The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-12-05
HOW LEE ENDED WAR
Would Not Keep Up Guerrilla
Struggle After Appomattox.
IT WAS A MoMENToUs DECISION

Charles Francis Adams Draws a Par
siiei Between situation In south
Africa ana the Closing Days OF the
ConfedcrHcy - Paper Read Before
American Antiquarian society.
Charles Francis Adams in an address
before tue American Antiquarian so.
ciety at Springfield, Mass, reviewed
the history of Lees surrender and com
pared the struggle of the south with |
the present war in South Africa. What |
he said was new and included a hlther-
to unpublished chapter of American
history. lie said In part:
The present seems TO me sufficient
iy proper occasion. and this good
place. TO call attention to n matter not
otherwise than germane to the purpose
Of this society. Historical In its charac-
ter, II conveys a lesson OF grave Inn
port. One of the most unhappy and,
to those concerned In IL, disastrous
wars OF the century Is that now In
South Africa dragging itself out TO
In every way, unsatisfactory. There Is
good reason TO think that the conflict
was unnecessary In its inception; that
by judlcious action II might long since
have been brought TO close, aud,
finally, that II IL now continued simply
because the parties TO II cannot be
brought together to discuss and arrive
at sensible basis OF adjustment-a
basis. upon which both are In reality
ready TO agree. Nevertheless, as the
cable dispatches daily show, the con-
test drags wearily along to the proba-
BILE destruction of one of the combat
ants, 10 the great loss OF the other
and, so tar as can be seen, In utter dis
regard of the best interests of both.
My purpose, however, Is to draw at
| tention to the halrbreadth escape we
ourselves had from similar expert
ence now thirty-flve years ago and to
assign to whom II belongs the credit
Of that escape. In one word, in the
strong light OF passing events think
1t now opportune to set forth the debt
Of gratitude this reunited country OF
] ours u nion and Confederate, north
and south owes to Robert Il. Lee.
The decision rested In the hands OF
one. man the commander of the Army
OF Northern Virginia. Fairly reliable
and very graphic accounts OF what
took place at General Lees headquar'
ters In tho early morning hours OF that
day have either appeared In print cr
been told In conversation, and to two
OF these accounts / propose to call at
tention. Apparently the second OF the
interviews described followed close or
the first, not more than a couple OF
hours intervening between them. Oi
the first find this account In n bool
recently published by John Sargent
Wise, entitled "Thc End OF an Era
John Sargent Wise Is the son OF Hen
ry A. Wise, once prominent in our ma
tionai politics Governor of Virglnii
in The later iifties, he was subse
quently II brgadier general In the Con
federate service. Though In 1865 bu
a youth of nineteen, John s. Wise wa
a hot Confederate and had alread.
been wounded In battle. At the tim
now IN question he chanced TO hav
been sent by Jefferson Davis, then ol
his way TO Richmond, to Danville wit
dispatches To Lee, and, while seekin
Lees headquarters. he came In tn
early morning of April o across hi
father, Governor and General Wise, i
biyouac with his brigade. The fathe
was then nearly sixty years OF ag'
but the son found him lying on til
ground asleep among his men. typici
southern fire eater" of the extrem
, type, Henry A. Wise was an out an
out secessionist and Confederate
Aroused by his son from his uneas
slumber, almost the first wish he e.
pressed was to see General Lee, an
: h. inquired impetuously of his wher'
abouts. The two started to go to Gel
eral Lees headquarters.
"We found General Lee on a ref
I, portlco OF the house he occupied" say
: MIR. Wise. "IIe had washed his fa'
In n tin basin and stood drying b
: beard with coarse towel as we a
: preached. General Lee,' exclaimed n
|. father, my poor. brave men are iyif
on yondcr hill more dead than aliv
For more than week they have bee
fighting day and night without foo
= and, sir. they shall not move anoth
. step until somebody gives them som
!, thing TO eat
. "'Come In, general said Gener
q Lee soothlngly. They deserve SON
!, thing to eat and shall have II. al
meanwhile you shall share my brea
fast He disarmed everything like d
fiance by his frankness.
be st was but few moments, ho
ever, before my father launched for
In a fresh denunciation Of the condu
OF General Bushrod Johnson In the
gagenent OF the 9th. l am satisfi
that General Lee felt as he did. b
assuming an air CT mock severity,
said, General. are you aware that y
are liable to court martial and exec
ton for insubordination and disresp'
toward your commanding officery
ssAf., o.. .la.. IontaI n him with Iifi