Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-01-21

fell back in line. We looked at our guns; then with eyes blinded with tears, we looked for the last time at l. our colors. The old ragged rags that had been flags! Ragged? Yes, ragged from shell and shot. In place of the original staffs were sticks-make- shifts, for the staffs had been shot off. There we stood.
 l FederaIs Acted Nobly.
 l What of the federals? General ! Grant and his men treated us nobly- more nobly than was ever a conquered army treated before or since. The conduct of the federals on this oc- 1 oasion was soothing and comforting beyond anything that words can ex- press. At the head of the column en- tered this parallelogram every flag in that great federal army came to and was held at salute. Every officers sword was drawn and held in salute, and every man who carried gun brought and held it at salute, so long as we remained there.
 We looked in amazement. The army that we had been fighting so long, that we were now surrendering too l Al1O ouuuCuly ONSl WflplIllC0 us WlII kindly courtesy and high appreciation of our soldierly qualities. They stood thus until our forces had passed out of the parallelogran. It is almost impossible to estimate the comfort and relief this treatment gave us. It relaxed the tension of our nerves. w, , went back to camp, if that old field barren of tents, blankets, food, horses or wagons, could properly be called camp. On the evening of the third day we got our paroles, Next morn ing. To! there was no army there. No federals! No Confederates.
 On the second day before we had surrendered cur arms, we saw con- Ing toward Us, as we were loitering about our camp. two horsem/n. Soon we knew that the foremost one was our dear old General Lee. with no escort save one orderly. He was rid l ing the old gray thoroughbred, Traveller" As he came up we strung ourselves along both sides of the roa1. He lifted his hat and kept it up in his usual salute. His eyes were swollen; he looked, oh. so aged and sad! He did not speak We stood With heads bare and streaming eyes. He passed on until out of sight. We never saw him again. We had re- celved his last order (Order No. 9), ] thanking us. .praising us. loving us and bidding us go to cur homes. re 1 build them and make good and loyal citizens of the United States. We hal submitted our cause to the arbitra- tlon Of the sword; the game had hee3 played; we had lost.
 Dear old general. he was the greatest of the great in his prosperitv and adversity and defeat. displayed the very highest and noblest oIharac teristics of his Christian manhood.
 The next day we remained in tha "bull pen'' awaiting our paroles. l About night we (mysslf, my brother and frlend), got our iaroles and our last order from General Lee, his fare we'll to his soldiers, No. g.
 l Neither of us had cent of money. no horse My horse had some time before become disabled. It was between 700 and 800 miles to my home in Macon, Noxubee county, Miss. We were weak from want of food. We lhad no baggage. We irayed for heb and guidance to Him who is ahle to help and we started nome.
 H. A. MINOR, M. D..
 E-Confederate Surgeon, Army of North Virginia.
 P. S.-l have been practicing my profession in Macon, Miss. since May. lso9; joined Confederate army April 30, 1861. as private in company F, 11ih 1 regt. MISS. vol. H. A. M.