The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-25
STORIES OF GENERAL LEE.
A Time When He Dodged and His
 Famous Horse, Traveller.


 John S. Wise, in the January Circle.
 After the war ended we had an old gardener, named Sandy Dunlap. Seotchman, who had been a gunner in one of the batteries of Lees army. He was a good one. One evening we were talking war talk under the trees. Old Sandy came up. Somebody talked about lodging bullets. "Hoot, mon! said San dy: Onybody will dodge. I see Gineral Lee himself dodge.' Pressed for his story, Sandy said: 'Me gun was named Betsy and ivery taim An pulled the Ian yard An said, 'Spake to 'em, Betsy So a day as we was woorkin' in the salient up rides Gneral Lee on Traveller and laughs when he heerd me say 'Spake to em, Betsy Aboot tha' time a 12-pun shell cam er our heads, and we was all adoon on our knees and the Gineral says Boys, it's na gude to dodge If they be after ye, they'll get ye.' It were nae long afore they had our range, and shot hit the crest and kem vara near Sac this time the Gineral was adoon low on Tray- eler's neck, and when he cam up the boys all cheered and sed, 'Ah, Gineral it waur you yourself tha' dodged tha time And he laughed right heartily himsep and says. as he rode away. for he saw it waur himser they waur shootin' att 'Ye'er right, boys. When tha cum lak that we maun all dodge.
 General Lees horse, Traveller, was as much a part of a soldiers recollection or Lee as Lee himself. On one of my politi- cal campaigns I met in Madison or Greene county a handsome blonde fellow named Stagg, I think, who gave me a vivid account of the way the soldiers sur rounded Lee at the bloody angle in Spott- sylvania when he tried to lead them and they forced him back. Stagg, if that is the correct name was the man who .rs- t,,j1I nd in spite of the generals protests. Trav- eler was not a particularly showy horse but he was sound in wind and limb, and without a blemish. He did not champ his bit. or curve his neck, or carry his tail very high. or paw the earth, but ne was a t'stayer." On a certain occasion General Lee reviewed his army on the Rappahannock and rode Traveller The army was massed by divisions, and it was necessary. in order to make the re- view, to ride around every division. Gen eral Lee set forth, accompanied by bril- liant staff many of them superbly mounted. Traveller set the pace at a steady -lope. the distance to be covered being 15 miles One by one the other horses fell away, and new staff attend ants took their places as the new divis- ions were reached. Traveller went the whole course without skip, and showed no sign of suffering at the end. Not a horse that started with him had been able to go the distance at his gait. The difference between him and his com panions was that between Lee and his lieutenants after Stonewall Jackson died
 General Gordon tells good story show ing Lees tenderness of heart. He had never shot a spy. but shortly before Pe- tersburg was evacuated two were caught ed-handed and sentenced to be hanged General Lee for one reason or another. delayed their execution, and at Appo- mattox even in the darkest hour, he said to Gordon Well General. am at least spared hanging those two men. had never hanged one but I did not see how I was to get out of it this time"