The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-11

| OF smoke were ascending. exhausted
men and worn-out mules were lying
down side by side-gaunt famine slaring
hopelessly from sunken. lack-luster eyes
dead mules. dead horses. dead men
| everywhere-who can wonder IL many
hearts. tried in the fiery furnace of four
unparalleled years and never found
wanting. should have quailed in the
presence Of starvation. fatigue, sleep
lessness. misery"
Grants pursuing infantry had followed
closely on the track of the retreating
army. but on this day had not serious
ly molested it. The litter Of wagons.
muskets. clothing and other property
along the road in the wake of the Con-
the distress of their enemy
The absence of pressing attack might
have been accepted by the Confederate.
as ominous. for Gen. Grant, now sure Of
MS quarry. had reasons for not pressing
the Confederates from the rear
He had sent part Of his army. Sheri-
dams cavalry. by roads south of the
Appomattox River on a swift march to
cut them Off at Appomattox Station. and
ne wanted time for infantry as we'll As
the cavalry to reach there ahead Of Lee
made capture at a railroad station the
night before. which placed Lees army
IN the hands Of Grant. This was a tel
egraphic message from Lees chief COM
missary of1cer asking that supplies be
sent by train from Lynchburg to Apo
mattox Station for Lees army.
BY Withholding this order the Federals
could add to Lees distress. They
chose rather the bold alternative Of send
q
on their arrival. Without these supplies
1t was not within human power for Lees
men to march another day.
rants One Condition.
While Lees broken army was strug-
Cling along the roads north of the Ap-
pomattox and Grants outfiankinx COL
umn OF cavalry and infantry was hur-
ryinS In the same direction q few miles
south OF IT, correspondence between
the opposing generals. begun the day be-
lore by Grant. with view to securing
Lees surrender. was continued.
Grant had proposed the surrender as a
means of stopping further effusion of
blood Lee had responded that before
considering Grants proposition ne would
like to know what terms Grant would
offer.
These two letters passed in the even
ing OF April !. On the morning of April
Grant. who had spent the night at a
large white farmhouse in a roadside
hamlet called Curdsville. sent an answer
to Lee saying:
Peace being my great desire. there is
but one condition I would insist upon,
namely. that the men and oficers sur
rendered shall be disqualified for taking
up arms again against the government
of the United States until properly ex-
changed"
Lees Adroit Reply.
Grant offered to meet Gen. Lee or des.
ignate officers to meet any ofiicer. Lee
might name to arrange terms of sur
render.
To this letter Gen. Lee replied with an
adroit proposal that he meet Grant for
the purpose of discussing the General
SUBJECT OF peace. As general-in-chief OF
faint hope that he might. by negotiation,
secure some better terms for the Con-
federacy than its extinction.
His letter was a model Of Diplomatic
diction. He said he had not intended in
his earlier letter. to propose the surren-
der of his army. but to ask Grants
terms. He did not think the emergency
had arsen to call for surrender. but,
as the restoration Of peace should be the
whether your proposals would lead to
that end" He could not meet Grant
with a view to surrendering his army,
but as far as your proposals may az
feet the Confederate States forces under
my command and tend to the restoration
OF peace. i should be pleased to meet
YOU He therefore proposed a meeting
place between the picket lines
The student Of history will do we'll to
keen clearly ip fpA hat
the commander OF all the Confederate
forces playing last desperate game for
some recognition for the Confederacy,
and not Lee the commander Of the Army
Of Northern Virginia, who spoke in these
lines.
Grant Avoids Politics.
When Grant received Lees letter he
was In wretched physical condition, in
digestion. nervous strain and sleepless-
ness having resulted In a violent head
ache. He spent part OF the night with
mustard plasters at his wrists and base
Of the brain and his feet in a mustard
bath.
Yet his brain was clear enough TO
grasp the main point OF Lees proposal,
and he made instant resolution that he
would commit himself to no meeting Of
l political character. He had been
warned from Washington webs before
rot to discuss political matters with the
enemy. The warning had beeh super
iuous. Grant saw his military duty
clearly and he hewed straight to the
inc. The surrender of Lees forces and
lot debate on peace was his objective.
Therefore, pocketing Lees letter. he
mounted and rode southwark, determined
o leave the line of march Of the troops
ollowinE Lee-the Second and Sixth
Corps. under Meade-and follow that,
ome miles away. Of the troops aiming
o get ahead of Lee This column under
3. o. c. Ord. was composed Of most Of
he Twenty-fourth Corps. Gen. John Glib
ION. and the Fifth Corps. Gen. Charles
;rif1n.
A resumption of the correspondence
he next day was to b on Grants in
dative, but he was to state clearly that
70 could not discuss peace: that the con-
lition upon which peace could be had
vas by 'the South laying down their
rms"
Barred BY . Steel wall.
The end Of this historic day developed
wo strikingiy dissimilar scenes In the
'reen country near Appomattox Court
louse
Clusters cavalry division. passing the
title village In the late afternoon. dash
d on to the station, two miles beyond.
'hA aYn~efod y,roviaton ty~t1. Co