Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-09-25

No one seemed to know just what
was the cause of this strange freak of
ours, but one of the Johnnies lowed"
that several men were killed in a
skirmish up the lines the night before
and that a flag of truce was out for
the burial of the dead So far as we
could find out for certain was the fact
that we were there together by COM
ION consent; so we gave out attention
wholly to eating berries and discussing
the war and the weather
While thus enjoying ourselves a
colonel came down from the Vicksburg
side, and in birthstone language or
dered his men back into their works.
He was at loss to find language
wherewith to express his surprise at
such a state of affairs in time of war.
His men reluctantly turned their toes
up the hill, while we thinking it wise
to get into our own works about as
soon as they were in theirs, turned
our toes in the opposite direction. A
few of our boys fingered for just a
lew AAOi DttAAt0f Dub Mu6H
of what might occur as soon as our
late friends became enemies once
more, fairly scrambled up the hill and
came tumbling over one another into
the rif1e-pits. But not a man over
across fired gun till we were all safe
behind our piles of dir AS soon as
the last man was out of sight, however.
firing was resumed, and things went on
pretty much as before.
Not long after this Sergeant Kinney
came to US with orders to cease firing
as there was to be a suspension of
Ihostilities, for General Pemberton was
asking General Grant for terms of sur
render. Were we glad? Well, / can
think of no word of sufficient strength
to tell how glad we were, so will not
try. Put you should have seen the
way CUR fellows acted in trying to give
expression to their Joy.
Unconditional Surrender.
It is all history now, and every
Isehoolboy knows it. Pemberton
wished three officers of each army ap-
pointed to arrnge terms OF surrender.
To this desire Grant sent an answer,
a part of which is as follows:
go The useless effusion OF
blood you propose stopping by this
course can be ended at anye time you
choose, by the unconditional sur
render of the city and garrison Men
who have shown so much endurance
and courage as those now in vicks-
burg, viii always challenge the respect
of an adversary, and can assure Won
will be treated with all the respect
due to prisoners of war. do not
favor the proposition of appointing
commissioners to arrange terms of
capitulation. because l have no terms
other than those indicated above
The two men met under an oak tree
that came to be famous 1t stood on
hillside just outside the confederate
works and near the Jackson road
They had been friends before the war
so met as old acquaintance. but I'M
der peculiar circumstances. Grant
smoked his cigar and told Pemberton
that the surrender must be uncondi-
tional. To this Pemberton demurred,
saying that he could carry on the
siege indefinitely, and would do so
rather than surrender on such terms.
Grant suggested that he continue the
defense. then, yet assured him that
his men were in better condition than
Oh or, a. ~
siege
Pemberton retired with the under
standing that he was to communicate
with his officers and report next
morning In the meantime we were in
no little suspense. There was some
firing but not much. That night Gen
eral Grant wrote to Pemberton just
what terms he would allow in case of
surrender, and told him he could have
till ten o'clock next morning to decide
Then next day was the 4th of July. In
the morning some of our batteries
fired national salute 1t sounded as
if the fight was on again, but the
cartridges were blank. Ia the mean
time we anxiously awaited Pember-
tons decision 1t came a little be-
fore ten o'clock in the shape of a
white flag stuck up on one of their
forts.
cannot undertake. to give any def
mite notion of the hilarious joy that
broke loose in our camp and reigned
supreme all that day. We were in
deed happy and we tried in every way
possible to show it, But we were as
yet in ignorance of the great victory
of the day before at Gettysburg, and
we did not know our army had also
gained that day victory at Helena,
Arkansas. Had we known all this we
surely could not have contained our
selves.
Johnnies Eat Federal Ratiens.
Our boys, knowing how hungry
those poor fellows were with whom
we had the day before eaten black.
berries. invited a lot of them down to
our camp to get some hard-tack and
coffee. They came gladly, and we
gave them all our surplus rations, of
which we had an abundant supply.
1t did us god to see them eat, They
had q great plenty Of tobacco. and as
there had been a weed famine in our
camps, they were able TO make certain
T.