The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-10

I l director Of hiss nrmy.x 2nd Army Corps 1 paroled all of the Federal surgeons ano 1 Fedsfal wounded found at Winchester | Va, In the great valley campaign | against. General Banks. The surgeon. | were released on the conditions tnaa they should report to the United stases | War Department. This action of Gen. l eral Jackson. asking at the same time | that all surgeons and wounded should l be thus treated by both armies con federate and Federal. during the entire war. The Red Cross society, however | was not ratified by our Federal gov-
 ernment tilf 1882.
 General R. E. Lee, mounted on his l fayorite horse, "Old Traveller, ana
 hts Adjutant General W; H: Tay,or or are at The Old Stone House. near 1 Bull Run"--after the second battle or 1 Manassas-.ready to move toward Ma | ryiand A Federal courier arrives 1 and presents note from General Pope. asking for "an armistice for the l purpose of "caring for the woundeu and the burial of the Federal dead < General Lee. answers. NO sarmistice'
 but write General Pope that every fa- cility will be granted the Federais' in the care Of the wounded and the burial of their dead" He added that pr. LaFayette Guild, the chief sur ! geon and medical director. with all or his immediate stan would be left on the battlefield to co-operate with and | assist the Federal surgeon. This agreement was fulfilled by. pr. Guild and 1898 Federal wounded were pa rolled and sent to the Federal HOS pitfalls. in Washington City.
 In General Grants campaign in 'fhe Wilderness" General Lee was informed
 by Dr. Guild that 1.4o0 wounded (7oO Confederate and TOO Federals) were left In the wiidesness, with insufficient medical and commissary supplies. pr.
 Guild was instructed to send one or his stan with supplies to the field at "The Burned Ordinary" and Par
 ker's Store" The writer was selected
 for this purpose and sixty days sup- piles were promptly provided. In this order (ths original of which hold today, written on crude Confederate writing paper) General Lee directed
 that the supplies should be carefully and equally distributed" saying es- pecialiy, "not neglecting the Confed-
 crates; every possible attention should
 be shown the wounded enemy"
 At the first battle of Manassas 800 wounded Federals left on the battle field were transported to General Hos-
 pitaI, No. l, Richmond, Va. Charles
 Bell Gibson, surgeon in charge. The best military hospitaiin the South at that time.
 Captain Ricketts of .sherman's old Battery" and his wife. who came through our lines from Washington, through the courtesy of Generals
 Johnston and Beauregard; Colonel Or lando B. Wilcox, ist Michigan Regi-
 bent and Major Potter" of Ohio. off, cers of distinguished rank, were our
 patients" All of them received every possible care and attention. As no agreement between the North and South was made at the Hampton
 Roads Conference a terrible struggle between Lee and Grant was inaugura-
 ted. Lees lines. however. were final iy broken and then came the disastrous
 retreat towards Lynchburg. In the
 retreat. which ended at Appomattox. is shown the mighty soul of Lee and
 his love for his "oid battle scared veterans' and all Of the suffering peo-
 pie of the South.
 General Lee ended the war, when neither our heroic President, Jefferson Davis, nor the Confederate Congress could solve this unhappy problem.
 In 1901, that true nobleman, the Honorable Charles Francis Adams, read a paper before a Massachusetts Historical Association. showing how General R. E. Lee saved the South
 
 peace to our distracted country. In the article Mir. Adams recites interviews between General Lee and few of his general officers. before reaching Ap- pomattox. General Henry A. Wise, of Virginia, advocated an ending of the war. That the Army of Northern Vir- ginia was not only demoralixed but de- feated. Some suggested 8 continuance of the war, on the plan subsequently adopted in South Africa by Generals Botha and DeWet.
 General Porter Alexander, Lees Chief of Artillery, suggested that the Army disperse and each soldier report to the Governor of his State with a view to a further and continued resistance. In the interview. General Alexander found his great commander seated on the trunk of a fallen tree. before a dying camp fire. General lee was in full uni form. The accomplished arti1leryist, full of his idea. sprang from his horse and knelt down beside him, leaning against the log on which General Leo was seated, and suggested his plan of operations. General Lee listened intent ly. and finally answered: ''No General Alexander, that will not do. You must remember, we are a Christian people. | We have fought this fight as long and as well as we know how. We have been defeated; for us, as a Christian people, there Is but one course to pur- sue. We must accept the situation These men must go home and plant 6 crop and we must proceed to build uT our country on new basis. We cannot have recourse to the methods you sug- gest-" ID speaking of this interview, | General Alexander afterwards said
 There words burned themselves into my memory, had nothing more to say felt that the man had scared way above me. He dominated me com pletely. arose from beside him. si- lently mounted my horse. rode back t my command and waited for the order to surrender"
 Tn winter of 1se2-63. the snow covering the ground. General Lee is seated in his tent. alone. Col. w. H. | Taylor, his adjutant, Col. Chaarles Mar, shall, his aide-de-camp, and ali of thu staff asleep. He is examining the | records of "a court martial" presided | over by Gen. c. A. Battle, a distin- | guished Alabamian. Prisoner. Edward Cooper" Charge, '"deserter." verdic | guilty"
 ] General Lee reads the testimony , 1 The soldier recites had made three ap ! plications flor furlough," and all re-
 tected. letter Is before him address l ed My Dear Edward" have always
 been proud of you since your connect l ion with the Confederate Army. I have ! been prouder of you than ever before
 would not have you dc anything
 wrong for the world, but before God
 Edward, you must come home or oul
 children-"Little Eddie and Lucy must
 starve." (Signed.) Yours. Lucy"
 One night it Is recorded Edward 70 E.a- l. ta1a 4Nf