Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-04-21
CHAPTER |.


 CHAPTER I.
 THE slender remnant of Lees al
 tillery swung slowly into posi-
 tion few miles west of Appo mattox Court House. Wearily but with spirit still, the batteries park ed their guns in field facing a stri] of woodland. The guns were few il number now, but they were all tha were left of those that had done battl, on score of historic fields.
 Lee had been forced out of his work at Richmond and Petersburg weel before. Ever since, with that cain courage which had sustained hin throughout the later and losing year. of the war. he had struggled and bat tied in an effort to retreat to the Roanoke river. He had hoped there to unite the remnant of his army with what was left of Johnston's force and to make there a final and desperate stand.
 In this purpose he had been bafled. Grants forces were on his southern flank, and they had steadily pressed him back toward the James river on the north. In that direction there was no thoroughfare for him. Neither was there now in any other. Continual bat ting had depleted his army until it numbered now scarcely more than 10,- GOO men all told, and starvation had weakened these so greatly that only the heroism of despair enabled them to fight or to march at all.
 The artillery that was parked out there in front of Appomattox Court House was only feeble remnant of that which had fought so long and so determinedly. Gun after gun had been captured. Gun after gun had been dismounted in battle struggle. Cais- son after caisson had been blown up by the explosion of shells striking them.
 Captain Guilford Duncan, at the head of eleven mounted men, armed only with swords and pistols, paused before entering the woodlands in front. He looked about in every direction, and, with an eye educated by long experi- ence in war, he observed the absence of infantry support.
 He turned to Sergeant Garrett, who rode by his side, and said sadly:
 Garrett, this means surrender. Gen. eral Lee has put his artillery here to be captured. The end has come"
 Then, dismounting, he wearily threw himself upon the ground, chewed and swallowed a few grains of corn-the only rations he had-and sought brief respite of sleep. But before closing his eyes he turned to Garrett and gave the command:
 Post sentinel and order him to wake us when Sheridan comes"
 In a minute the captain was asleep. So were all his men except the sentinel posted to do the necessary waking.
 That came all too quickly, for at this juncture in the final proceedings of the war Sheridan was vigorously car rying out Grants laconic instruction to press things" When the sentinel walked the captain, Sheridan's lines were less than fifty yards in front and were pouring heavy volleys into the unsupported Confederate artillery park. Guilford Duncan and his men were moved to no excitement by this situa- tion. Their nerves had been schooled to steadiness and their minds to calm under any conceivable circumstances by four years of vastly varied fighting. Without the slightest hurry they mounted their horses in obedience to Duncan's brief command. He led them at once into the presence of Colonel Cabell, whose battalion of artillery lay nearest to him. As they sat upon their horses in the leaden hailstorm with countenances as calm as If they had been entering a drawing room Duncan touched his cap to Colonel Cabell and said:
 Colonel, I am under nobody's orders here. I have eleven men with me, all of them. as you know, as good artil- lerymen as there are in the army. Can you let us handle some guns for youT
 No" answered Colonel Cabell. T have lost so many guns already that I have twenty men to each piece" Then. after a moments pause, he added:
 You, captain, cannot fail to under stand what all this means"
 "I quite understand that, colonel" answered Duncan, but as I was in 1t at the beginning of this war. I have a strong desire to be in 1t at the end of it."
 The coloners cannon were firing viz orousIy by this time at the rate of six or eight shots to the minute from each gun. but he calmly looked over the little party on horseback and re sponded:
 You have some good horses. and this is April You will need your horses in your farming operations. You had better take them and your men out of here. You can do no good by staying. This fight Is formality pure and simple. preliminary to the final surrender" -Then you order me to withdraw asked Duncan -Yes. certainly. and peremptorily If you wish. though you are not under my ccmmand." answered Colonel Csbell ~rt is the best thing you can do for yourself. for your men. for your horses rnd for the country" Duncsn immediately obeyed the or l srr. in q degree at least He promptly