USA > Virginia > Prince Edward County > Prince Edward County > A history of Prince Edward County, Virginia: from its formation in 1753, to the present > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22
April 8, 1865.
General: Your note of last evening, in reply to mine of the same date, asking the condition on which I will accept the surrender of the army of Northern Virginia, is just received.
In reply, I would say that, peace being my great desire, there is but one condition that I would insist upon, namely, that the men and officers surrendered, shall be disqualified for taking up arms again against the government of the United States until properly exchanged. I will meet you, or will designate officers to meet any officers you may name for the same purpose, at any time agreeable to you, for the purpose of arranging definitely the term upon which the surrender of the army of Northern Virginia will be re- ceived.
U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant General.
To which General Lee replied :
April 8, 1865.
General: I received at a late hour your note of to-day. In mine yesterday I did not intend to propose the surrender of the army of Northern Virginia, but to ask the terms of your proposition. To be frank, I do not think the emergency has arisen to call for the surrender of this army, but as the restoration of peace should be the sole object of all, I desire to know whether your proposal would lead to that end. I cannot therefore meet you with a view to surrender the army of Northern Virginia, but as far as your proposal may affect the Confederate States forces under my command, and tend
174
History of Prince Edward County
to the restoration of peace, I shall be pleased to meet you at 10 a. m., tomorrow, on the old stage road to Richmond, between the picket lines of the two armies.
R. E. LEE, General.
On the next morning General Grant dispatched another note to General Lee, as follows:
April 9, 1865.
General: Your note of yesterday is received. I have no authority to treat on the subject of peace. I will state, however, General, I am equally anxious for peace with your- self, and the whole north entertains the same feeling. The terms upon which peace can be had are well understood. By the South laying down their arms they will hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, and hun- dreds of millions of property not yet destroyed. Seriously hoping that all our difficulties may be settled without the loss of another life, I subscribe myself, etc.
U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant General.
General Humphrey sent this note forward by Colonel Whittier, his Adjutant General, who met Colonel Marshall, of Lee's staff, by whom he was conducted to the general. To this note Lee replied :
April 9, 1865.
General: I received your note of this morning on the picket line whither I had come to meet you and ascertain definitely what terms were embraced in your proposal of yesterday, with reference to the surrender of the army. I now ask an interview in accordance with the offer contained in your letter of yesterday for that purpose.
R. E. LEE, General.
175
History of Prince Edward County
Grant, who received this note eight or nine miles from Appomattox, at once answered it.
April 9, 1865.
General R. E. Lee, Commanding C. S. A .:
Your note of this date is but this moment (11:50 a. m.) received. In consequence of my having passed from the Rich- mond and Lynchburg road to the Farmville and Lynch- burg road, I am, at this writing about four miles west of Walker's church, and I will push forward to the front for the purpose of meeting you. Notice sent to me on this road when you wish the interview to take place, will meet me.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant General.
General Fitz. Lee says this reply was sent direct to Gen- eral Lee by Colonel Babcock. Our noble old leader was obliged to confront a painful issue. His duty had been per- formed, but so earnest was he in trying to extricate his troops, and carry them south, that he failed to recognize the hope- lessness of further resistance, or the emergency that called for the surrender of his army. At the suggestion of some of his higher officers, General Pendleton, the commander of his reserve artillery, went to Lee on the 7th to say that their united judgment agreed that it was wrong to have more men on either side killed, and that they did not wish that he should bear the entire trial of reaching that conclusion. But Lee replied, that he had too many brave men, to think of laying down his arms, and that they still fought with great spirit; that if he should first intimate to Grant that he would listen to terms, an unconditional surrender might be de- manded, and "sooner than that I am resolved to die." General Lee had not altogether abandoned the purpose to march south,
176
History of Prince Edward County
even after the notes of the 7th and 8th had been exchanged. Longstreet, Gordon, and Fitz. Lee, commanding his corps, were summoned to headquarters on the night of the 8th, near Appomattox Courthouse. The situation was explained free- ly, and the correspondence with Grant alluded to, yet "Marse Robert" was not ready, without one more effort, to surren- der those noble boys who had served him so faithfully.
So it was decided that Gordon and Fitz. Lee should attack Sheridan's cavalry at daylight on the 9th, and open a way; but in case the cavalry was reinforced by heavy bodies of infantry, the commanding general must be at once notified, as surrender was inevitable. The attack was made at sunrise, and the Federal cavalry driven back with the loss of two guns, and a number of prisoners. The arrival at this time of two corps of Federal infantry, necessitated the re- tirement of the southern lines. General Ord, who commanded one of the corps of Federal infantry, states that he was "barely in time, for, in spite of General Sheridan's attempts, the cavalry was falling back in confusion." The die was cast; the last gun fired; and a white flag went out from the Southern ranks; the war in Virginia was over!
Colonel Babcock, the bearer of General Grant's last note, found General Lee near Appomattox Courthouse lying un- der an apple tree upon a blanket spread upon some rails; from which circumstance the widespread report originated that the surrender took place under an apple tree.
General Lee, Colonel Marshall of his staff; Colonel Bab- cock of General Grant's staff, and a mounted orderly, rode to the village, and found Mr. Wilmer McLean, a resident, who, upon being told that General Lee wanted the use of a room in some house, conducted the party to his dwelling. General Lee was ushered into a room on the left of the hall, and, about one o'clock, was joined by General Grant, his staff, and Generals Sheridan and Ord. Grant sat at a marble-topped table in the centre of the room; Lee at a small oval table
177
History of Prince Edward County
near the front window. Generals Lee and Grant had met once, eighteen years before, when both were fighting for the same cause in Mexico. After a pleasant reference to that event, Lee promptly drew attention to the business before them; the terms of surrender were arranged; and, at General Lee's request, reduced to writing as follows :
APPOMATTOX COURTHOUSE, VA.
April 9, 1865.
General: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the army of Northern Virginia on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in dupli- cate, one copy to be given to an officer to be designated by · me, the other to be retained by such officer, or officers, as you may designate. The officers to give their individual parole not to take up arms against the government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company and regi- mental commander to sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery, and public property, to be packed and stacked, and turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side arms of the officers, nor the private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to his home, not to be disturbed by the United States authority so long as he observes his parole, and the laws in force where he may reside.
U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant General.
He then said to General Lee, "Unless you have some sug- gestion to make, I will have a copy of the letter made in ink and sign it." This gave Lee the opportunity to tell him that the cavalrymen and many of tne artillerymen, owned their own horses, and wished to know if those men would be per- mitted to retain them. General Grant said he would give
178
History of Prince Edward County
instructions "to let all men who claim to own a horse or a mule take the animal home with them to work their little farms."
April 9, 1865.
General: I received your letter of this date, containing the terms of the surrender of the army of Northern Vir- ginia as proposed by you. As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th instant, they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect.
R. E. LEE. General.
The formalities now concluded, his thoughts now turned to his hungry veterans, and to his prisoners; he said to Gen- eral Grant: "I have a thousand or more of your officers and men, whom we have required to march along with us for several days, and I shall be glad to send them to your lines as soon as it can be arranged, for I have no provisions for them. My own men have been living for the past few days, principally upon parched corn." General Grant suggested that he would send him twenty-five thousand rations. He told him it would be ample, and assured him it would be a great relief. He now rode away to break the sad news to the brave troops he had so long commanded. His presence in their midst was an exhibition of the devotion of soldier to commander. They pressed up to him, anxious to touch his person, or even his horse, and tears washed from strong men's cheeks, the stains of powder. Slowly and painfully he turned to his soldiers, and with voice quivering with emo- tion, said: "Men we have fought through the war together, I have done my best for you, my heart is too full to say more." It was a simple, but most affecting scene to see those iron-hearted men, whose eyes had been so often illumined
179
History of Prince Edward County
with the fire of patriotism and true courage; that had so often glared with defiance in the heat and fury of battle; and so often kindled with enthusiasm and pride in the hour of success; moistened now with the deep love and sympathy they each had for their beloved chief. He soon sought res- pite from those trying scenes and retired to his private quar- ters. On the next day a formal leave of his army was taken, in these never-to-be-forgotten words:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
April 10, 1865.
After four years of arduous service, marked by unsur- passed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources. I need not tell the survivors of so many hard- fought battles who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them, but finding that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that would have attended the continuation of the contest, I have determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen. By the terms of agreement, offi- cers and men can return to their homes and remain there until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully per- formed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will ex- tend to you his blessing and protection. With unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous con- sideration of myself, I bid yoo an affectionate farewell.
R. E. LEE. General.
And then in silence, with lifted hat, he rode through a weeping army. Thus terminated the career of the Army of
180
History of Prince Edward County
Northern Virginia-an army that was never vanquished, but that, in obedience to the orders of its trusted comman- der, who was himself yielding obedience to the dictates of a pure and lofty sense of duty to his men and those de- pendent on him, laid down its arms and furled the stand- ards never lowered in defeat.
Now, Mr. Editor, my task is advancing to its close; be- fore doing so permit me to offer an excuse for reproducing the correspondence which passed between Lee and Grant, prior to the surrender. In my conversation with many of my old comrades I have found but few who ever saw it in print. If this be true, then very few there must be among our young people who have seen it. For their benefit I ask that you publish it. There is one historical fact, per- taining to the surrender, which I think all should know. It is this: the vast discrepancy in numbers and resources we were contending against at this particular time. On April the 10th, one day after the surrender, General Meade called to pay his respects to General Lee. The conversation natu- rally turned upon recent events, and he asked General Lee how many men he had at Petersburg, at the time of Grant's final assault. General Lee told him in reply that, by his last returns, he had 33,000 muskets. General Meade then said: "You mean that you had 33,000 men in the lines immediately around Petersburg." To which Lee replied, "No:" that he had but that number from his left in the Chickahominy, and to his right at Dinwiddie Courthouse. At this General Meade expressed great surprise, and stated that he then had with him, in one wing of the Federal army which he com- manded, over 50,000 men. Now, remember, General Lee had for months, kept up his line of defense before Richmond and Petersburg, a distance of more than thirty miles, with an army of 33,000 half-starved men, in the face of General Grant and his vast army of well-fed men. The last returns on March 1, 1865, of Grant's army, gives the total of all arms,
181
History of Prince Edward County
at 162,239 men. Col. Walter H. Taylor, who was Lee's Ad- jutant-General, says: "When General Lee withdrew his army from the lines during the night of the 2nd of April, he had of all arms, not over 25,000 men who began the retreat that terminated at Appomattox." Think of it! 25,000 men fighting and retreating before 162,000 and for several days succeeded in checking and driving back every attack, and at last with only 8,000 muskets in ranks, surrendered !
Charges were now withdrawn from the guns, flags furled, and the Army of the Potomac, and the Army of Northern Virginia, turned their backs upon each other, for the first time in four long, bloody years. The Southern soldiers, wrapped in faded, tattered uniforms, shoeless and weather- beaten, but proud as when they first rushed to battle, re- turned to their desolate fields; homes in many cases in ashes, blight, blast, and want on every side! Grand, glorious, and noble body of men, your deeds of bravery and self-sacrifice to duty and. your fair Southland, will go down the ages in history and in song, never, no never, to be forgotten ! ·
Now, Mr. Editor, as my task is drawing to its close, my heart throbs and thrills; again my blood courses rapidly through my veins as I hear in imagination the old Rebel Yell, and recall the many deeds of daring of my old and much-loved comrades in gray. How I love that grand old army and the noble band who filled its ranks! And it fills my heart with joy when I feel and know that we
"Who fold this love with rapture nearer our heart, Believe that some-where, some time, we will meet and never part."
182
History of Prince Edward County
LOCAL WAR HISTORY
The following very interesting paper was read before the Pickett-Thornton Camp, Chapter 16, of the Daughters of the Confederacy, at Farmville, Va., by the late Dr. James L. White, and reported in the Farmville, Va., Herald of July 9, 1897. Dr. White died June 26, 1909, aged 76 years, and lies buried in the Cemetery at Farmville. This very sug- gestive inscription is inscribed on his tombstone there: "The Beloved Physician."
At the request of some of the members of your organi- zation, and after reading the second letter from Prof. T. J. Garden, addressed to you, it has occurred to me that I might, from my personal recollection, add some items of interest and information to the history of the Confederate General Hos- pital, located at Farmville during the late war.
After participating as Surgeon in the celebrated cam- paign in the Valley of Virginia in 1862, I was ordered to report for duty to the surgeon in charge of the General Hos- pital at Farmville, and did so about the middle of Decem- ber of that year. I remained on duty at the General Hos- pital at Farmville until January '64, when I was transferred to field service and ordered to report to Gen. Longstreet, whose corps was then occupying the eastern portion of Tennessee. In the latter part of the spring of that year, Longstreet's corps was ordered to return again to Virginia, and I served as Brigade Surgeon to Bryant's brigade, of Kershaw's Division in the campaign of 1864, from the battle of the Wilderness to the front of Petersburg.
I remained with Longstreet's corps until the early fall of 1864, when I was again transferred to hospital duty at Lynchburg, and served as Surgeon in charge of one of the General Hospitals until February, 1865, when I was again
183
History of Prince Edward County
transferred to Farmville, and took charge of my old division in the General Hospital, and served in that capacity till the termination of the war.
Pardon me for alluding to this much of my war history. It is only referred to because, to some extent, it is connected with the history of the General Hospital at Farmville.
The General Hospital at Farmville was organized in the year 1862, under the supervision of the late Dr. H. D. Taliaferro, who was surgeon in charge from its organization to the termination of the war. Its capacity was about 1,200 or 1,500 beds, which were occupied chiefly by cases of chronic diseases, and convalescents from the hospitals in the cities, and others near the field of active operations.
The buildings used for hospital purposes were the sev- eral tobacco factories and warehouses in the town, which con- stituted the 1st and 2nd divisions, together with ten or twelve new wards erected, and located to the west of the corporate limits, and directly on the line of the N. & W. railroad, which constituted the 3rd division of the General Hospital.
Drs. Walton and Tuft were in charge, respectively, of the 1st and 2nd divisions, and I was assigned for duty in charge of the new wards, or the 3rd division. Those wards became the property of the United States at the surrender, and, after being occupied as hospitals, and deposits of dis- tribution of rations and other supplies to our indigent colored friends of this and the several adjacent counties, under the auspicies of the Freedman's Bureau for several years, were sold in 1870, or at the time this department was discontinued at Farmville. Soon thereafter they were all torn down and removed, with the single exception of the extreme western ward, which is even now, at this writing, partly intact, and used as a dwelling.
The office of the surgeon in charge of the 3rd division
1
184
History of Prince Edward County
and the dispensary (which was in charge of the late Mr. L. W. Williamson, a very competent druggist, who died a few years ago and is buried in the Farmville Cemetery), together with the bakery and the commissary department of that di- vision, are still standing and occupied as dwellings. They are the buildings in the rear of the residence and garden of our worthy fellow-citizen, ex-Governor Mckinney, on the south side of the N. & W. R. R., and were opposite the wards which were located on the north side, with their gables and main entrance fronting the road, and extending back in their length from 100 to 150 feet towards the river.
Dr. H. D. Taliaferro had been previous to the war, sur- geon in the United States Navy. He was a good organizer, a splendid executive officer, well up in his profession, an af- fable and kind-hearted gentleman, and well qualified for the position of Surgeon in charge of the General Hospital at Farmville to which he was assigned. After the close of the war he returned to his former home in Orange, Virginia, and after a few years went thence to Richmond, and finally re- turned to Farmvile, where he resided and practiced his pro- fession until his death, which occurred in January, 1891. He was buried in the Farmville Cemetery. The other sur- geons in charge of divisions were Dr. R. H. Walton, and Dr. Tuft respectively of the 1st and 2nd divisions. Each of the division surgeons had under their direction a number of assistant surgeons who had charge of the several wards in "the respective divisions. Among those associated with me in the 3rd division were Drs. Boatwright, Chandler, Mathews, Garden, Ladd, Grayson, etc. In the other divisions the ward surgeons were Drs. Carter, Boykin, Russell, Hancock, Tatum, and others whose names I cannot now recall. Revs. Os- born, Langhorn, and McIlwaine were Chaplains. The Quar- termaster and Commissary departments were in charge of Major R. B. Marye, with several assistants. It was a pleas- ant military family and every branch was in harmony, and
185
History of Prince Edward County
satisfactory to the citizens and refugees, of whom there were a great many temporarily residing in Farmville at that time.
There were none among us who at that time entertained any other idea than that the independency of the Confederacy would be ultimately established; but as time lengthened into years, we became more and more convinced that our cause was slowly but surely waning in its strength and resources, and that we had jeopardized our all, save honor and love of tradition and section, in the uncertain balances of war, which would end ere long in disaster to our homes and loved ones. We were not therefore, altogether surprised at the news which reached us on the 3rd of April, 1865, that the overwhelming Federal forces, which had been besieging Petersburg for nearly a year, had at last succeeded in break- ing through the attenuated lines of our half-clad, and half- fed Confederate heroes, driving them from their strong and fortified position in the front of that city and necessitating the evacuation of Richmond, which was the seat of the Con- federate Government.
Then began that sad, but stubborn and celebrated retreat of the Confederate forces which terminated in the surrender, on the 9th of April, at Appomattox Courthouse. The sad and terrible scenes witnessed during that short week of the retreat of the Confederates, and those which followed for many days and weeks thereafter, will long be remembered by the citizens of Farmville. Especially will be remembered the days of the 6th and 7th of April, for those were the days and nights our famished soldiers reached our town. All day and all night long the worn and weary column drag- ged its slow length through our streets; all day and all night long did our generous people, with open doors, distribute such provisions of food and comfort as they possessed, to this almost famished and heart-broken army.
Early in the morning of the 7th, I think it was, Gen-
186
History of Prince Edward County
eral Lee, weary and worn with loss of sleep and the great responsibility of his position, entered our town and, ascer- taining the whereabouts of Generals Breckenridge, Lawton, and St. Johns, respectively the Secretary of War, Quarter Master General, and Commissary General, who had spent the night, but not in sleep, at the residence of Mr. P. H. Jackson, held an interview with them. He remained but a short while and, after taking a CONFEDERATE cup of coffee, which was sent to his room, parted from those gentlemen at the yard gate. This, perhaps, was the last meeting, or official consultation, held betwen General Lee and any of the cabinet officers of the Confederate Government. Generals Brecken- ridge and Lawton turned their course toward Danville to join President Davis and the other members of the Cabinet, who had gone by rail directly from Richmond to Danville, and General Lee, in the opposite direction, crossing the bridge over the Appomattox river at this place, joined the Confederate column in Cumberland, which had been drawn up in line of battle from the point of woods near the railroad bridge crossing the hill near the Lithia Springs, thence across the old plank road near the toll house and be- yond the dwelling on the Bazarre plantation. The Federal column occupied the hills to the south and east of the town. At one time, early in the day, it was thought that a general engagement would take place, and the citizens were ordered to leave the town. Many of them, especially the women and children, did so, but there was nothing more than an ex- change of a few artillery shots between the two opposing lines of battle, which resulted in no damage, though some of the houses within the corporate limits were struck, and the marks of the shots may be seen on them even at this day. Later in the afternoon, that portion of the Confederate forces which had been engaged at the High Bridge, crossed to the north side of the river at that point, and after uniting with the main body opposite the town, took up again their
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.