Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-04-16

Lees Surrender at Appomattox.

Lees Surrender at Appomattox.
Company II, First Rhode Island
Light Artillery. was attached TO the
Sixth Corps under command of Gen.
| Wright. We We're encamped on Farm
vile Heights, on the night of April S,
! 1855, and early ON the 9th the order
came 10 advance. We proceeded along
the narrow road leading towards Apo
mattoN, and after marching few
miles we heard the sound Of cannon
upon the right and left, and we knew
that the running fight of the previous
seven days was not yet ended, and
probably not one of us anticipated that
this was to be our last fight or that
the brilliant and daring Gen Lee,
whom we had been pursuing for so
long a time, would surrender before
! sunset
| On every side were evidences of the
| disabled condition of the Confederate
! forces, aud ii seemed to us that some
| sort of truce must soon be declared.
| Hundreds of soldiers had dropped from
the retreating army, and were lying by
the roadside completely exhausted
| half-starved horses and abandoned
| cannon and ammunition wagons were
| scattered around in great confusion.
| The horses were too weak to haul the
| cannon and had been cut loose. and the
| guns had been spiked and some buried
| so as TO render them useless to our
army
AZ about IL o'clock Gen. Grant aud
staff, despatched with mud, came gal
Looping along and passed us with the
customary salute and disappeared in
the direction oc Appomattox Court
| House.
What this meant we did not know.
but we were ready for whatever order
might be given.
At about II o'clock Company II and
about 5000 infantry and cavalry of
the Sixth Corps were ordered to file
into an open field on our right. halt,
and await further orders
| The firing on both sides suddenly
stopped, and the commanding officers
| We're ordered to headquarters. about
half mile away. 1t was now evident
| that something unusual was about to
transpire. The thought, however, that
| Lee would surrender and that the war
was over did not enter our minds.
We remained in this position until
| about 3 O'Clock in abe afternoon. when
| Gen. Frank Wheaton, who was I'm com
| mand of our brigade came gallopIng
down the road accompanied by his
| staff, and halted before our company
and said to Capt. Allen. Gen. Lee has
! surrendered get your battery out on
yonder hill and fire salute of one
hundred guns
Capt. Allen turned to his company
| and gave this order Attention com
| pany. Battery II Boys, Gen. Lee has
surrendered; no more fighting: we are
| going TO let You go home: we have or
ders to fire a salute Of one hundred
guns. Drivers and capnoneers- mount.
forward, march, trot :" And the order
had 10 be repeated twice. so wild were
the men with joy at the good news.
Driving a short distance to hill we
got In position, when the order was
given. Fire, :" At the first neal from
that gun as II spoke out the first note
Of victory, such a shout as went IN
from the boys in blue rs we'll rs the
gray can never be discounted.
No words can express the effect this
news had upon us. The men shouted
and Rugged each other. threw up their
hats, threw down their guns and
swords and rolled upon the ground
and. having some 1900 or 1000 rebel
prisoners in our possession AT the time
they. too, were as much rejoiced as
ourselves that the war was over.
Our battery was the first of the brI.
gade TO receive the news, and fred the
first salute to celebrate the grand
finale. The news spread quickly and
the infantry on our right, ana also the
boys in gray" soon heard the welcome
story and acted as near like crazy
men as II is possible for zane mon TO
act 1t was the supreme moment Of
our lives. The cruel war was over. no
more fighting long marches. or hard
ships. We felt that we had done our
hest to fulfill the obligations taken IN
Providence on the 10Th Of October.
1862, to defend the grandest flag that
was ever flung 10 the breeze and to sus-
tain those principles upon which rests
the best government in existence
Chelsea Mass Gazette.
Under the British Flag.