The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-07-21
General Robert Z. Lee and His Uniform
By 1t Col j. A. WATROUs IT, S. Army

For nearly four years / hoped for
the winging or capture m the souths
greatest soldier. General Robert r
E. Lee.
In battle to the left OF Peters
burg in General Grant closing cam
paign one OF General Lees soldiers
sho' my horse and a dozen more Of
them. Z few feet away. with guns
aimed where they would 40 me the
most harm. II discharged. Demanded "A
aurrender
Within three-quartcrs OF an hour 1
SSood face 10 face with the great CON
federate soldier.
When, In "a gentle voice fun or sym
pathN he looked at "A wounded New
York major ana asked. Arc YOU
hadly wounded. MAJOR and the mo
Jor said he was and Lee replied. ~
am sorry. am sorry. major. 'ake
gnod care Of him gentlemen" J joinea
r salu,ing the enemy's leader. great
man wlth a gentle kindly heart
moment later the dol OF tho con
foderaoy. win his rtan and escort.
vas hurrying to the field where por-
ton Of General Warren's F!fth Corps
was driving inc Confederate General
McGowan's division b4ck TO White
oak Road
The next morning while our de-
jected band Of prisoners wns on its
way 10 Petersburg. General Lee hin
STAFF and -scoft we're met. They were
r!ding rapidly Tor already Sheridan
MAD begun his successful attack a,
Fire Folks recall my feeling AS
looked INTO tho troubled, anxious face
OF tho speeding general thu. forenoon
IN 1868. when ! said r. a friend. u
nope General Lees army Will DO
soundiy whipped to--ay and that our
folks VIII 90 nothing worse than cap
ture him.
have related these Incidents for
the purpose OF saying that while they
led 10 the growth ~ admiration for
tie man Lee and the General Lee. the
man and the general VINO at tn most
cTii!eal moment Of MS military life
coll1 ask dying solder what he
asked the New York major. and then.
with as much sympathy IS fond
mother might address q dying son.
say Il am sorry. am sorry" has
nothing whatever 10 do with NV nrm
belief that no Northern solder or
citizen SHOULD raise a voice or put
an obstacle In the way OF placing a
statue or General Lee IN the HAIL OF
Fame At WASHINGTON. There are many
reatons why ! give expression to
rhls belief In the nrst place The law
~ Congress gives each state the right
10 place IL the Hall OF Fame statues
Of two Persons choscn by the State
Nothing IS said as 10 how the statues
shall be made-how clad what
pleased Illinois should have been ac-
cepted. Wisconsin chose Pcrc Mar
qaeite and Ia the garD OF Catholic
missionary priest Jew people crit
icised Wisconsin for the selection.
particularly the sarb IN which the
statue appeared. but Wisconsin mad
hcr way as she should nave done
Virginia. without q dissenting voice,
chose George Washington and Rob
ert L. Lee. Does II not go without
saying tina, these arc two OF the
greatest Vleg!nians?
It Is insisted by some that the
statue OF General Lee should not ex-
hibii the Confederate Uniform. viz
GINA chose Leo in his uniform ana
Washington IN hts. Both. 1t is true.
wore the uniforms lighting their re-
spective countries.
unauestionably it was souroe OF
real pleasure 70 every Nirsinian VINO
aerved under General Lee. ana TO
every living Confederate soldier, ana
the South. generally that virginia
desired that the statue OF General Lee
should show him III the uniform OF
;he great general they title less than
worshlpped and her soldiers willingly
fought under.
As Northern soldier. ! am frank
TO say that in this late day. nearly
half century after General Lees
surrender at AppomattoX. where ne
and mis- soldiers We're so generously
treated by another great American
general. 10 whom ne surrendered. tina,
am glad TO see the Old Confeder-
-ates who followed Lee. maze glad.
What harm can come from making
.thrfn glad? What danger Is there in
the. gray uniform2 1t is but mem
orv. 1t makes General Lee none the
less one OF the very first generals Of
the American republic. OF the world,
who. before wearing that uniform.
had honored the United states as but
few officers OF his rank had ever hon
orad it.
In years to come tho fame of sucn
soldiers as Grant and Lee Sherman
and Stonewail Jackson, Sheridan ana
Longstreet Thomas and Joe John
ston. Meade and Joe Wheeler. viii
contribute largely 10 the honor and
glory of the American nation, and
few will stop to ask which army they
served in They were leaders in the
greatest event the nation Aas known
an event that absolutely mad to come
II America was TO become the great
hrst OF all the nations in the wide
world. Compromising had failed to
cure the canoe. all other EFFORTS had
failed. and many OF them had been
made by the most able and distin-
suished of our statesmen
Only the clash of arms. the thrust
of bayonets. the rattle Of musketry
end the Shrek of shehs and solid
shot could constitute the headed rem
edy for tho correction of something
that simply had to be corrected. II
the nation was to progress and grow
mighty In power. respect and gran
deur.
II have been long Of the belief
that 1T was a good thing for tho coun-
Try 10 make that gigantic test of the
SOS > test that gave the world TO
know beyond the possibility OF a doubt