Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-04-15
Grant and Lee Met
At AppomattOx
Continued from page u
Then Came Plain Gen. Grant

Shortly afterward General Grant
and members of his staff came in.
There were eight or ten of them. Gen.
Grant had on cowhide boots, splashed
with mud, soldiers blouse, no side
arms, nothing to indicate his rank of
lieutenant general except the shoulder
straps of four stars.
Lee recognized Grant at once, at
which Grant expressed surprise. They
had not met since the Mexican war,
some twenty years before. Grant, at
this time, was a little over 40 years
old. He had brown hair and eyes.
He apologized to Lee for appearing
in his unkempt and unmilitary attire,
and began to inquire after various
generals in Lees army. Finally Lee
called attention to the matter in hand.
There was a brief discussion and then
Grant inquired about another general
in the southern army Then Gen. Lee
called up again certain other phases.
and discussed them for few NOM
entS
Grant Wanted to Visit
Grant seemed more disposed to visit
and asked about his old comrades. He
seemed to be impressed with the idea
that the war was over. Finally Lee
said, General Grant, submit your
terms to writing and I'll write a letter
accepting them" Then the terms, the
generosity and wisdom of which are
incompatible in military history were
written out by Grant.
How the Terms Read
Gen. Lee and his officers and the
members Of his army were to be pa
rolled, that is to say, simply take an
L +s,1ro
agains the United States. The Off
GERS were permitted to keep their
horses and side arms. And when Lee
called attention to the fact that the
artillerists in the southern army own
ed their own horses, Grant said, 81
will not change them terms, but will
give instructions to the commissioners
who are to receive the Confederate
property such as cannon, government
stores, munitions, guns, ETC., that
wherever man claims horse or a
mule, he may take it, because pre-
sumo most of the men are farmers and
they will need these animals to till
their FARMS"
Lee said that was true, and it would
have a good effect upon the country.
army has been subsisting for the last
army has been subsisting for the alst
four or five days upon parched corn,
and my men are hungry" whereupon
Grant inquired the number of rations
that would meet the requirments of
the southern troops and ordered them
bestowed Lee said, and that, too,
will have a good effect upon the coun-
try"
These terms are all the more re-
markable when it is known that Grant
was instructed by the war department
that he should not indicate terms of
surrender; that the department would
settle that-but he did it. and subse-
quently history has attested the wis
dom of his act.
Two Great Men Meet and Part
After the terms had been assented |
to and signed, Grant introduced mem |
bers of his staff to Lee, who, after
greeting them, passed out of the room |
and down thes steps leading to the |
house. When about half way down |
the steps he uttered a low whistle.
While these negotiations were going !
on, Lees orderly had slipped the bit |
out of the mouth of his war horse, |
Traveller, and let him feed on the lawn |
Traveller, hearing the whistle, raised |
his head and gave his answer. While |
being led up for Lee to mount, Gen.
Grant passed down the steps and |
when he reached the walk, turned and |
gave the salute la militaire, and |
each member OF Grants staff did the !
same thing.
Two great men met on that great
day. Two very modest men, each very
devoid of theatres. Yet they were
the chief actors in the final scene of
one of the most stupendous dramas
the world has known. It's stage was
a continent, it's audience a waiting,
wondering world.