| Show Gen Fitzhugh Lee = = = = = Gossip and Story About Our Now Conmil Ooiiornl to Cuba niul n Olmt With Him 1 About tho South and tho Vur lildueA Itet Great Man Jflilltoo lit Mltdaa Mian Chief and l tad Death byki Iireia Ilatt lire Trtfllt rill Ihv Hi lips Itrtd Iht axfiJeralt tiny and Chives Hit Curht AJvtnluttl in Saving an Array SaJJttTit Cavalry leader of Iht Cantdtrac Vlienitet the Cavalry eftht North Soul1h rill Mart of IIi sons Until Robert I Lit and Tall < OJ CrtHti ntatmtnl of tjtt and lilt Scent at JffomattoxKolerl KLtt Mtrlht liar Ukal Ottall aj Lees Papers and SomilMnf Moot Fit lees Lift oK E UtGtntnl lee fttdictt that the Saul IHIt I Cm tinut Solid and That Kttro II ill Ktl Kule = = < C4 > prihU4 lr rank o Carpenter I geclal C neespadeae of till laws WASHINGTON June lit i8j i + nroun THIS i i Metter Is published I General Fitthugh li 4 Iee will probably if = bo In Havana act r Ri t togas the American l t Ameri-can consul central td andalsoas persons Ij J confidential ad ui 0 s visor lo Ilcsldent Cleveland at to the Cuban troubles Ito 1 will lor the time have the most Important diplomatic post under our government and he Is I I believe especially fitted for the position General Lee li a man or high culture a soldier or experience and his life has been spent In dealing with public men and adlrs I spent a morning with him here In Washington shortly before his appointment appoint-ment nnd had a chat with him about hlnisef nnd public matters Just J before meeting him had finished looking over his Lite of Robert E Lee and our talk of this brought out some of his own war experiences which have never been given to the public lie has you know had some of the most narrow escapes of imy man now living Three horses were shot front under him at the battle ol Winchester and he has been wounded again and again both in his Indian service ser-vice and In the war ol the rebellion rEN rlCTllalt or PSTZ Vial LEE As I looked at General Lee I could not realise that he had i ben through so many perils Ills modest unassuming manner does i not comport with the Idea of battle scars and It Is hard to associate his low sweet vulce with that which In stentorian tunes gave the orders to the brigades under him when he was the chief cavalry feneral ol the southern confederacy His picture give you but little I Idea of 1 the man You need the colors of a Tlllsn or a Ruben I to brine out hit characteristic features General Lee loss complexion of that delicate red and white which shows the veins running run-ning here and there through It Ills eyes are ol the Irlghcst blue and his head makes you think ol a piece of fine china thatched and bearded with the purest hosted silver lie has a lrik > Ins lace His forehead Is high and full his nose straight and his Jaw firm lie I Is under medium height and though 1 his I form Is I well r rounded ttlt Is muscular iatlierthanfit lie stands as straight I ass Wen Point cadet and though bets now sixty he moves about with all the vitality that he showed when he was In the regular army In Tel about lorty years ago mzjncn LEUS GREAT INDIAN CIOIIT I found General Lee very loath to talk about himsell and I had to ask many questions to draw him out During the talk his service In Texas as a lieutenant came up and showed I him a statement which his friend Major laves had made concerning the great Indian fight in which I he and General Lee look pan Ma < lor Hayes i Is now In the regular army General Lee was I am told very anxious anx-ious to take him with him to Cuba but owing to the rules of the service was notable to accomplish his end rvj le read the statement very carefully and said that it was substantially correct The incident occurred In iMo lluhugh Lee was a lieutenant at the time and Hayes was a bugler Doth were In service ser-vice at Colorado Texas when the scouts reported that a body of Indians had massacred some settlers near by I Tin cfhcer commanding Major Van Lorn at once tone Lee Hayes and other soldiers and started e1n pursuit I ol 1 1 the Indians It was In the winter and It was snowing hard They marched sixtyeight miles in less than two days and finally came noon the Indians on a riJge ol timber During the clurre the troops became separated Iltihugh Lee and Ha > es going together In pursuit 01 two Indians who were making for the timber Tltey killed one before theyy I reached the woods a 30 allowed the I I I other for several miles through the tree There was much snow on the ground and they could see his tracks Finally they came out ol the woods and In the distance saw hint hid ng behind ledge ol rock Lee at once rushed toward him firing as he ran The Indian shot an arrow at Lee It struck him passing rlgi Inx rhwha Jtr through his arm and breaking oil A moment later the Indian who was a chief of more than nx beet in height lumped for Lee and lefttto slab him Lee had a revolver In his right hand The Indian grabbed the barrel The revolver went of but the Indian was not hit the pistol dropping to the fintrncl Iol trncl ground niihugh Lee was six Inches shorter than the Indian He saw that he could do nothing II he allowed the Indian louse his hails and he threw his arms around him and hugged him for dear life This Indian tried again and again to stab him but Lee held tightly lo him and the two swayed to and fro packing the scow under their leet Till VIRGINIA HACK llttl TRIP At this lime said Major Hates i I ldrJ started lo Lees rescue but I did not dare to shoot as both Lee and the Indian In-dian were twilling and writhing so that I could not be sure of not killing both at the same time or Lee Instead of the indian In-dian As I approached however I saw the two fall to the ground with Itihugh I Lee on top As they went down they struck the ground not far Irons the reo vohcr Lee saw It He grabbed It and shot the Indian through the head Tim mouth of the savage was open at the time lbl He was just lou to lye one ol hlslerrlble yells and the ball 1 went through hU cheeks nnd mouth without striking a loath A second later Lee discharged the revolver again the ball this time going through the Indians brain The savage at once relaxed I his head fell hack and Lee rose to his leer He first shook himself end bell 01 his body lo see If he was wounded for the knife had cut his coat 1 asked him how he felt He replied Oh I am all right now and my muscle Is 1 In good trim I I used to be very fond lnw t11I when I was at college and It was my knowledge knowl-edge ol wrestling that saved my life today When I first grabbed that Indian In-dian I thought he had me but at theIst the-Ist moment 1 remembered the old Virginia Vir-ginia back heel trip and that brought the red skin down Yes thitM the trulhuld illzhugh Lee as he looked over the above story Hayes was there and he saw the fight but iT you publish It I give It I as coming from him and not from me HOW HTZIIVGII LIK ENTXRID THE CONflDCKACY I here asked General Lee how he happened hap-pened to enter tho confederate army He replied Before I resigned from the Union army I waited bases what my father and I my Uncle Robert would do I was you know about twentyfive years old at the time I had been ordered from Texas to West Point to serve there as instructor in-structor ol cavalry and I was acting as such at the breaking out f the war I wrote my lather and uncle and asked them what they were going lo do They replied that they were not certain as vet but at last I saw a report in the New York Htlald staling that they had both resigned from the service On that same day I received a telegram from my lather containing these words Do as you please He did not telegraph me lo resign but lelt the whole matter to me I did not reply lo this message but I at once went and r got seven dys 1 leave of absence to go to Washington 1 Intending to there ofler my resknj lion As I passed through New York I met Phil Kearney whom I had known before He asked me where I was going and I told him I was going too to-o to resign my services to the Union army He e lreJerr Well I lam going to Washington to ofler mine so we may as well travel together You can act as the chief II we are stopped by the southerners and I will do my part r there I Is any trouble with the northerners norther-ners as to our getting through the lines I agreed to this and we traveled to getner At Havre l de Grace we found the railway torn up and had to take a steamer and go via Annapolis taking the railway I from there to Washington E As we attempted to take the steamer we were told that we could not go on board without a pass and that no one could be carried I without an order from General Gen-eral Ben Butler Duller had charged thin town and he was allowing only Unionists to go through As I heard this said 1t Major Kearney that your business Kearney ti said all right and leaving me In charge ol the baggage > bagg-age he went tip town and soon returned with passes for Major Kearuey and menlYoned Iriend My name was not mentioned With these passes we easily I got through IV g fl to Washington I went at once to the War department and reported and was told that there were orders there for me These directed me to go to my regiment but I said In reply that my regiment was in Texas I was Informed that It was not and that It had just arrived at Carlisle Pa Till STORY Or A BADDLB Now but for one reason I would have resigned at once continued Mr IF envel tJr Lee I had however nco army saddle I In Philadelphia which 1 was very anx Ions to get I something of a horseman horse-man and I wished to use this saddle during my service in the south When I I received the orders It seemed tome < that 1 might I go to Carlisle I and march ctk I t back lo Washington with my regiment I would be able to pass Ihrougn Philadelphia Phila-delphia and could bring my saddle with I me and then resign thus saving the Itlb dVib bi saddle It was a foolish I Idea but 1 carried I It out I said nothing to anyone I Inll one about my Intended resignation I merely saluted took my orders and left for Carlisle I got the saddle at Philadelphia Phila-delphia and carried It with me to my regiment found that a number of the othcers had already resigned General btoneman was In Philadelphia and he made me one ol his adjutants lai He told once mows would leave at once for Washington Washing-ton and shortly alter this we marched to the capital and encamped lust outside the city on the edge of the th street road thoon first thing I r did l was lo ask leave to go Into the city This was granted and I was ordered to get forage sod food for the soldiers Before leav ng I gays directions I lo an orderly I to l feIm take my Hunk lo the National 1 hotel and tell the clerk to have It kept there until called lor I then took my horse with my saddle on It and rode down Into the city 1 first delivered the orders for the forage and food and then went to the holes Here I took the saddle Irom my horse and sent it upstairs directing the orderly to take the hone back tu the camp I followed I the saddle hid my hr ru Ot trunk sent up to my room and at once changed my clothes pulling on citizens dress and packing my uniform and saddle In my trunk then I went down and paid my bill and bargained with a cabman to take me ten miles Into Virginia Vir-ginia He charged me ten dollars I remember My trunk was put on the back of the cab and we drone out over the I bridge to llerks slatlonwhence Long a I went on to Richmond boon after this I Long bridge I and all of the other avenues bt ail eln out of I the capital were guarded I got I away just In time and soon alter sent In my resignation I then entered the southern army and remained In It until the war closed Till cAVALRY or Till NORTH AND 10UTIl You were at the head of the cavalry of the aoutbern armyCnerallAe How did your troops compare with ours 1 think our cavalry st Ihe beginning of the war was better than that ol the north replied General Lee Each man had you know his own horse and In most cases a horse which he had keen accustomed to riding He brought his horse from his home to the field the government paying him for Its use and kep The result was that we had better horses than the north Then the rank and file of Ihe cavalry were nude up ol men of good education and standing stand-ing and In most cases ol men of some means Did you yourself think at the start ee nerallythat l the south could succeed 1 Yes I believed and nearly all the southerners believed that we were almost al-most sure ol eventually succeeding Tills was the case at the battle of Gettysburg Gettys-burg After that w e changed our minds and gradually came to see that the northern I forces were so superior that they IJo beat us In I the cud Suppose the war were to be fought over again would the result be the same sameNo one can tell replied General Lee Had we the same forces now that we had then and addeJ lo this the benefit of our experience the result might be different But stilt what the IJ noU III south 1 could have done might have been counterbalanced by other actions on the part ol the north and no one can tell what the result would have been The war Is however over for good between the north and the south The sections are united and not divided Suppose general the south had succeeded In that case there would have been another great republic south ol Mason I and Dixons line The country would robUy hate developed rapidly Tharleston bavannahNcw Orleans and I Mobile would hive been great cities to a i Urge extent tionopnllzlng the trade of the south and having In all probability a great trade with Europe TIIK SOLID SOUTH AND THE NICRO How about Ihe solid south general Many Republicans believe It will be lorken I think during it the very coming doubtful campaign replied General Lee Our people are too much afraid the reenactment In some form ol a measure like the force bill to vole the Republican ticket How about the negro question Whit Is going to become ol the negro anyhow I believe that the whites are always going to control Iho states They cannot can-not do otherwise Our people will never submit to the rule of the negroes As they are at present there li I no danger I dan-ger but to give them the power and I opportunities for misgovernment and corruption such as existed the days ol so called reconstruction would beto say the least a condition which the people of the south could not endure GRANT ANn LIK You were close to General Lee during dur-ing Ihe war were you nor Yes replied i Huhugh Lee I was his nephew and we were naturally Intimate Inti-mate friends1 You were with him at the battle ol Appomattox Did the surrender tsk place as It has dcscrlbcdunder that cap rte tredr JNo said General Lee she apple tree story arose from the lact that Gen seal Robert IL Lee was lying 1 1 under an apple I tree upon a blanket near the Appomattox court house when a messenger mess-enger came to him hearing General Grants last note as to the surrender In this note Grant asked Lee at what place he wished to have the Interview take place General Lee thereupon tell Ihe apple tree and secured a room In Mr 1 Wilmer I McLeans house In l Appomattox Appo-mattox This was a two story brick with a porch running along in front ol it tnh I General Grant arrived at this house about I oclock that day and the surrender sur-render took place In that roam Grant sat at a marble top table In tho center ol the room and Lee at a small oval table near the window They had met once eighteen 1 years before during the Mexican Mexi-can war when Lee was an engineer officer on the stall of General Scon and Grant was a lieutenant of Inlanlry Their Mexican meeting was tInt referred to and then they discussed the terms ol rchd surrender which at General Lees I request re-quest were reduced to writing GENERAL LKKl smut General Grant did not lake General LeesGeneral Lees sw ordN No was this reply lie did not demand It as Is I customary but he actually al ologlied to Iee for not having hav-ing his own sword on at the time Grant was dressed at the time of the surrender In a very ordinary mnJ He l I wore a dark biue flannel blouse 1 and ordinary top boots with his I trousers Inside He I I wore neither spurs nor sword r and had no marks of rank except his shoulder strsps Lee r on tbe other hand wore handsome uniform of confederate gray fine top boot with handsome spurs elegant tnd gloves and a splendid sword The handle of the sword was whltrwith a lions head at the lop Its scabbard was of blue steel with l gilt I trimming I and Ihe handle was wrapped with gilt t wire The sword Is I now In the posses Ion ol General Lees son who Is Iresi dent of Washington and Lee University Lee was very much nl pleased with Grants treatment 01 him at the surrender and he alterwatd said to a friend In Richmond Rich-mond No man could have behaved better than General Grant did under the clr cumstances lie did not touch my sword The usual custom Is for the swcnl to be received when tenderedand then handed back but Grant did not even touch mine ROBERT C tuna fAPKR What became of General Lees papers I asked lor Many ol them were lost on Ihe way from Richmond lo Appomattox replied re-plied KiKhugh Lee and these were never recovered His letters lo his wife however were full 01 details and descriptions I and I had the advantage of h lr ril yhl r h these In writing my life of him What kind ol a writer was Robert E Lee Very clear and lucid was the reply He 1 was A man ol the highest character and his soul was a most beautiful one He was pure In thought andword and nearly everything which he wrote could bo published without change even to the dotting of an V and the crossing ol a t Leg AKTkR THE WAR 1 suppose he was verb poor when the war closed I was he not No said the general Robert E Lee came out t of the war without great Imanclal l loss He had quite a lot of money which he had Invested In stocks and bonds before the I war began He kept t these and they had risen In value lie lost something ol course but nothing noth-ing In comparison with many other welltodo men jo the south ane most ol our people turned their stocks Into confederate money at the beginning of the war and this J fell day by day as we neared the end until It was at last not worth more than ten cents a yard What did Lee do alter the war had closed asked 1 He had numbers of positions connected con-nected with which were very large salaries sal-aries I ollered him I but he 1 cared more lor quiet and congenial work than for money and he accepted the presidency ol Washington College at Lexington He was for five years president ol this Institution lie reorganized It and built It up In many ways and was still 1 its president when he died In wt 1870 In the sixty fourth year ol his age caAstc C > > t |
