The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-04-11
ANNIVERSARY OF LEES SyRREN
DER.

versary OF Gen. Lee surrender OF tho
Army Of Northern Virginia at Apo
mattox Court House. the events OF
which will ever be remembered 10y
those who were there. regardless 81
which side he was ou-be he soldier
or spectator Gen. lee had made
his way from his lines in front OF
Richmond and Petersburg, which hr
abandoned on the third. and reached
Appomattox on the ninth. havingeu-
countered almost impossible roads.
hampered by broken down teams un-
able to do service. having food for
neither man nor beast. and harassed
by the Federal army which was IN
eager pursuit. At Sailors Greek on
the sixth Lees army was cut into.
An engagement was forced upon the
rear column and nearly eight thous-
and Confederates We're captured. in
GLIDING Generals Ewen. kershaw
Hunton, Corse. DuBose and Gusts
Lee. This loss and the hundreds of
Others who had abandoned thereon
mands. so weakened Lees army that
on the morning OF the ninth the Com
mander found himself with only
skeleton OF what the magnificent
Army Of Northern Virginia had been
Finding further resistance useless
and being DESTROYS that the lives OF
his brave followers should not DO
needlessly sacrificed hecOmmuuicateo
with Gen Grant. hOstilities were suS-
pended. terms % surrender were
agreed upon, and the war was virtu-
ally over. Gen sc returned 70 his
tent. with what emotions We may
imagine. but can never realize Or.
White. describing the scene. saws
When they-the s0ldiers-saw their
beloved leader riding back from the
place OF negotiations. their grief was
well nigh unspeakable They halted
his horse and gathered in cluster
about him. Tears were running
down every cheek as the grim, rag
ged veterans came up 10 wiring his
hand. Only sobs were heard. OF
prayers uttered III broken words. call
ing down the benedictions OF heaven
upon Lee. The tears in his eyes form
ed his answer TO the agony OF his
men. He could only say. in tone
that trembled with sorrow, men. we
have fought through the war TO
gether. have done the best could
for you. My heart is too full 10 say
more"
In his last report To the President
OF the COnfederacy, written three DAYS
after the surrender OF the army. Gen.
Lee says: lon the morning of the
9th. according to the reports OF the
ordnance officers, there were 1852
organized infantry with arms. with
an average of seventy rounds OF am
munition per man. The artillery.
though reduced to sixty-three pieces.
with ninety-three rounds OF ammuni-
ton, was sufficient. These comprised
all the supplies OF ordnance that
could be relied on in the State OF Yir-
einia. ! have no accurate report OF
the cavalry, but believe it did notex-
coed 100 effective men. Theenemv
were more than five times our mum
bers."
When Gen. Lee wrote that report
he evidently had not seen the report
OF Gen. Grants effective men mad,
on the 10th, the day after the sur
render. That report showed Gen
Grants effective force to be lO7. 1876
which was more than ten times thai
OF Gen. Lee, and the condition of tn,
Confederates compared with that O
the Federal army showed to create
degree the disparity between the tw,
armies. because the Union forces ha,
iull rations and good clothing, Will
the Confederates were half-starve,
and almost naked. But it can b
said that Gen. Grant showed his grea
magnamity in many ways on thi
memorable occasion, and at one
gained the good will, to use n
stronger term, of the Confederate.
He allowed the soldiers to retail
their side arms and private property
including their horses. He did no
demand the sword OF Gen. Lee no
did he any way attempt to humiliat
him or his brave men. He decIine
to allow artillery salutes in honor G
tie victory as some of his subord
mates desired him to do, and in add
ti6n to these he had full rations is
sued TO the almost starving Coined
crates who had been for several dav