The age-herald., 1901-12-30
Washington Day By Day

| A Peoples Obligation to Robert E. Lee By Charles Francis Adams. A Paper Read Before the American Antiquarian Society at its Annual Meeting in Worcester, Mas sachusetts,' is an absorbingly interesting pamphlet received today by Senators and Congressman, with the compliments of MT. Adams. and 1t is likely to create some stir amongst historians and students of history After a brief opening reference to the present terrible conditions of dis organized war in South Africa, the emil nent New Englander says:
 My immediate purpose, however is to draw attention to the hair-breadth es- cape we ourselves had from a similar ex- perience now thirty-six years ago. and to assign to whom 1t belongs the credit for that escape Tn one word. the strong light of passing events, I think it now opportune to set forth the debt of grati- tude this reunited country of ours Union and Confederate, North and South owes to Robert E. Lee of Virginia"
 The state of affairs in the Confederate states in April. 1865, was in every re- spect almost the identical state of af- fairs which existed in South Africa at the time of the capture of Pretoria, in June a year ago" Two days after the fall of Richmond, the Confederate President issued from Danvile his manifesto de- claring to the people of the South that we have now entered upon new phase of the struggle Relieved from the neces- sity for guarding particular points, our
 
 point, to strike the enemy in detail far from his base. If by stress of numbers, we should be compelled to a temporary withdrawal from her limits, Virginia) or those of any other border state, we will return until the baffied and exhausted enemy shall abandon in despair his end | less and impossible task of making slaves | of people resolved to be free"
 "The policy and lie of military action herein indicated" declares MT. Adams, ''were precisely those laid down and pur- | sued by the Boer leaders during the last (eighteen) months"
 "As an historical fact, on this point the scales. on the 9th of April. 1865. hung waveing 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, it was an absolutely open question, an even chance whether the cause which subsequently, was pur- sued should be pursued. or whether the leaders of the Confederacy would adopt the policy which President Kruger and Generals Botha and DeWet have in South Africa more recently adopted, and are now pursuing
 "The decision rested in the hands of one man, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia"
 MT. Adams here proceeds to quote at length from John s. Wise, who, as a vet eran, though only 19, was present at the famous interview between his father, General Henry A. Wise, and General Lee, on the morning of that fateful day at Appomattox and also General E. P. Alexander who was Chief of Artillery in Longstreet's corps at the surrender, all going to show General Lees high re- solve and ~ sorrow of his great heart.
 'The end Is now upon us." General Lee is quoted by General Alexander over his own signature as saying just before the surrender, And 1t only remains to decide how we shall close the struggle But in deciding this question we are to approach it not only as soldiers but as Christian men, deciding on matters which involve a great deal else besides their personal feelings. If should order this army to disperse (not surrender). the men with their arms. but without organization or control and without provisions or money. would soon be wandering through every state in the Confederacy, some seeking to get to their homes and some with no homes to go to. Many would be com pelled to rob and plunder as they went to save themselves from starvation. and the enemy's cavalry would pursue in small detachments, particularly in efforts to catch general officers, and raid and burn over large districts which they will otherwise never reach, and the result would be the inauguration of lawlessness and terror and of organized bands of rob- bers all over the South. Now. as Chris tian men. we have not the right to bring this state of affairs upon the country, whatever the sacrifice of personal pride involved"
 General Lee, according to General Alex ander. spoke particularly of the women and children as the greatest sufferers in the state of anarchy which a dispersion of the army would bring about"
 Indeed, recalling the circumstances of that time" continues MT. Adams, "it is fairly appalling to consider what in 1865 must have occurred, had Robert E. Lee then been of the same turn of mind as was Jefferson Davis, or as implacable and unyielding in disposition as Kruger or Botha have more recently proved-An ir- regular warfare would inevitably resulted. a warfare without quarter. The Confed- eracy would have been reduced (by the million Union veterans) to a smoldering wilderness, to what South Africa today Is. In such a death grapple, the North, both in morale and means. would have suffered only less than the South. From both sections that fate was averted," and by Robert E. Lee. who was greater than the government and whose final action at Appomattox> made a prolongation of fighting impossible. he being the supreme and trusted idol of all Southern soldiers.
 And I again say.'' concludes MT. Adams that as we look today upon Kru- ger and Botha and DeWet, and the sit uation existing in the TransvaaI and the Orange Free State doubt if one single