The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-04-15

To Colonel Parker. of Grants staff
a full blooded Indian of the historic Six
Nations, six feet tall. broad sholdered
and imposing-was delegated the task
of putting the terms in writing He
promptly lifted the table Grant had
used and carried It to corner Of the
ROOM so he might use It for his copy
ing While waiting for him Grant and
Lee chatted. Lee said he had num-
Der Of prisoners he would like to re-
lease, as he had no provisions either
for them or his own men. There's a
grim drollness about vanquished
general wanting to know what he'll do
with prisoners belonging to the vic
tors army.
Suppose l send over $4,000 rations;
will that be enough" asked Grant
quietly.
More than enough" replied Lee just
as quietly,
And these two sentences of dialogue
revealed the tragic sadness Of the sur
render. All told, the Confederate COM
mander was surrendering 1886 troops.
All told, the Federal commander who
laccepted the surrender was backed by
100000 troops. There could be only one
answer to a fighting problem present
ling such inequality of conditions, -Four
Ito one Is an array Of odds hardly to
be overcome. Add to the complete lack
of food for the surrendering army and
the fighting inequality is Increased
Itenfold.
The Appomattox climax was reached
latter the fighting flight covering dis
Itance of about one hundred miles and
a period of six days President JEFF
lferson Davis Of the COnfederacy was
lat church in st. Paurs, in Richmond,
Sunday morning, April 2, 1865, when
one of the veserymen tiptoed up the
aisle with despatch from General
Lee. This despatch told him how the
Confederate intrenchment at Peters
burg had been taken and that Lee
would be compelled to abandon his
lines during the following night and
endevor to reach Danville. President
Davis at once prepared to quit Rich
mond with the personnel and archives
Of the Confederate government
At eight o'clock the same Sunday
night the retreat that was to end at
| Appomattox began. At twenty min
Iutes after ten o'clock Monday morning
the Federal pursuit was ordered and
was In fun swing at once. Lees rear
Ines passed out of Petersburg just
about dawn. Grant rode into the city
as soon as the word reached him of the
evacuation. The rear of the flight and
the van of the pursuit We're separated
/ by two or three hours of time and in
some places by only two or three miles
of space. Sheridan, In fact had an
t.cipated Grants pursuit order and had
started his cavalry after the retiring
Confederates early in the forenoon
and clashed with their rear guard sew
eral times during the day.
Tuesday, April H. the second day OF
the pursuit. was taken up with the
hurried marching of Federal troops to
Jetersville, a place Lees army must
pass through If It hopes to get to Dan
VILE. Three corps of Grants troops
reached there and blocked the road in
and out of Jetersvlle. Wednesday,
April brigade of Sheridans caval-
rY Clashed with troops of Gusts Lee
at gainesville, about forty miles west
of Petersburg. Several hundred wag-
ons with provisions were destroyed by
the Federals-a doubly hard blow to
the Confederates at time when the
smallest piece of cracker was god
send.
division of Confederate cavalry
land General Longstreets infantry
corps came up to Jetersville on the at
Itenoon of Wednesday. They found
the three Federal corps planted in the
way. They meditated assault, but as
a result of a conference between Lee,
Longstreet and Lees son, who led the |
cavalry, the opposition was declared !
TO stiT to overcome. SO Lee turned .
back He would have attacked had all .
of his army been up but every moment ,
of time counted in the flight and he
still had hopes of getting so far ahead 4
of the Federal pursuers in the chase
westward that he would be able to
turn southwark and make Danville 4
But that turn back was really the
last chance the Confederacy had Of
escaping. To the south about twelve A.,
miles was Burkesvile, a railroad june !
ton point on the way to Danville. JEFF
ferson Davis had passed over it safely F.,
the day before. But blocked at letters
VILE, there was nothing to do but con-
tinue the retreat due west and hope to
make Lynchburg and the mountains
Sheridan said afterwards that had Lee I,
attacked him witt, the force he had the
might reasonably have /
broken through.
Running Fight Was Kept up as Con-
federates Retreated.
During all of Thursday the fourth
day of the retreat and pursuit sharp \,
running fight was kept up between the
a. H. .