The Washington herald., 1915-02-21
FACING INEVITABLE, LEE
CHEERS TROOPS.
February Is.

Fifty years ago today Gen. Lee. at
Petersburg, weighted down by the heavy
cares imposed upon him by his command.
and facing the inevitable end of the war.
was endeavoring to sustain the spirit OF
his troops by setting an example OIL pa
tIent and accomplishing endurance
Lee realized better than did his men
that the Confederacy was doomed. and
that his own position at Petersburg
could not be held many more weeks. Yet
nearly every day he was out on the lines,
occasionally passing pleasantries with
his generals and often speaking an en-
couraging word to the soldiers In the
trenches.
One Of his men has left word picture
of him at that trying period OF his COM
mand. He was neatly attired in reguia
ton gray, but without the generals
white bun collar and cuffs. A turn
down collar of the same material as the
coat, bore three stars; but there was no
gold wreath around them, nor any gold
lace upon the sleeves. Ordinarily tuii-
dress uniform would have given him four
parallel cords forming an elaborate chew
ron with the initials c. S. A.
with the modest suggestion of rank on
his collar he might have been mistaken
for a colonel in his best fatigue suit IL
the triplicate arrangement in the two
rows OF buttons on his breast were over
looked. His hat was a soft black felt:
in the summer he had been seen along
the lines with white straw
His hair and full beard We're both
short His complexion was of healthy,
rudy hue. indicating a temperate life.
He was six feet tall. well proportioned
and with a fearless look of self-posses-
sion. without trace of arrogance. The
bright. sincere, even sympathetic. ex-
preston Of the eye inspired feeling OF
confidence and comradeship in which one
forgot to note its color.
Such was Lee in 1861
Lee Under Fire.
\ rigid disciplinarian. Lee issued sharp
orders: but he SO blended them with
touches of sympathetic thoughtfulness
and little acts of kindness as to make
him loved by his men. On one occasion.
when going the rounds, his attention was
called by Gen. Archibald Gracie-one of
the Confederate generals who had won
distinction at Chickamauga-to a slight
change in the Union lines in front Of Col
Quits salient.
In spite of Gracie's appeals to him to
keep under cover Lee stepped to an eX-
posed position on the Confederate lines.
where many men had been picked of by
the Federal sharpshooters, and in leis-
urely manner examined the enemys
works In the course of this eNamina-
tion Lee turned to find that Oracle was
standing with him. He said: Gen.
Oracle. / think you ought not TO expose
Yourself here; let's go down"
This incident occurred late in Novem-
her of 1854. Scarcely a week afterward
on December ). Gen. Oracle was killed
near the spot where Lee had stood. He
had just received furlough to visit his
wife and child in Richmond. but had
t.,,er
for the next.
Lee was at this time general-in-chief
II all the Confederate armies. He had
hecn raised to that rank by congress on
February 8. but it was an honor con- ]
f,rrod too late to be Of any use to the
Confederacy. Other than Lees own force
1t Petersburg there was now no body OF
confederate troops worthy of the name
army. In the Carolinas. Gen. Joseph f.
Johnston with a few thousand men was
.ndeavoring to find some way of stop
ping the Federals under Sherman. He !
VAS doomed to failure.
Letters to His wife.
10" knew we'll that all hope of main
tanning the ConfederaCy was gone. Yet
that did not deter him from taking every
measure within his power to ward Off
final disaster as long as possible: and
his every thought was for his men.
arc touching sidelights on Lee. the man. |
Some of them have been published in
Fitzhugh Lees life of Gen. Lee Great
commanders Series. ID. Appleton & Co, |
y. ". |
Il received the box with hat. gloves |
and socks" he wrote to Mrs. Lee one |
day in that bleak winter .'also the bar |
rel Of apples. You had better have kept |
;he latter, as it would have been more |
useful to you than to me- and 7 should |
have enjoyed its consumption by your |
>olf and the girls more than by me- |
Gives Warning of the End.
ON February q Lee gave yelled warn
ing of the impending downfall of the
Confederate cause to his wife.
After sending my note this morning"
he wrote. Il received from the express
office bag of socks (for the soldiersb. ]
You will have to send down your offer
ings as soon as you can and bring your
work to close. for / think Gen. Grant
will move against us soon-within a
week IL nothing prevents-and no man
can tell what may he the result but.
trusting to mercifu God. who does not
always give the battle to the strong ]
pray We may not be overwhelmed.
II shall. however. endeavor to do myI
duty and fight to the last. Should it be
necessary to abandon our position to pre-
vent being surrounded. what will you do?
Will you remain or leave the city? You
must consider the question and make
up your mind. It Is a fearful condition.
and We must rely for guidance and pro-
lection upon a kind Providence
But il was seldom he wrote of himself
or of the cause. Nearly always II was
Of his men. The Lyons furs and the
fur robes have . arrived safely" he
wrote on one occasion. but / can learn
nothing Of the saddle of mutton. Bryan,
Of whom / inquired as to its arrival. is
greatly alarmed lest it has been sent to
q he soldiers. dinner. II the soldiers get
it ! shall be content. ] can do very well
without ii. In fact, I should rather they
would have It than l."