Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-07-04
PICKETT.
The Friendship Between Him and
Lincoln and Grant
a NOVEL BATTLEFIELD SCENE

NTken tho Blue and the Gray Joined In
O Birthday celabratlon-A Meeting
With GRAFT II Washln9to0-Lln-
cpAus Visa to Mea Pickett
In Mrs. Pickett's Introductory chap
Tier to 'AThe Heart Of a Soldier. AS Re
Foaied In tho Intimate Letters of Cen
eral George q. Pickett. G. s. D." there
as an extremely interesting story. It
appears that while at Richmond, just
utter the surrender, she was mmon
ID to the door By a sharp rap She
gives O charming account Of what fol-
bowed.
With my baby on my arm ! answer
ed the knock, opened the door and
hooked up at a tall, gaunt sad faced
man In III fitting clothes, who with
the accent OF the north. asked:
SIS this George P1ckett's placed"
sYes, sir" ] answered. but he Is
moi here"
II know that, ma'am,S no replied.
aTbut / just wanted to see the place
i am Abraham Lincoln"
arhe presidentf' I gasped
The stranger shook his head and
baid: mo, ma'nmi 10. ma'amL Just
Abraham Hancolni Georges old friend"
II am George Pickett's wife. and this
Is hts baby was all I could say.
MY baby pushed away from me and
reached his hands TO Mr.. Lincoln, who
took him In his arms. As be did so
pm expression Of rapt, almost divine
tenderness and love lighted up the sad
face It was q look that I have never
seen on any other face Ny baby
opened hts moth wide and insisted
upon giving his father's friend dewy,
~infantile kiss AS Mr.. Lincoln gave
the little ono back to me. shaking his
f1nger at him p~layfully. be said:
TELL your father, the rascal, that l
forgive him for the sake OF that kiss
md those bright eyes"
Mrs Pickett explains the interest
Edncosn showed In her husband by
btating that It was through Mr. Lin
roin.s influence that her husband re
ceived his appointment TO West Point,
One impression the book conveys Is
that of the kindly and generous feeling
that existed between C~onrederates
and Unionists graduated from West
Point who had been friends before the
war. An exhibition Of this feeling was
made at the time OF the birth OF Cen
erai Pickett's FIRST baby. Mrs Pickett.
Helling the story. szfys:
On the occasion OF my sonAs birth
bnnf1res were lighted In celebration oil
along Plcketts lima Grant car them
and sent scouts to learn tho cause.
When they reported be said 70 General
Ingalls, Haven't we some hndling
on this side Of the Iine7 Why don't
I'VE strilce a tight for the young Pick
httT
In q little while bonfres were fam
sng from the Fereral line a few days
later there was taken through the lines
a bahy-s silver service engraved, ITO
George n Pickett Jr- from his
Fathers friends. q. g. Grant Rufus In
gaila George Suckley.s
General Pickett In q letter from
Washington, relates another incident In
which this same kindly feeling was
manifested:
After breakfast we went. as ar
ranged. to see Grant I can't Just tell
you. my darling, about that visit
lYouu have 30 watt till / Q you TO tell
goo how the warm hearted, modest old
warrior and loyal friend met mo; how
he took In his tho hand Of your heart
sore eoldier-pooF, broken. Defeated,
profession gone--and, looking at him
Tor a moment without speaking. said
piowfy, pickett, Il there is anything
bn the top Of Gods green earth I car
do for you, say So"
When / started to go Grant pulled
down a checkbook and said. pickett.
It seems funny, doesn't It. that ! should
have any money to offer, but how
mnch do you needls
sNot any. old fellow; not a cent.
thanh you," I said. Il have plenty"
@But Rufus tells me that you have
begun to build a house to take the
place of tho one old Butler burned, and
how can you build 1t without money!
Y0u do need some"
II have sold some timber % pay for
It." I told him. and to show my appre-
citation and gratitude, ~unohserVed, !
afrectionatefy squeezed his leg. when
he called out: .Rufus, it's the same
bid George Pickett. Instead OF pulling
my leg. he's squeezing it,