THE SURRENDER AT APPOMATTOX COURT HOUSE.
133
cross-road to the south side of the Appomattox with the intention of movingaround to Sheridan’s front. While riding along the wagon road that runsfrom Farmville to Appomattox Court House, at a point eight or nine mileseast of the latter place, Lieutenant Charles E. Pease of Meade’s staff overtookhim with a dispatch. It was found to be a reply from Lee, which had beensent in to our lines on Humphreys’s front. It read as follows :
“April 9th, 1865.
“ General : I received your note of this morning on the picket-line, whither I had come tomeet you and ascertain definitely what terms were embraced in your proposal of yesterday withreference to the surrender of this army. I now ask an interview, in accordance with the offercontained in your letter of yesterday, for that purpose.
Pease also brought a note from Meade, saying that at Lee’s request he hadread the communication addressed to Gteneral Grant and in consequence of ithad granted a short truce.
The general, as soon as he had read these letters, dismounted, sat down onthe grassy bank by the roadside, and wrote the following reply to Lee:
_ . “ April 9th. 1865.
“ General R. E. Lee , Commanding 0. S. Army:
“Your note of this date is but this moment (11:50 a. m.) received, in consequence of myhaving passed from the Richmond and Lynchburg* road to the Farmville and Lynchburg road.I am at this writing about four miles west of Walker’s Church, and will push forward to the frontfor the purpose of meeting you. Notice sent to me on this road where you wish the interview
to take place will meet me.
He handed this to Colonel Babcock of the staff, with directions to takeit to G-eneral Lee by the most direct route. Mounting his horse again thegeneral rode on at a trot toward Appomattox Court House. When five or sixmiles from the town, Colonel Newhall, Sheridan’s adjutant-general, came rid-ing up from the direction of Appomattox and handed the general a communi-cation. This proved to be a duplicate of the letter from Lee that LieutenantPease had brought in from Meade’s lines. Lee was so closely pressed that hewas anxious to communicate with Grant by the most direct means, and ashe could not tell with which column Grant was moving he sent in one copyof his letter on Meade’s front and one on Sheridan’s. Colonel Newhall joinedour party, and after a few minutes’ halt to read the letter we continued ourride toward Appomattox. On the march I had asked the general severaltimes how he felt. To the same question now he said, “ The pain in my headseemed to leave me the moment I got Lee’s letter.” The road was filled withmen, animals, and wagons, and to avoid these and shorten the distance weturned slightly to the right and began to “cut across lots”; but before goingfar we spied men conspicuous in gray, and it was seen that we were movingtoward the enemy’s left flank, and that a short ride farther would take usinto his lines. It looked for a moment as if a very awkward condition ofthings might possibly arise, and Grant become a prisoner in Lee’s lines insteadof Lee in his. Such a circumstance would have given rise to an important