The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-27

Gibbes: "Gibbes, 1 appeal TO you for
protection" GibbeS at once recognized
| him. having known him as a cadet at
West Point, and, on his request, took
him to Gordon. AS other parts of the
line were still firing, Gordon sent Major
w. w. Parker of the artillery to order
a cessation of fire. A battery calico
Johnson's, from Richmond, Virginia,
commanded by Captain John w
Wright, was the last to receive the or
der, and fired the last gun. Gordon re-
ferred Custer to Longstreet, and Gibbes
conducted him. Custer, with much as
-surance in his manner, told Longstreet
that he had come from Sheridan to de-
mand the immediate and unconditional
surrender of the army. Longstreet,
who was generally imperturbabIe, made
no reply until Custer had sharply re-
peated his demand, when he said cooily
that Lee was in communication with
Grant on the subject, and that pending
their conference neither he. dong-
street, had the right to surrender, nor
Custer or Sheridan to make such a de-
mand. Custer answered: Sheridan
and I are independent here today, and
have our troops in position to crush you
out at once, and unless you make an
immediate and unconditional surren-
der we will pitch in
At this Longstreet blazed out angrily
to the effect that they might pitch in
as soon as they pleased, but that he
(Custer) had best get back into his
own lines Immediately, or his unauthor-
lied presence and his arrogant errand
would not be overlooked. Custer made
no reply except to ask safe-conduct
back. Longstreet shortly directed his.
a resistant a TO Colonel (0S-
man Latrobe, to send some one with
Custer, and Gibbes and an orderly es-
corted MIN back.
Meanwhile Sheridan and Gordon had
met near Appomattox Court House, and
a suspension of hostilities had been
agreed upon until the meeting between
Lee and Grant.
After some delay Lee had received
a message from Grant that he had left
the rear of our army and was passing
along his own lines around to our front.
Lee accordingly returned, and passing
through our line of battle, dismounted
close in front, in an apple-orchard, near
a house said to be the home of .Sweeny,
celebrated as a minstrel and banjo
player before the war. Here he was
left standing alone for a few minutes,
having sent his staff off on various
GTEaDuS, ana DIS he GADTeSSeu a ueSIIt
to sit down, I had some rails brought
from a. fence near by, and a seat piled
for him under one of the apple-trees, a
short distance from the road. He sat
there for perhaps two hours, close in
front of Longstreet's line of battle, I'M
til Babcock of Grants staff came from
to escort him there to meet
Grant.
I made my bivouac in that orchard
that night Relic-hunters had already |
begun to cut limbs from the apple-tree !
under which Lee sat, and within TWEEN |
ty-four hours it was literally dug up |
by the roots, and not a chip of it was !
left. have always regretted since that |
did not appreciate how l should come |
to value some memorial of the event, |
and myself secure a piece of the tree
as a memento; for have since tried in /
vain to get a piece even as big as
tooth-pick L think it was carried off /
entirely by Confederates who, standing
in our last line of battle, saw Lee sit
ting under the tree awaiting Grants
have never even heard of
more than one piece of it since. One
of my sisters, ''refugeeing' through /
Carolina, first heard the story of the
surrender from a Texan who had been
present and seen Lee under the tree,
and had cut himself a walking-stick
from it, and was now footing it for |
home.
We learned after the surrender that
Sheridan complained of some move
ments of our troops after the flag was
sent in. L do not know what was the
occasion of the complaint, but some
nalf-hour after the firing had ceased,
the captain of a battery pointed out
to me a Federal cavalry regiment NOV
ng around our left flank, and begged
permission to fire shot at them.
Knowing, however, Lees intention to
surrender, 1 refused permission. 1t
was about one o'clock when Babcock
came from the enemy's line, and Lee,
with Colonel Marshall, rode with him
back to Appomattox, and then the
whole army knew what was taking
place.
I think it was after three o'clock
when we saw Lee returning. We wish
ID to express to him in some way our
and affection, and I ordered
Ill the cannoneers to be brought from
he guns and formed in line along the
Dad, with instructions to uncover in
silence as he rode by. He had hardly
cached the line, however, when some
me started a cheer, which was taken up
" others, and then both infantry and ,
lrtillery broke their lines and crowded
bout his horse in the road. The gen.
raj stopped and made a short address.
Briefly it was about as follows: ,
L have done for you all that it was
n my power to do. You have done
IL your duty. Leave the result to God.
10 to your homes and resume your oc-
upations. Obey the laws and become
s good citizens as you were soldiers" ,
There was not a dry eye in the crowd
hat heard him, and even he seemed )
eeply moved. The men crowded around :
o try and shake his hand or touch his >
orse, and some appealed to him to :
ct us all exchanged and try it again; =
ut he made no reply to such remarks.
hen he rode on to his camp, and the
rowd broke up, and then ranks were
ormed once more and marched off to
irn1lac- and the Army of Northern