Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-11
CHAPTER XXXvIII.
The Furling of the Flags.

The Furling of the Flags.
The close of the long and bitter struggle
had come; to those who had cast their for
tunes with the south it seemed almost a S
the end of the world. l had thought to
write of those last sad days. to picture them
in all their contrasting light and shadow.
but now cannot There are thoughts too
deep for human utterance. memories too
sacred for the pen. I rejoice that / was
part of it, that to the lowering of the last
tattered battle-flag 1 remained constant to
the best traditions of my house. 1 cannot
sit here now, bernath the protecting shad-
ow OF flag for which my son fought and
died, and write that / regret the ending,
for years of peace have taught us o. the
south lessons no less valuable than did the
war; yet do l rejoice today that. having
once donned the gray, 1 wore 1t until the
last shotted gun voiced its grim message
to the north
1t Is hardly more than a dream now.
sometimes vague and shadowy. again dis
tinct with living figures and historic scenes.
l require but to close my eyes to behold
once more those slender lines of ragged.
weary, hungry men. to whom fight
ing had become synonymous with life.
l pass again through the fiery rain of
those last fierce battles, when in des-
peratfon We sought to check the I'M
numbered blue legions that fairly crushed
us beneath their weight. The vividness of
Il L
the CHASTITY faces of the dead. the unuttered
agony of the wounded. the patient suffering
OF the living. Day by day, night by night.
we grew less in numbers. and our thin lines
contracted; divisions shrank into regiments.
companies to platoons. Men knew that the
inevitable was upon them, yet smiled into
one another's face and went forth to die
IL was pitlable; it was magnificent. Hungry
we fought, unsheltered slept: our dead
were lying with the enemy, while we who
yet lived for the duty of another day
fronted the bayonets with hearts of cour-
age ana sadly prophetic souls. Everywhere
10 'front.' and rear. to left and right
stretched that same blue wall tipped with
cruel steel; In constant hail of iron the
sheiis fell upon us. darkening the day-sky
and turning night into hell of dame
Ihere was no retreat, no loophole of escape.
we could but stay, suffer and perish Like
men lnflicted with some incura BILE maladv
we VINO We're of that stricken remnant
sternly, grimly looked into the aves Of
death and waited for the end
saw it all; held a part in II all TrnoD
mat April day which Witnessed the turning
VI uii, Inc i'asi sad page in this tragedy stood
the tfampled mud of the yard. surrounded
py group of federal officers Within W.
my commander. the old gray hero of viz
of the north Soluiei
rev ABOUT me spoke as we waited in rest
70 agony. NO one addressed me- and 7
LINK tnere must have been a look in NV
KIN
well what hung upon the balance tber.
that within those humble walls was heinz
consummated one of the great events of
nnd ~ 10 ine men in blue 1t meant home.
ahu victory, and peace; to those in gray
suHerlng, and struggle. and defeat.
know not how long I waited. STANDING
beside my horse, with head half bowed
upon his neck, seeing the figures about mo
as In dream. At last the door y,aS az,
open, and those within came forth He
was IN ADVANCE of them ALL In that pale
Stern, kindly face. and within the depths
OF those sorrowful gray eyes T road ~,
stantly the truth-the Army of Nortberp
Virginia was no more. Yet with what ca1n,
dignity did this defeated chieftafn mass
a o''as ma as pIue lane his head erect, his
eyes undlmmed-as dauntless in that awful
hour of surrender as when he rode hesnrn
ms cheering legions of fighting men. Only
as as ne came 70 where I stood. and caught
the look of suffering upon NV face did he
once falter, and then noted no more ~ tba alo
the slight twitchfng of his lips beneath the
short gray beard '-ie
Captain Wayne" he said. with al, bic
you 10 ride to General Hills division and
request him to cease all firing at once
turned reluctantly away from him
Knowing fun well in my heart / was baar'
Ing my last order and rode at n hard tro+
down the road between long lines of wait
ing federal infantry. scarcely so much
as saw them for my head was bent low
over the saddle pommel and nv eyes
We're blurred with tears.
The sun lay hot and golden over tie
dusty roads and fenceless fields The Air
was vocal with bare of trumpets and roll
of drums. while everywhere the eve rested
upon blue lines and long columns of march-
ing troops. L formed one of little gray
squdu moving slowly southward-a mere
fragment of the fighting men of the con-
ieoeracy, making their way horneward as
pest they might. AS the roads forked
left them, for here our paths diverea1
he nr,1,-
nope lay westward
Silently, thoughtfuly 1 trudged on for an
hour through the thick red dust. NV
horse sorely wounded in our last si,irrish
lmped painfully behind me- his bridIe-rein
Hung carelessly over my arm Out wonder
Where the sun pointed the wav with
streams OF hre, was to take up life anew.
Lie! What was there left to me in tbat
word! deserted, despoiIed farm alone
awaited my coming; hardly a remembered
race scarcely future hope The glitter
OF passing troop of cavalry drew NV
mind for an instant to Edith brennan hu-
crushed the thought. Even were sho
free what had now to place at her proud
feet-1, penniless, defeated. homeless
man NO, that was all over. even as the
cause for which l had fought; love and am
b1tlon must lie buried in the same grave
Inc clothes L Wore, that tattered suit of
faded gray soiled by months of hard serv-
ICE III the open, was all possessed in the
wide world. save the starved and wounded
animal limping dejectedly at my heels The
mere conception of it. the picture of kneeI-
ing thus attired at her feet brought with ii
a grim smile which deep heartache in
Stantly chased away. Besides; she was
not free, and no dream of love might in
spire me to toll and hope. With clinched
teeth l drove her memory from me. back
into that dim past where lurked all that
had been worthy in my life. Sternly | re-
solved that her face should henceforth
abide with those others-the shadowy COM
rades of many battlefield.
In tAirif YN1n
my head bowed, wearied alike in heart and
body. My temples throbbed with the heat
OF the sun, my eyes were dulled, my throat
caked by the swirling dust. At cross
roads federal picket halted me- and |
aroused sufficiently to hand him the paper
which entitled me to safe passage through
the lines He was a man well along in
years, with thoughtful eyes and kindly
face, and | spoke to him out of my sheer
loneliness.
No doubt you are rejoicing that the long
struggle is so nearly ended?' I said he
handed me back the paper and motioned
to raSS on Have YOU a family in the