St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-10-01

We fought on down to the relief
Of Petersburg and when Longstreet's
crossed the Appomatox bridge
Sycamore Street, he was there
to meet US, and with him General
.Beauregard.
When we arrived there W
quivering lips and blanched cheeks,
for Grant was at the very gates Of
the town with none between save a
few thousand Of Beauregard's worn
out men and the local militia under
General Il. A. Wise. 1t was touch
and go, and they went. All along
Sycamore Street, women, boys and
old men shouted and joyouslY clapped
hands. I'VE are safe now; General
Lees here at last!'
And here is also a moment when
the Commentator can pause to con-
slider the extent of the confidence all
classes had in General Lee, and can
call to mind no keener observation in
that relation than that made by
General Wise in the last days Of that
army, and of his country, when Cen
eral Lee declined to make oyertures
for peace on the grounds that he
was simply a soldier to obey orders
and not the President Of the Con-
f~ederacy. General Wise replied,
''Great God, General, are you not
aware that for more than two years
you, and you alone, have been the
whole Confederate Government, and
everybody else but you knows it,"
During the brigade's stay at
Petersburg General Lee was along
the line quite often, and | was so
near him that | lost a bet with a
comrade. I would insist that he
wasn't six feet tall. and the only way
there was to measure up his height
was to get up as close to him as
good manners and personal rever-
ence for the man would permit. One
Of his staff explained the ''nearness'
of the boys and the General laugh
ingly said: I am just six feet TALL"
Then was my first look into his kindly
eye and my first study Of his fatherly
face.
The day of the loss of Battery
Harrison, on the North SIDE" below
Richmond, he again came to the front
where was, and during a severe
adverse artillery fight he exposed
himself continuously. The men would
group around him as a protection,
while Colonel Ventables, the only
staff officer with him, would remon-
strate with them, explaining that in
crowding they attracted the enemy
and drew their fire. He was at last
sharply insistent, when General Lee
observed in a kind and tender tone,
''Oh, let them alone; they mean WE'LL"
Then a few days following, when
the Darbytown movement made to
recover the lost Battery Harrison line,
W. found him just up against the
enemy's cavalry picket, which had
been driven in by ours, then in hot
pursuit. We had been on the move
since midnight, going with all the
quiet possible for men in light march
ing order. but the ubiquitous Rich
mond neWsboy had found US, and
when We came up the General
was dismounted reading the morning
paper, which continued to interest
him until a prisoner vas brought in
for him to question.
I saw him several times during
that unfortunate day, but not near
enough to distinguish his features.
He was much exposed here. also, par
ticularly to a heavy cross artillery fire.
From that time until that gray
dawn Of the morning of the End of
April, 1865, when we came from the
North Side," where he had been in
quarters and fighting since July,
1864, he came not our way. At
least we did not see him, nor |, expect
the day after Darbytown.
Going to the rear in command of
of a squad charged with authority to
raid the rear camp and drive in the
stragglers, | met the general full in
q narrow country road. I was eating
an apple bought from a huckster cart,
for muskets and cannon have no
terrors for commercialism. He halt
ed; so did /. He asked me where
General ''Tige" Anderson's head
quarters were, if knew. l did and