Show AT CLOSE Of WAR WR Officer Tells of His Interesting Experience Rode Into Confederate Lines With Officer Of Officer Who Brought Flag of Truce From General Lee on Appomattox AppOmattoX Appomattox Appo Appo- mattox Field i A MONO MONG the most interesting stories AMONG A A told of ot the surrender ender of the Confederate Confederate Con Con- on federate armies at Appomattox court house fifty years ears ago April ago April 9 9 1865 are 1865 are the eyewitness accounts or of of Gen Edward W. W Whitaker who was waa the l of staff starr to General Custer at that time Ume and who has been a resident resi resident dent of at Washington since 1872 Bri Brigadier Brigadier Bri- Bri general by brevet he be was at that time a lieutenant colonel and the first Union officer to enter the Confederate Confederate Confederate Con Con- federate lines es before hostilities were suspended That was April 9 1865 and antI General who nied Whitaker is the man L dt Captain Sims aims the me w w- w who brought out the flag of truce to the point at which were located General General Gen Gen- eral Longstreet and General Gordon who were in active command after atter the I Id d departure of ot General Lee General Whitaker was sent with Captain Sims to ascertain if the flag of truce meant unconditional surrender Custer sent word by his chief of staff starr that unless the flag did mean unconditional unconditional unconditional surrender he would be unable to stop a charge that was about to be bo made as he was not in sole sale command Having received favorable assurances assUrances assurances assur assur- ances from the Confederate generals General Whitaker took the flag of at I truce trice and at their request rode out to stop the charge of the infantry line of battle thereby braving the fire of his own side waiting for the word to engage engage en en- engage gage the enemy Resented Yankees Yankee's Presence I recall hearing a soldier shout What R hat is the Yankee doing here with his hilS arms on General Whitaker said discussing those historic days with a reporter for the Washington Star The flag of truce he said was a fringed honeycomb towel It is now on exhibition at the New National mu seum scum Lee had gone to the rear to seek Grant the general continued The flag was sent out from the I ate lines Unes in charge of Captain Sims bims by direction of Lee the object of at the flag being to enable General Longstreet Longstreet Longstreet Long- Long street and General Gordon to secure a cessa cessation on of hostilities pending negotiations negotiations negotiations between the commanders regarding regarding regarding re re- re- re garding the terms upon which Lee would surrender The sloping open fields of Appomattox Appomattox Appomattox Appo- Appo mattox glittering gUttering for mn miles s with the arma of at forces composed compose of the flower of two of f the finest armies that were Yere ever marshaled on earth seemed designed designed de de- de signed by nature for the stage upon which should be enacted the last scene in the great drama of the Civil war It was there that the most stirring I Incident in the bitter struggle occurred occurred occurred oc oc- oc- oc culminating in the announcement announcement announce announce- ment tl to a torn and bleeding nation that peace again was restored It was there that Grant and Lee agreed upon terms for the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia that showed the former to be as magnan magnan- as a conqueror as he had been relentless ss as a foe And it was there that the death knell of slavery in the United States of America was sounded and the foundation foundation foun foun- dation of Cf f a new nation laid whereon should arise irise the substantial structure of the J government of today contributed contributed contrib contrib- to equally by the North and the South Last Charge on Enemy Our division was composed of three I divisions of cavalry with a battery of light artillery to each brigade We pressed down upon the enemy and received received received re re- re- re the fire from battery after atter bat tery of artillery without stopping to return it ft General Custer riding at atthe atthe atthe the beau of the column was looking for a favorable opening for a charge Our movement along the flank of the enemy was stow slow at first DUI but ino uis m lire aru 01 5 Their theIr batteries had bad nettled our horses into a half halt trot when suddenly an officer rode out from the Confederate ate line Hue waving a large towel towe I In i his WB hand band lIe He said ho he was Captain Sims by direction di dl direction of Longstreet's staff and came of General Lee who asked a suspension of hostilities In an instant G General Custer said to me Whitaker take this towel go with this officer to General Lee with my compliments and say say say-i I cannot stop Sis sole command command com corn this charge as I am not In mand on this field unless he ho announces announces an an- announces an unconditional surrender I took the towel and asked Sims to show me the shortest cut to where he ho had a left e Lee Lee e. e I J remember vigorouslY swinging the the theold old towel and the h relief I felt on entering the Confederate lines without being fired Ifred on At the point we entered only a short distance from where we had left Custer a battery of artillery was posted post post- I noticed no passed the guns ed ed and as we in inthe inthe inthe a pile of shells on the ground the rear of each gun and every gunner gun ner ncr in position ready to give up a warm reception at the command Fire On reaching the road columns of Confederate infantry were moving in perfect order and I recall hearing a A. soldier shout What Is that Yankee doing here with his arms on I had folded the towel out of sight as soon as I reached the Confederate line Lee Had Gone to Find Grant When we arrived at the place where Sims had left General Lee we found only Generals Gordon and LOngstreet Longstreet Longstreet Long- Long street who explained that General Lee had galloped off orr to the rear to find General Grant immediately after Sims had started out with the flag of truce and had left them in command 1 I stated to them the tho message from Cueter Custer Cus Cue ter to Lee and told them that I must have an immediate reply They said there was no doubt of surrender as we had cut off of their line of retreat tho night before and that they were personally personally per satisfied of ot the uselessness of further resistance I expressed regret that so many good men had been killed the night before and that morn- morn ng whereupon they said that thae General I tee Lee would not believe that the Union Infantry was across the Lynchburg pike until the repulse of Gordons Gordon's charge which had been made that morning by his orders While we were talking firing was heard to the east of where I had left Custer and at my suggestion an om- om I I was sent with orders to stop it I noticed that the guns that were moving moving ing mg p past st us as we talked had smoke coming from their mouth indicating that they were the same that had been used so vigorously on our column a short time before Defore I protested against the moving of these guns and was assured assured assured as as- that the object was to water the e horses in a small creek near by A Athis At this moment General Ord's Infantry line of battle was seen closing in on onus onus us from the west and I J was begged to announce the surrender of the army to that line First Notice of Surrender I r saw that there was no time to lose so I pulled out the old towel again and rode out to the Union infantry infantry in in- fantry line and said to General Chamberlain Chamberlain Cham Cham- of Maine that Lees Lee's army had surrendered The line halted at once and a shout went up from right to left followed by a scene that words fail to d describe scribe I then galloped back across the field to General Custer tomake to tomake tomake make the same announcement It was in this way that the Infantry histo histo- historians historians rians claim that the s surrender was first made to them In conclusion let me say that of all an anthe the battlefields of the Civil war war and and andI I had the honor of being in one eighty-one battles battles Appomattox Appomattox was the most magnificent |