The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1915-04-15
APRIL 9,1SG5.

Gen, Lee surrendered his army to
Gen. Grant at AppomattOX
There was no surrender under an
app.e tree. Gen. Lees sword was
not rendered and then CALAMITY re-
turned The two commanders met in
room and for a few moments were
alone, Wien they talked of Mexico.
where both were officers. Their
Grant stated conditions in line with
his form er suggestions. These con-
ditions permitted officers to keep
their side arms and paroled officers
and men, permitting all to keep their
horses.
Fifty years are more than the aver
age life of man. There are a few
surviving participants in the last act
of the Confederate tragedy which
was staged at Appomattox To these
memory has blown away the mists
of time and the scene them is as if
it were yesterday
Fifty years find all the general
officers who were in the campaign
leading to the surrender gone from
this earth. The burden of half CEN
tury hears heavily on surviving
victors and vanquished Time has
softened their hearts and dulled the
asperities of their battle hatreds.
The politicians who fought the war
over their tongues after Appomat-
toX-they, too, have gone, and the
living lost little when most of them
passed inc oblivion.
The Confederacy sustained IDS
mortal wounds almost two years be-
fore the surrender. The death blows
were struck at Vicksburg and Get
tysburg in the summer of SO.
At Gettysburg
above the bayonets mixed and
crossed
Men saw a gray, gigantic ghost
Receding from the battle cloud,
The death cry of nation lost
Yet in the autumn of '63 and in the
hot summer of "a the dying Confed-
eracy was as the wounded lion, Civ
ing no sign of exhaustion of spirit or
surcease of valor
If this is war of grand tactics a
study of the fight between Lee and
Grant from early spring until the
spring of another year will convince
one that time makes small changes
in the conditions of warfare.
This is said to be war of trenches.
The campaign of Petersburg was a
trench fight
Those French and Germans who
run tunnels under opposing treches
are doig exactly what Grant and Lees
men did SO years ago. The Germans
and French did not change their lines
only few feet during the winter,
either did Grant and Lee.
The trench warfare, with the lat
erals, the dugouts and with the GER
tain death to him who stood with
head above he earth, was in the WI
ter of ga in Virginia what it was in
the winter of 1914 in North and
Eat France.
Grant truck quickly at his adver-
sity in May of GA, but before a
month the onward sweep was halted
and then tsere wa deadlock for al
most year.
Lee in two months wounded,
killed and captured more Federal
soldiers tsan he had men under inn
mediate command. Then followed a
period where bots leaders were care
full of men and entered contest of
endurance. At that time ad on this
test there was doubt of the result.
Lee had up his last man. His coun-
try was shut in by line of ships in
front CT every port Grant had the
resources of the world in men and
material at his call.
The amazing fact in the history OF
the Confederacy is that the institu-
ton did not collapse after '63. The
length and strength of the struggle
of Lees army in the last year of the
war against Grant are accounted for
only in the fact that Lee as a leader
was matehless among all the men
that lived in his day and among the
worlds great commaders he was the /
peer OF any other.
1t is a far cry from the South of
SIS to the South OF 1915 We are at
peace In our haerts there is low