Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-05-26

General Ord, General Adam Badeau,
Quartermaster General ingalls,, Com
mfssary General Morgan, with others
of General Grants staff came in, and
We're also present during the read
ing and signing of the papers.
The pens used in the signatures to
the official copies were retained as
mementos by Parker and Marshall.
The table was afterwards purchased
from Mr.. Mclean by General Sheri-
dan, who presented it to Mrs. Custer,
wife of General Custer.
This was the surrender of the army
of northern Virginia on Sunday, the
9Th day of April, 1865, and just one
week after General Lee began his re-
treat from Petersburg and Richmond.
The terms were offered and accepted
without discussion or change, and the
brief, business like, yet impressive
ceremony occupied less than one
hours time.
OF the surrender, twenty years
later, in his personal memoirs, Cen
eral Grant writes: when | put my
pen to the paper / did not know the
first word that | should make use of
in writing the terms. | only knew
what was in my mind and | wished
to express it clearly so that there
could be no mistaking it. AS | wrote
0h T. IT,
the officers had their own private
horses and effects, which were i'm
portant to them but of no value to
us; also that it would be an unnec.
essary humiliation to call upon them
to deliver their side arms.
mo conversation not one word,
passed between General Lee and my
self either about private property,
side-arms or kindred subjects"
The surrender Of his army was nee
essarily a painful ordeal to General
Lee. But no man in the room had
so little the air Of conqueror as
General Grant, who, as he laid down
mis- pen, turned to General Lee and
asked in his quiet. matter-of-fact way,
How are you off for rations. Gen
eral?'
Pretty badly off. l expected to
get some supplies here but was dis
appointed" General Lee replied. look
ing over to General Sheridan. who
Immediately said:
Yes, General, We got in ahead of
you last night and helped ourselves
to your supplies at the station, with
out waiting for permission"
Everyone laughed at General Sher.
ldan for owning up SO promptly to
his capture OF General Lees supplies,
When the laughing subsidized. General
Grant said:
General Sheridan. can you let Cen
eral Lee have the necessary rations
for his army?"
General Sheridan replied in the at
firmative, adding: "You know I'm al
ways pretty well supplied, General"
General Ingalls,, when can you
nave the railroad repaired to get up
supplies?' asked General Grant of
his quartermaster general
cat nine O'Clock tomorrow morn
ing, General, and the supplies can be
up in an hour or two"
Very well, General Morgan adj
dressing the commissary generaf.
you will please send forward to Ap-
pomattox in the morning two hun
dred thousand rations, and furnish
General Lee with what he needs for
his troops. We shall also want some
for ourselves said General Grant.
Tine bravest men are always the
most generous. The victorious sol
dier, in these thoughtful considerate
words, had turned attention to the
common duty of providing for the two
armies, and thus relieved the van
auished leader from the embarrass-
ment of his position. This at once
gave social atmosphere to the oc-
casion, and General Lee said to Cen
eral Grant: