to
shoot the men who fight for cursing
. those who ran away. Shot! l wish you
would shoot me. If you don't some
Yankee probably will within the next
twenty hours
Growing more serious, Gen. Lee in
quired what he thought of the situa-
ton.
Situauon? said the bold old man.
There is no situation, Nothing re-