The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-20

The physical strength OF tho mea
= their courage survives. must fan
under this treatment"
II II was 20 with the men. With the
animals il was even worse. our cav
airy" he added. has 70 DO dispersed for
want Of forage" Even thus Lees army
faced m opponent vastly superior IN
numbers. Whose ranks were being CON
stantly replenished: a force armed.
clothed. equipped. fed and sheltered as
no similar force IN the worlds history
had over been bfore. I state only indis-
putable facts. Lee proved equal 20 even
this occasion. Bearing a bold. confident
front. he was serene and outwardly calm.
alert. resourceful, formidable 90 the last
Individually he showed no sign ~ weak
ness. not even occasional petulaucs
Inspired by his example the whole South
seemed 70 lean mp against him ga im-
piicit. loving reliance. 1t was a super
Iauve tribute TO charactor Finally
when ga April the summons % conflict
came. tine Army Of Northern Virginia
the single remaining considerable organ
izec force OF the Coufederacy. seemed 10
stagger to its feet. and. gaunt and grim.
shivering with cold and emaciated with
hunger. worn down by hard. unoras'ng
attrition. 20 faced It's enemy. formidable
stil. AS I have since studied tntt situ-
alton. listened 20 the accounts ot Con-
movements. and read the letters written
me by those OF the rank and file. 20 mas
seemed as 10 Lees command tim co..
hered ana moved by mere force OF habit.
Those composing it failed t0 realize the
utter h0pelessness Of the sitlaton-tne
disparity Of the conflict. I am sure JET
ferson Davis failed 10 realize lt' 80,
think. in less degree. did Lee
They talked. for instance. % recruits
and Of levy IN mass: Lee couuselled
the arrninz of the slaves. and when,
after Lee had surrendered. Davis on
the 10th OF April. 1865. held his last
war conference at Greensboro. ne was
stiu confident no would ia a few weeks
have another army in the field. and did
not hesitate to express his faith tnat
eve can whip the enemy vet n our
people viii turn out" have often
pondered over what Davis had in mind
when ne ventured this opinion. or what
led Lee to advocate the enlistment of
negroes. Both were soldiers, and, be-
sides being great IN his profession. Lee
was more familiar than any other man
alive with actual conditions then eX-
listing in the Confederate camps Both
Davis and Lee. therefore. must have
known that. in those final stages OF the
conflict. II the stamp Of foot upon
the ground would have brought q mill
lion men into the field. the cause OF the
COnfederacv would thereby have been
trary. what was already bad would
nave been made much worse For TO
be effective IN warfare. men must be
led and clothed and armed. Organized
In commands. they must have rations
as well as ammunition. comuissary-
and quartermaster trains. artillery
horses and forage.
In the closing month OF the Civil War
both lee and Davis knew perfectly well
tnat they could not arm. nor feed nor
clothe, nor transport the forces already
IN tho field. they were themselves with
ont money, and the soldiers most made
Quately supplied with arms. clothing.
cuarternaster or medical supplies. com
missariat or ammunition. NOtOriousIv
those then on the muster-roIls were going
homo. or deserving 20 the enemy. as the
che alternative 70 death from prfvatiOn-
hunger and cold. II then. a. million. or
even only a poor hundred thousand. fresh
recruits had In answer to the summons
swarmed 10 the lines around Richmond
how would II have bettered the situation
An organized army IS a mighty consumer
OF food and material, and food and ma
teI1al have TO be served out to Il every
day. II must be fed as regularly as the
sun rises and sets And the organized
resources of the Confederacy were eN-
haUsted; its granarles-Georgia and the
Valley OF the Shenandoah-were notorious
~ devasted and desolate: its lines Il
in the hands OF the invader
Realizing this. when the time was ripe
Lee rose 10 the fun heighth Of the great
occasion. The value OF character made
itself felt. The service Lee now rem
dered 70 the common country. the obli-
cation under which he placed US, whether
Of the North or South. has not, I think.
been always appreciated; and 20 over
state it would be dificult. Again to
put on record my estimate OF it brings
ME here to-day
The lead that day given by Lee proved
decisive Of the course TO be pursued by
his fellows with arms in their hands
AT first. and for brief space. there
was In the Confederate councils much
diversity OF opinion as to what should
or could be done. Calm and dienifed
IN presence Of overwhelming disaster. the
voice of Jefferson Davis was that OF
Millions "scepter'd king My sentence
is for open war; Lee was not there:
none the less, lee. absent prevailed over
Davis. The sober second thought salts
fed all but the most extreme that what
he had done they best might do. Thus
the die was cast. And now, forty years
and more after the event. II IS appalling
20 reflect what ia aIi human probability
would have resulted had the choice then
been other than ir was-had Lees per
sonality and character not interviewed.
The struggle had lasted four fun years.
the assassination OF Lincoln was as oil
or the Union fire. With million men.
Injured to war. on the national muster
rolls men impatient OF further resis-
lance. accustomed 90 license and now
educated up to a heller that war was Hell.
and that the best way TO bring IL 90 "a
close was TO intensity Hell-with such
a force as this to reckon with made
more reckless IN brutality 10y the assas-
sins senscless shot the C0nfederacv need