The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-23

years. Now and then In tho course OF
them, his habitual reticenoe concerning
the movements and battles In which he
Mad been engaged waa broken, and, OF
course, his comments were carefully pre-
served. On o visit to his cousin, Mr..
Cassius Lee, he spoke with less than his
usual reserve. Tho two talked Of the war,
and the General told Of Jackson'B delay
In getting on McClellan's flank. that caused
the fight ut MechaniosNlle, which fight,
he said. was unexpected, but was necessary
to prevent MoClellan from entering Rich-
mond, from the front OF which most Of the
troops had been moved Leo expressed
tho belief that II jackson bad been at
Gettysburg tho Confederstes would have
gained victory; .for,' said he, jackson
would have held the heigb's wfhoh Ewell
took on the FIRST day He said that Ewell
was fine officer, but would never take the
responsibility Of exceeding his orders, and
having been ordered TO Gettysburg he would
not 10 further and hold the heights beyond
the town. To tho inquiry which OF the
Federal Generals no oonHdsred the greatest,
he replied most enphstioaIly: Mcclellan,
by all odds.' Asked why he did not 20 TO
Washington after tho second battle OF
Manassas, he answered, "Beoasse my
men had nothing to eat and, pointing
to Fort Wade, he said: Il could not toll my
men to take that fort whom they had had
nothing to eat for three days went to
Maryland to feed my army This state
ment led to some remarks on the misman-
agement OF the Confederate oommissary
department, Of which Lee gave numerous
instances, audi mentioned bis consequent
embarrassmentR Some one having OBJ
served that he could not have starved.
In the Confederate service II he could have
gotten bread and milk, NO. rejoined the
General, "but frequently I could not get
even that He was very severe In his
criticism OF the Confederate newspapers
and said that patriotism did not seem to
influence them In the least, and that move
ments OF the army were published which
frustrated his plans As an instance he
told Of Longstreet being sent to the west
ern army, and how the efYorts that were
made to keep the movement secret were
frustrated. the papers having proclaimed
1t at once to friend and foe alike Hefurther
recalled that he had advocated putting
negroes In the Confederate army, and 70
cited the arguments which he had advanced
in favor OF this step.
In August, 1868. an Englishman, Mr.
Herbert C. Saunders, had q long inter-
view with Gen. Lee, and recorded at length
the conversation. Gen. Leo felt deeply,
we learn, the charge that he had fl.treated
the Federal prisoners who had fallen into
his hands. It may be remembered that his
name was included In the first indictment
framed against Wirz. Of Andersonville
notoriety, though It was afterward omitted.
He explained to Mr.. Saunders the oiroum-
stances under which he had arranged with
Mcclellan for the exchange OF prisoners;
how he had after the battles Of Manassas.
Fredericksburg and Charlottesville. sent
all the wounded over to the enemy on the
promise OF their Generals to parole them.
He also said that, on several occasions, his
Commissary General had come to him
after a battle and represented that he had
not rations enough both for prisoners and
the army. and ne had always given orders
that the wants Of the prisoners should be
first attended to, seeing that. from their
position, they could not save themselves
from starvation by foraging or otherwise.
as the army could when in straits for pro-
visions The General further explained
how every effort had always been made
by the Confederates to do away with the
necessity Of retaining prisoners, By Offering
every facility for exchanges, ell st'-isst,
when all exchange was refused, they found
themselves with $1,000 prisoners, for whom
they were quite unable to do az much a.
they wished In the way Of supplying food.
He stated, moreover. that many Of the hard
ships suffered by the prisoners arose from the
necessity Of constantly changing the prisons
to prevent recapture. With the Management
OF the prisons he assured Mr.. Saunders that
he had had absolutely nothing TO do and
did not even know that Wirz was In charge
Of Andersohville Prison until after the war
was over.
When discussing the state Of feeling in
England with regard to the war. Gen. Lee
said that It had all along given him the
greatest pleasure to feel that the Southern
cause had the sympathies Of 30 many per-
cons in the old country. to which he looked
as a second home; but. in answer TO his
visitors questions. he replied that he had
never expected the English to give the
Confederatee material aid. and thought
that all Governments were right In studying
only the interests Of their own people and
in not going to war for an idea when they
had no distinct cause Of quarrel On the
subject Of slavery he told his visitor that he
had always been In favor Of the emanGpa-
ton of the negroes, and that In Virginia the
feeling had boon strongly inclinin8 In the
same direction till the Ill judged enthusiasm
Of the aboliuonists In the North had turned
the tide Of Southern sentiment In the other
direction. He recalled that In Virginia.
about thirty years before, an ordinance
for the emancipation Of the slaves had
been rejected by only q small majority,
and every one fully expected that at the
next constitutional convention it would be
carried; and, he added, 1t would have boon
but for the above mentioned cause. He
went on to say that there was scarcely a
virginian at the hour when he spoke who
was not glad that the subject had been
definitely settled. though nearly all re.
GREETED that they had not wisely done II
themselves the first year Of the war
In the course Of the interview. Gen. Lee
accounted in the following way for the
small results OF the numerous victories
gained by tho Confederates: 'The force
he said, (which the Confederates could
bring to bear was 30 often inferior in num-
hers to that Of the Federals that the more
the former followed up victory over one
I'll.