Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-11-27

Lee,s surrender TO GRAND.

6Sh. hoEdCS EoTtST was on lien.
Grants STAFF In those momentous final
days of the tremendous struggle be-
tween the North and the South and
he was an eyewitness of the closing
scenes. He was present when the sur
render of Lee took place, and it was
he who handed Gen. Lee the pencil with
which the Confederate leader corrected
the rough draft Of the terms of the sur
render handed TO him for his inspection
by Gen. Grant.
In order TO give the children of
Brooklyn IN. W school, before whom
he spoke a few years ago. most real
istic picture of the surrender, Gen.
Porter arranged the platform TO CORE
spond with the room in which the ca
pitulation took place, says the New
York Times. In the center was table
to show where Gen. Grant sat while he
wrote the terms. In one corner was a
smaller table to show where Lee sat,
booted and spurred, and with his dia-
mond-studded sword hanging by his
side. Three chairs We're placed togeth-
er to represent the old-fashioned sofa
at one side of the room, and the posi-
lions OF the fireplace and of the win
dows and doors were all marked,
To all intents and purposes Gen. Por-
ter stood once more. after the lapse of
so many years, In that small room of
the brick house at Appomattox where
fha cloaiuc, ohio pfa,. % tho ,x,o,. ,voS vx,ri{
ten by the two chief actors. and as he
described, without any show of oratory,
but in ain easy conversational style, the
surrender, to Its minutest details, In
Guiding the small items of the personal
appearance, the by-talk and the man
ners of those who took part in the sur
render, its dramatic features were pic
tured before the eagerly listening chill
dren in very effective and realistic
style.
The general held up in sigkt of his
audience, one after another, a piece of
the flag of truce sent by Gen. Lee to
Gen. Grant, a slice of the famous apple
tree and the identical pencil with which
Lee corrected the draft of the surren-
der. He exhibited photographs of the
two tables used by the generals.
The pencil said Gen. Porter, "has
not been rewarded properly for the part
1t has played. 1t should have been
brevetted into pen"
The flag of truce, Gen. Porter told
| the children, was an Impromptu affair
and was, In actual point of fact. the
cleaner of two towels which n Con
federate officer had shortly before
bought Tor $40 In Confederate money.
THAT officer" said Gen. Porter, was
| evidently bound to keep clean at any
! cost" There were other sallies Of hui
NOR through the lecture
II will begin my story Gen. Porter
said, two days before the final surren-
der. when Gen. Grant reached the vii
lage Of Farmville, on the Appomattox
river. 1t was there the correspondence
| opened between Grant and Lee.
"At noon on April Gen. Grant and
his staff took possession Of the comfort
| able piazza Of the only hotel In Farm
vile. An old army surgeon soon
brought us word from the Confederates
of conversation in which Lee had said
that his retreat had pecome rout,
| that it would be wicked for him to shed
the blood of his men any longer, and
that he felt he ought to surrender.
THAT afternoon long. lean, lank
Confederate came up to the porch Of
the hotel.
"'Who are your we asked.
"T'm a Confederate, he said, and /
reckon / am the only portion of my
regiment that has succeeded in holding
together. I own this hotel, and | stop
ped off to see how things were getting
| along
ale probably had never had so many
guests before and at such reduced
rates"
Gen. Porter described the memorable
scene that night, when the Union sol
diers ON their way TO fight Lee across
the river marched past Grant, carrying
torches and singing John Browns
Body"
Gen. Grant slept that night In the
bed Lee had occupied the night before
At midnight the answer was received
from Lee to Grants letter advising him
to surrender. Lee wanted TO learn the
proposed terms.
Grant answered the next morning"
said Gen. Porter, making the terms lib
erai. Grant moved forward that night
the night of April s. in order 10 get
closer to Lee. At midnight, while in
great pain from loss OF sleep and anx-
iety, another letter was received from
Lee. He sat up on the lounge in the
farm house and read it by the light Of
candle. Lee said he had not yet de-
termined to surrender but would like
to meet Grant at 10 a. ~. the next day
and discuss general terms Of peace
Grant was a military officer and
could not do as Lee suggested SO,
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