Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-05-26
STORY OF LEES SURRENDER.
From Janet Jennings coming book,
The Blue and the Gray.

From Janet Jennings coming book,
The Blue and the Gray.
Some time ago Miss Janet Jennings
published a delightful little book on
Lincoln, Our Greatest American. 1t
was one of the best characterizatiOns
Of Lincoln ever published. Miss Jen-
nings was for long time a news
paper correspondent in Washington,
and she had the best Of opportunities
to get material concerning the life
and character of Lincoln, as well as
other historical material in connec-
ton with the war. And now she Is
about to publish a new book entitled
The Blue and The Gray. This, too,
must be well worth reading. The
following is chapter that will ap-
pear in this new book. 1t tells more
about the surrender of General Lee
than We Ind in most books. 1t is
taken from the Monroe Sentinel
Miss Jennings home is in Monroe
Wisconsin.
At AppOmattox, General Lees army
lay waiting, and the union troops in
line OF battle stretched across the
path of the confederates, their glisten-
Ing bayonets shining like hedge OF
silver in the Sabbath sunshine.
The surrender took place in the
house of William Mclean, who lived
near the court house, and who ten
-
pose. 1t was two story brick house
with a veranda across the front sup
ported by columns which gave it,
solid appearance and fashioned like
most southern houses. with a broad
hall in the center. The yard was en-
closed by low picket fence and
Swallowed with fruit treeg now in
bloom, and the April air was sweet
with the scent of apple blossoms.
AT one O'Clock, in the room on the
left of the hall, the two great leaders
or the army of the Potomac and the
army of northern Virginia met and
shaking hands, seemed in that mo.
ment to span the breach opened be-
tween the north and south by four
years of strife and bloodshed
General Grant was on the eve of
his forty-thrd birthday, which oc-
Cured little over two weeks later,
Ills rugged physique, power of endur-
ance and fair complexion gave him
the appearance of younger man.
General Lee was about sixteen wears
older than General Grant and a we'll
preserved. handsome man of fine. mil
itary bearing. The contrast in the
Two men was striking in more re-
spects than one. General Lees uni.
form was new and bright, as if nut
on for the first time. and his white
gauntlet gloves fresh and spotless as
IL just taken from the box. General
Grant, who was at no time precise in
dress, mad come in direct from the
saddle. His loose, open coat was
travel worn, and shabby with hard
service. He wore his collar turned
down, and was without his sword
having left that with his orderly, who
ala not get in until some time after,
Altogether the union general was as
roughly dressed as any soldier in the
RANKS. The contrast was not more
marked In personal makeup and
dress than in manner-the one quiet
Imperturable and difident % shvness
ene other having the Unborn self-con-
famed presence of a man of .he
world. united with the suayity ann
grace typical of the cultured south.
erner
General Sheridan had come over
from his headquarters with General
Grant. General John A. Rawlns
General Frederick T. Dent. General
Orville E. BaRcock, General Horace
Porter. Colonel Eli Parker and Can.
tain Robert T. Lincoln, officers of
General Grants staff; and General
Longstreet, General Gordon. General
F1tzhugh Lee and Colonel Marshall
OF General Lees staff, were at the
meeting.
After the first greeting of the lead.
ers, each recalled his remembrance OF
the other, when they were comrades
In arms during the war with Mexico
ABOUT eighteen years before.
l hardly expected you to remem-
Der me. general. l was only a Young
captain In command of a company
then" said General Grant. but of
course | remember you. and recall
your rank as superior to mine. also
that YOU We're chief of the star ot
General Scott.
oh, yes," replied General Too 50,
remember you very we'll. Thouon
not personally acquainted, assure
you | remember Captain Grant. and
what he was as soldier then"
General Lees tone implied much
more than his words in his recollec-
ton of Captain Grants service in that
war, and plainly conveyed the honest
compliment intended.