personal memoirs-2-及26准
梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
and this in short order put an end to General Geary's ;last ditch;
absurdity察and extricated Allen from his predicament。
When quiet was restored Gordon remarked此 General Lee asks for a
suspension of hostilities pending the negotiations which he is having
with General Grant。; I rejoined此 I have been constantly informed of
the progress of the negotiations察and think it singular that while
such discussions are going on察General Lee should have continued his
march and attempted to break through my lines this morning。 I will
entertain no terms except that General Lee shall surrender to General
Grant on his arrival here。 If these terms are not accepted we will
renew hostilities。; Gordon replied此 General Lee's army is
exhausted。 There is no doubt of his surrender to General Grant。;
It was then that General Ord joined us察and after shaking hands all
around察I related the situation to him察and Gordon went away agreeing
to meet us again in half an hour。 When the time was up he came back
accompanied by General Longstreet察who brought with him a despatch
the duplicate of one that had been sent General Grant through General
Meade's lines back on the road over which Lee had been retreating。
General Longstreet renewed the assurances that already had been given
by Gordon察and I sent Colonel Newhall with the despatch to find
General Grant and bring him to the front。 When Newhall started
everything on our side of the Appomattox Court House was quiet察for
inevitable surrender was at hand察but Longstreet feared that Meade
in ignorance of the new conditions on my front might attack the
Confederate rearguard。 To prevent this I offered to send Colonel J。
W。 Forsyth through the enemy's lines to let Meade know of my
agreement察for he too was suspicious that by a renewed correspondence
Lee was endeavoring to gain time for escape。 My offer being
accepted察Forsyth set out accompanied by Colonel Fairfax察of
Longstreet's staff察and had no difficulty in accomplishing his
mission。
About five or six miles from Appomattox察on the road toward Prospect
Station near its intersection with the Walker's Church road察my
adjutant´general察Colonel Newhall察met General Grant察he having
started from north of the Appomattox River for my front the morning
of April 9察in consequence of the following despatches which had been
sent him the night before察after we had captured Appomattox Station
and established a line intercepting Lee
;CAVALRY HEADQUARTERS察April 8察1865920 P。 M。
;LIEUTENANT´GENERAL U。 S。 GRANT
;Commanding Armies of the U。 S。
;General此I marched early this morning from Buffalo Creek and
Prospect Station on Appomattox Station察where my scouts had reported
trains of cars with supplies for Lee's army。 A short time before
dark General Custer察who had the advance察made a dash at the station
capturing four trains of supplies with locomotives。 One of the
trains was burned and the others were run back toward Farmville for
security。 Custer then pushed on toward Appomattox Court House
driving the enemywho kept up a heavy fire of artillerycharging
them repeatedly and capturing察as far as reported察twenty´five pieces
of artillery and a number of prisoners and wagons。 The First Cavalry
Division supported him on the right。 A reconnoissance sent across
the Appomattox reports the enemy moving on the Cumberland road to
Appomattox Station察where they expect to get supplies。 Custer is
still pushing on。 If General Gibbon and the Fifth Corps can get up
to´night察we will perhaps finish the job in the morning。 I do not
think Lee means to surrender until compelled to do so。
;P。 H。 SHERIDAN察Major´General。;
;HEADQUARTERS CAVALRY察April 8察1865940 p。m。
;LIEUTENANT´GENERAL U。 S。 GRANT。
;Commanding Armies U。 S。
;GENERAL此Since writing tne accompanying despatch察General Custer
reports that his command has captured in all thirty´five pieces of
artillery察one thousand prisonersincluding one general officerand
from one hundred and fifty to two hundred wagons。
;P。 H。 SHERIDAN察Major´General。;
In attempting to conduct the lieutenant´general and staff back by a
short route察Newhall lost his bearings for a time察inclining in
toward the enemy's lines too far察but regained the proper direction
without serious loss of time。 General Grant arrived about 1 o'clock
in the afternoon察Ord and I察dismounted察meeting him at the edge of
the town察or crossroads察for it was little more。 He remaining
mounted察spoke first to me察saying simply
;How are you察Sheridan拭─ I assured him with thanks that I was
;first´rate察─when察pointing toward the village察he asked察 Is
General Lee up there拭─and I replied此There is his army down in that
valley察and he himself is over in that house designating McLean's
house waiting to surrender to you。; The General then said察 Come
let us go over察─this last remark being addressed to both Ord and me。
We two then mounted and joined him察while our staff´officers
followed察intermingling with those of the general´in´chief as the
cavalcade took its way to McLean's house near by察and where General
Lee had arrived some time before察in consequence of a message from
General Grant consenting to the interview asked for by Lee through
Meade's front that morningthe consent having been carried by
Colonel Babcock。
When I entered McLean's house General Lee was standing察as was also
his military secretary察Colonel Marshall察his only staff´officer
present。 General Lee was dressed in a new uniform and wore a
handsome sword。 His tall察commanding form thus set off contrasted
strongly with the short figure of General Grant察clothed as he was in
a soiled suit察without sword or other insignia of his position except
a pair of dingy shoulder´straps。 After being presented察Ord and I
and nearly all of General Grant's staff察withdrew to await the
agreement as to terms察and in a little while Colonel Babcock came to
the door and said察 The surrender had been made察you can come in
again。;
When we re´entered General Grant was writing察and General Lee察having
in his hand two despatches察which I that morning requested might be
returned察as I had no copies of them察addressed me with the remark
;I am sorry。 It is probable that my cavalry at that point of the
line did not fully understand the agreement。; These despatches had
been sent in the forenoon察after the fighting had been stopped
notifying General Lee that some of his cavalry in front of Crook was
violating the suspension of hostilities by withdrawing。 About
3 o'clock in the afternoon the terms of surrender were written out
and accepted察and General Lee left the house察as he departed
cordially shaking hands with General Grant。 A moment later he
mounted his chunky gray horse察and lifting his hat as he passed out
of the yard察rode off toward his army察his arrival there being
announced to us by cheering察which察as it progressed察varying in
loudness察told he was riding through the bivouac of the Army of
Northern Virginia。
The surrender of General Lee practically ended the war of the
rebellion。 For four years his army had been the main´stay of the
Confederacy察and the marked ability with which he directed its
operations is evidenced both by his frequent successes and the length
of time he kept up the contest。 Indeed察it may be said that till
General Grant was matched against him察he never met an opponent he
did not vanquish察for while it is true that defeat was inflicted on
the Confederates at Antietam and Gettysburg察yet the fruits of these
victories were not gathered察for after each of these battles Lee was
left unmolested till he had a chance to recuperate。
The assignment of General Grant to the command of the Union armies in
the winter of 1863´64 gave presage of success from the start察for his
eminent abilities had already been proved察and besides察he was a
tower of strength to the Government察because he had the confidence of
the people。 They knew that henceforth systematic direction would be
given to our armies in every section of the vast territory over which
active operations were being prosecuted察and further察that this
coherence察this harmony of plan察was the one thing needed to end the
war察for in the three preceding years there had been illustrated most
lamentable effects of the absence of system。 From the moment he set
our armies in motion simultaneously察in the spring of 1864察it could
be seen that we should be victorious ultimately察for though on
different lines we were checked now and then察yet we were harassing
the Confederacy at so many vital points that plainly it must yield to
our blows。 Against Lee's army察the forefront of the Confederacy
Grant pitted himself察and it may be said that the Confederate
commander was now察for the first time察overmatched察for against all
his devicesthe products of a mind fertile in d