The National tribune., 1906-01-11

The two great Captains met in con-
ference, at the Mclean house, not un-
der an apple tree, TO discuss the terms
of surrender. At Donelson Grant wrote
conditional and immediate surrender
can be accepted. / propose to move i'm
mediately upon your works" No such
curt missive was sent to Lee. The ac-
complished Cen Horace Porter, of
Grants staff, than whom there is no
better authority, says:
Gen. Grant handed a note to Col.
Babcock, of the staff, with directions to
take 1t to Gen. Lee by the most direct
route. Babcock told me afterwards
that in CARRYING Gen. Grants last letter
he passed through the enemy's lines
and found Gen. Lee a little more than
half mile beyond Appomattox Court
House He was lying down by the
roadside on a blanket, which had been
spread over a few fence rails on the
ground under an apple tree-part of an
orchard. This circumstance furnished
the only ground for the widespread re-
port that the surrender occurred under
an apple tree. BabcOck dismounted,
upon coming near, and as he approached
on foot one of Lees officers came for
ward, took the dispatch which Bah
cock handed him, and gave 1t to Gen.
Lee. Lee then mounted his horse, and
directed Col. Marshall. his Military Sec
rotary, to accompany him.
Mr.. Wilmer Mclean. After some So
cial talk Gen. Lee said:
81 presume, Gen. Grant. we have
both carefully considered the proper
steps 10 be taken, and would suggest
that you commit TO writing the terms
you have proposed, SO that they may be
formally acted upon Very WELL re-
piled Gen. Grant, i will write them
out He wrote very rapidly, and did not
pause until he finished the sentence
snfRo txr,, 60
ceive them Then he looked at Lee,
and his eye seemed TO be resting on the
handsome sword that hung by that
officers side, and after a short pause
he wrote the sentence: This will not
embrace the side-arms Of the officers
nor their private horses or baggage.
When he had finished the letter he
handed ii TO Gen. Lee, and asked him
TO read it over"
In addition to the above there is on
record facsimile Of an extract from a
letter Of Gen. Grant, in which, replying
TO a question. he says:
There was no demand made for
Gen. Lees sword, and no tender Of it
offered
Subsequently. in conversation with
friends, Gen. Lee said: by the terms
OF surrender the side-arms of the OFF,
GERS We're exempt, and Of course I did
not offer TO surrender my sword to Gen.
Grant. All that was said about swords
for not wearing his own sword, saying
that it had been taken off in his bag
gage, and he had been unable to get il
In time"
On this occasion Lee wore a long
sword. The hilt was studded with jew
els and the workmanship was exceed
ingly fine.
The "Wixard Of the Saddle.
Infantry, with all the advantage OF
cavalry on the march, and all the ad-
vantage OF infantry in the fight"
A brief biographical sketch of Gen.
Nathan Bedford Forrest WILL / think
interest many readers Of that Com
pendulum OF Military History" The Ma
tional Tribune. Half West Tennessee
and half North Mississippi practic-
ally unlettered. and untutored in the
science of war Forrest was one of the
remarkable men of modern times At
the beginning OF the civil war he was
&c years ca, nearly six feet two inches
tall, and weighed 1913 pounds. He had
a massive head, broad shoulders and
an expansive chest. He was a striking
ly handsome man, although his coun-
tenance was stern and strong. He was
uncultured, and yet his face was intel
lectual. When not In repose especial
~ when in battle, his eyes, steel gray,
were brilliantly luminous. His moral
life Was clean. his respect for women
extreme. Fluent of speech, his diction
was clear, remarkably so for an un-
educated man. Grave and dignified, he
would attract attention in any assem-
blage of men. Born at Chapel HILL
Tenn, July Is. 1921. his paternal an
cestors being Of Scotch-Irish stock, he
was the oldest of six brothers and three
listers. The family was very poor. and
when Bedford was Is years old his
father died leaving to him the care of
the family. The boy already dstin-
guished for energy and resourcefulness,
undauntedly assumed the responsible
~. and soon proved himself competent
TO acquire even more than COM
potency. After brief visit to Texas,
when he was about 90 years Odd he en-
gagged In business. with great success,
at fernando. Miss, and Memphis,
Tenn. He then purchased plantation