Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-06-01
STORY OF LEES SURRENDER.
The Blue and the Gray.


Some time ago Miss Janet Jennings
published delightful little book on
Lincoln, Our Greatest American. II
was one OF the best eharacterizations
of Lincoln ever published, Miss Jen-
nings was for a long time a news
paper correspondent in Washington,
and she had the hest 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 we'll worth reading. The
following is a chapter that will APP
pear in this new book. 1t tells more
about the surrender of General Lee
than we find 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 a hedge OF
si.ver in the Sabbath sunshine.
The surrender took place in the
house of William Mclean, who lived
near the court house, and who ten
dered his best room" for the pur-
pose. 1t was two story brick house
with veranda across the front, sup
ported by columns which gave it a
solid appearance and fashioned like
most southern houses. with broad
hall in the center. The yard was en-
closed by low picket fence and
Swallowed with fruit trees 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 hail. the two great leaders
of 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-third birthday, which oc-
Cured little over two weeks later
His rugged physique. power of endur-
ance and fair complexion gave him
the appearance of younger man.
General Lee was about sixteen years
older than General Grant and a well
preserved, handsome man of fine, mill
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 put
on for the first time, and his white
gauntlet gloves fresh and spotless as
if just taken from the box. General
Grant, who was at no time precise in
dress, had 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
did 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 20 shyness,
the other having the Unborn self-con-
tanned presence of a man of the
world, united with the suavity and
grace typical of the cultured south
erner.
General Sheridan had come over
from his headquarters with General
Grant General John A. Rawlins.
General Frederick T. Dent, General
Orville E. Babcock, General Horace
Porter, Colonel Eli Parker and Cap
ain Robert r. Lincoln, officers of
General Grants staff: and General
Lorgstreet, General Gordon, General
Fitzhugh 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.
I hardly expected you 10 remem-
Der me. general. ! was only a young
captain in command of company
then" said General Grant. But Of
course / remember you, and recall
your rank as superior to mine, also
that you were chief OF the staff OF
General Scott.
aoh. yes, replied General Lee, Il
remember you very we'll Though
not personally acquainted, / assure
you l remember Captain Grant. and
what he was as soldier then"
Gepersl Lees tone implied much
more than his words in his recoTlec-
ton of Captain Grants service in that
war. and plainly conveyed the honest
compliment intended.
Soon after, General Lee referred 10
the terms Of SURF, nder. and General
Grant. SAYING that they would be
substantially the same as mentioned
in his note Of the previous day,
stepped over to a small table at the
side Of the room, whore be sat down
and wrote the following terms OF sur
render
AppomaUox. c. H.. Va
april Q, ISs5.
Gen. r. E. Lee.
could. G. : A
General