LEE MONUMENT AT RICHMOND LIFE OF Robert E. Lee ^MIl^M ^^ ¥w^ ^ ii^S^"^ ^^^^i.^^^ .. ^^R ■' '''^S^i ^^^W^^'^^^-^ \ WmKm^ X ''^ LEE CHASING THE INDIANS talk with him. He made a speech in which he said he would trust Catumseh as long as he he- haved himself, but would hold the chief as a 34 LIFE OF EOBEKT E. LEE foe if lie did not behave himself. Catumseh gave an ugly grunt at this and said that as he had six wives he was a ''big Indian" ; Lee had only one wife and had ''better get more before he talked." Catumseh no doubt wished to have Lee's scalp, while Lee was not pleased with the boastful savage. Li June, 1856, Lee went out with four com- panies of his regiment to fight the Comanches, lout they could not be found. The wily Indians had fled to their desert retreats, where the feet of white men had never trod. Lee wrote Mrs. Lee from Camp Cooper: ''My Fourth of July was spent after a march of thirty miles in one of the branches of the Erazos, under my blanket, which rested on four sticks driven in the ground, as a sunshade. The sun was fiery hot, the air like a furnace, and the water salt; still my love for my country was as great, my faith in her future as true, as they would have been under better circum- stances." Another time he tells of a sudden change in THE CAVALEY OFFICEE 35 the weather: "I came here in a cokl nortlier, and though I pitched my tent in the most shel- tered place I could find, I found this morning, when getting up, my bucket of water, which was close by my bed, so hard frozen that I had to break the ice before I could pour the water into the basin." While Colonel Lee rode with his troopers from fort to fort, a sickness broke out among them from whicli nmny of them died. In an- other letter from Camp Cooper he tells of this : ''The great heat has made much sickness among the men. The children, too, have suffered. A bright little bo}^ died from it a few days since. He was the only child, and his parents were much grieved at his loss." He wrote home from Fort Brown, Texas: "Though absent, my heart will be in the midst of 3^ou; I can do nothing but love and pray for 3^ou all. My daily walks are alone, up and down the banks of the river, and my chief pleasure comes from my own thoughts, and from the sight of the flowers and animals I meet with here." 36 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE Lee was always thinking of that beautiful home of his at Arlington, so far away. A large 3t11ow cat, called Tom Tita, was one of the playmates of the childi'en there. This fact led Colonel Lee to write home about the cats he saw in his travels in the West. Once he wrote : TOM TITA "Did I tell 3^ou about Jim Xooks, Mrs. Waite's cat? He died. I foretold his end. Coffee and cream for breakfast, poundcake for luncli, turtle and oysters for dinner, buttered toast for tea, and Mexican rats, taken raw, for supper. He grew huge and ended in a spasm. His beauty could not save him. I saw in San Antonio a cat dressed up for compan}^ He THE CAVALRY OFFICER 3T had two holes hored m each ear, and in each were two bows of pink and bkie ribbon. His round face, set in pink and bkie, looked like a big owl in an ivy bush. He w^as snow white. His tail and feet were tipped with black, and his eyes of green were truly catlike." He wrote home at Christmas, 1856 : ''I hope you all had a joyous Christmas at Arlington, and that it may be long and often repeated. I thought of you and wished to be with you. Mine was silently passed. I tried to find some presents for the children in tlie fort and did better than I expected. ... I found a beautiful Dutch doll for little Emma, one of those crying babies that can open and shut their eyes ; for two other girls, handsome French tea- pots to match their cups. Then, with knives and books, I satisfied the boys. After tliis I W'Cnt to church; then. Major Thomas and I dined with the clergyman, Mr. Passmore, on I'oast turkey and plum pudding. God l:)less you aiir In the summer of 1857 Lee was made 38 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE colonel of his regiment. The next fall his father-in-law, G. P. Custis, died, leaving Lee to carry ont his will, which called for the free- ing of all his slaves in five years' time. Colonel Lee now went home for a short rest. After staying a while with his lovely wife, he returned to his post in Texas. It must have been far from easy for him to go back to the wild, hard life of the plains. There were then no railroads in that part of the country. The United States mail was carried on mules by armed soldiers, who rode swiftly across the prairies. Often they were slain by the Lidians, who would scalp them and leave their bodies to be found by the troopers as they chased the savages back to their retreats. Two years more were spent in Texas. Then, in October, 1859, we find Lee again at home, taking part in a great tragedy. John Brown, who had fought slavery in Kansas, planned to free the slaves in Virginia and rob the white people. With a body of men he tried to carry out his plot at Harper's rerr}^ on the Potomac 40 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE river, but the slaves would not give liim aid and the plan did not succeed. Colonel Lee was sent from Washington to Harper's Ferry with a company of soldiers to capture these bold men. He attacked the house which Brown and his band held and took it. Brown and those of his men who were not killed in the fight were tried and hanged. Who were these negro slaves that John Brown wished to free? The first negroes in this country were brought to Virginia by a Dutch vessel in 1619. They were sold to the planters and put to work in the corn and to- bacco fields. The slaves proved to be of such value that more of them were wanted. Many Northern people, finding that the}^ could sell black men at a profit, went to Africa for the purpose of hunting them. Large numbers of negroes were brought to America and sold to the people of the N'orth and South, though even then some persons thought it wrong to buy and sell human beings. Li Georgia it was for a time against the law to hold negro slaves. THE CAVALRY OFFICER 41 After a while it was found that the climate of the North was too cold for the blacks. It did not pay the people of the Xorth to keep them, so they ceased to buy slaves. In the warm climate of the South, more like that of Africa, the negroes did well and grew greatly in num- ber. The land was soon full of them. In 1 808 it was made unlawful to bring any more slaves from xlfrica to the United States. The people of the South, as well as of the North, were glad that the slave trade was stopped, and many people in all parts of the country wished to set the neorroes free. But this was a hard thino- to do. When the blacks first came from Africa they were heathen savages and some of them ate human flesh. In a few years, however, they learned the speech and customs of the white people, and, more than all, the worship of God. So we must remember tliat if there were evils in slavery, it also brought blessings to the black folk. At the time of John Brown's Raid tliei-e were four millions of negroes in the Soutli. The 42 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE slaves for the most part loved their masters, as we have seen was the case when John Brown tried to get them to attack the whites. They stayed at home, refusing to join him. For many years a feeling had been growing up in the T^orth that it was wrong to own slaves, and some of the Northern people had come to hate the South on this account. The Southern people knew that by the law of the land they had a right to own slaves. They claimed that the slaves were well-fed and well-treated and, for the most part, happy. The Southern States also thought that they had a ridit to leave the Union of States and set up a government of their own, if the Northern people would not leave them at peace because of slavers^ The T^orth denied this right to leave the Union, or secede. So the K'orth and South quarreled over slaver}^ and States' Rights mitil they came to the point of war. Lee went back once more to Texas after the Brown Eaid. He was much troubled over the state of the country. He loved the Union and THE CAVALRY OFFICER 43 had given most of his hf e to its service ; but he felt that Virginia and the South were in the right and that he could not fight against them. Lee was offered the connnand of the United States army if he would stay in the "Union" service. He knew that to go with the South meant the loss of rank and also of his lovely home, Arlington, but none of these things moved him. His only wish was to do his duty. He said to Francis P. Blair, who made him the offer of the command, that if he owned the slaves in the South he would set them free in order to save the Union, but that he could not draw his sword against Virginia. When Presi- dent Lincoln called for troops to use against the Southern States, Colonel Lee gave up his place in the United States arnw. His soul was w^'ung with grief but he obeyed the call of duty. He offered his stainless sword to Virginia. At the same time, Lee wrote his w'lie : "Tell Custis (his eldest son) he must consult his own conscience as to the course he may take. I do not wish him to be guided by my wdshes or ex- 44 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE ample ; if I have done wrong, let him do better. The present question is one which every man must settle for himself." Lee went at once to Richmond and was made major-general of the Virginia troops. His three sons also joined the Southern arm3^ In taking the command Lee said, ''I would have preferred that 3^our choice had fallen upon an abler man. Trusting in Almight}^ God, a good conscience, and the aid of my fellow-citizens, I devote myself to the service of m}^ native State, in whose behalf alone will I ever again draw my sword." Prai' rie: a vast, flat plain. Reg' i ment : a body of troops under a colonel. Sa' bers : swords with broad, curved blades. Se cede' : to leave. Trag' e dy : a play, or action, in which someone loses his life. What do you know about — Cavalrymen! Colonel Lee's life in Texas? The Comanche Indians? Catumseh? The negroes? John Brown? What Lee thought his duty to be? CHAPTEE IV The Confederate General The great War between the States at once began. The eleven Southern States which had left the Union made up the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as President. The Northern and Western States now formed the United States, and Abraham Lincoln was President. The first thought of the Northern- ers, or Federals, w^as to hold Washington, their capital cit}^ At the same time the South began to raise an army to defend Eichmond, wdnch was made the Confederate capital. In the Xorth a hundred thousand men joined the army within a few days. In the South the feeling was even deeper. Men rushed to arms from all parts of tlie country, and soldiers might be seen drilling everywhere. The South had fewer people tlian the North and mucli less wealth ; in the North there were eighteen million [45] 46 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE white people against six million in the South. The Southern people had no factories or ships. They lacked muskets, cannon, and everything else needed in making war. The Xorth. with its many factories, soon had guns and other supplies in plenty. The Federals wore a hlue uniform : the Con- federates were clad in gray. The two sides are, therefore, spoken of as th.e Blue and the Gray. The war opened at Charleston. South Caro- hna. on April 12. 18(31. The Confederates Jired on Fort Sionter, in Charleston harbor, which was held by Federal soldiers, and took it after a tight of thirty-four hours. Xo one was hurt on either side. The first blood of the war was shed in Balti- more, on April 19, ISlU. A Massachusetts regiment, as it passed through the city on its way to Washington, was attacked by a crowd of men who loved the South. In the street fight which followed several men were killed and many wounded. In the opening months of the war. General 48 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE Lee stayed in Eichmond, making the Confed- erate soldiers ready for battle. All around Richmond were camps where men were drilled and taught to fight. The largest of these camps was called ''Camp Lee," after the general. He did much to turn the great host of men into a trained army. In July, 1861, Lee was sent to take com- mand of the Southern troops in western Vir- ginia. Though the Confederates won the first battle of the war at Manassas (ma nas' sas) , things were not croln^ well for them in the mountains of Virginia. Heavy rains, bring- ing deep mud, and sickness among the soldiers of his small army, kept Lee from attacking the enemy as he had planned. At last it was thought best to give up western Virginia, and General Lee went back to Richmond. In November, 1861, he was sent south to build forts along the Georgia and South Caro- lina coasts. In four months' time he showed his i^reat skill as an enoineer, buildinof works which were of use throuo:li the whole war. 50 LIFE OF ROBEET E. LEE In the meanwhile a great Northern army, mider General McClellan, had reached the gates of Richmond, and Lee was ordered back to that cit}^ to plan the movements of the armies of the South. A battle was fought at Seven Pines, near Eichmond, on May 31, 1862, in which Joseph E. Johnston, the general in com- mand of the Southern army, was badly wounded. General Eobert E. Lee was put in his place. -^ Lee now showed what he could do. He was swift in planning and as swift in acting. His task was a hard one. The host of the North w^as just outside the city of Eichmond. The folk on the house-tops could see the light of their campfires and could plainly hear the roar of their cannon. But McClellan held back from attack day after day, waiting for more soldiers to join him. So Lee made ready to attack McClellan. He began to throw up earthworks and placed his men for battle. Every da}^ a fine looking man, clad in a neat gray uniform, might be seen riding along the Southern lines, THE CONFEDEEATE GENERAL 51 overlooking the work of his men. It was General Lee. Lee now wished to send some one to find out what was going on in the enemy's camp, and the riHit man for the task came forward. This o was J. E. B. Stuart, best known as Jeb Stuart, a cavalry general. He led his brave troopers all around the Federal army and found out what his chief washed to know. He w^as ever after this, until his death, the ^'eyes and ears' ^ of Lee. Stonewall Jackson, who had been winning battles in the A^alley of Virginia, came down to Eichmond with his brave troops, and Lee at once began the Seven Days' Battle, as it is called. For a whole week terrible fighting w^ent on along the Chickahominy river. This stream is only a few miles north of the James river and flows in the same direction. Lee at- tacked the part of the Northern army north of the Chickahominy at Gaines's Mill and drove it back. McClellan then began to fall back to the James river, followed hard by the 52 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE Confederates. At last he stopped at Malvern Hill, where Lee attacked him once more, but could not drive him from the steep hill covered with cannon. The Southern soldiers fought with the greatest braveiy, rushing up the hill- side in the very face of the guns, but they were driven back with heav}^ loss. The next day, however, McClellan I'etreated to the James river, where he had his gunboats to aid him. Eichmond had been saved by the skill of Lee and the valor of his men ; McClellan was very glad to escape with the loss of many of his soldiers. McClellan had been beaten, but another Fed- eral army now held the field in northern Vir- ginia. So Lee next marched north toward Washington to meet General Pope, the Federal commander. The Southern general made a bold plan to put the enemy to flight. He sent Stonewall Jackson on a long march of fifty-six miles around to the rear of Pope's army, while he himself prepared to attack Pope in front. Jackson's men marched so fast that they JACKSON, JOHNSTON, AND LEE 54 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE were called the "foot cavalry." They ate apples and green corn fi'om the fields as they moved along, for they had no time to stop and cook meals. 'No one but their leader knew w4iere they were going, but little cared they, for they trusted Stonewall Jackson and loved him. On the evening of August 26, 1862, Jack- son, with twenty thousand men, was between Pope and Washington city. Lee meanwhile w^as in front of Pope with the rest of the army, waiting for Jackson to complete his march. When he reached the rear of the Federal army, Jackson fell on Manassas Junction, capturing three hundred prisoners and many car-loads of food and clothes. After the, hungry soldiers had eaten all they wanted, they burned the rest and marched away. Jackson now took up a strong position not far from Manassas, and when the Federal troops came up, he was readv for them. Pope attacked him on August 29, and the battle lasted all day. The Federals charged time after THE CONFEDEEATE GENERAL 55 time, but they could not drive Jackson's men from their position. When the powder and balls gave out, the Southern soldiers fought with stones. • In the meantime 'Lee was coming to Jack- son's help. How eagerly through the long day Jackson looked for his chief! He had only twenty thousand men against three times that many. At last, late in theiafternoon, Lee came up with his troops and Jackson knew that the battle was won. Pope attacked again the next day (August 30 ) , and the united forces of Lee and Jackson rushed forward to meet him. It was a glorious sight. "As far as the eye could reach, the long gray lines of infantry with the crimson of the flags gleaming like blood in the evening sun^ came in ordered ranks across the battlefield." Pope's army was driven from the field, and his men did not stop their retreat until they stood safe behind the forts at Washington. In three months' time Lee had won two great victories and changed the course of the war. 66 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE In June, 18G2, Kichmond was in danger of capture; in September, Washington was in peril. It was now Lee's turn to attack the North. He crossed the Potomac river into Maryland, hoping to find supphes and new soldiers in that State. He hoped also to win a battle which might end the war. He sent Jackson to Harper's Ferry, where the Confederates captured twelve thousand Northern soldiers and vast supplies. Jackson then hurried to join Lee, who had taken up a position on the north bank of the Potomac river. Here, at Sharpsburg, or Antietam (an te' tam) , as it is often called, Lee again met McClellan's army in one of the most bloody battles of the war. The Southern leader had less than half as many men as McClellan. All da}^ long the Northern host pressed forward to the attack, only to fall back before the fire of the Southern line. Night found Lee still hold- ing his position, though many of his men had fallen. In some places the dead lay in long 68 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE lines, as if the soldiers were sleeping on their arms. After the battle Lee thouglit it best to return to Virginia, and McClellan did not follow him. The Southern army crossed the river without the loss of a gun or a wagon and rested near Winchester in the Valle}^ of Virginia. At the battle of Sharpsburg, a bo}^ mounted as a driver of horses pulling a cannon passed by General Lee. ''Are 3^ou going to send us in again, General?" asked the youth, whose face was stained all over with powder. Lee said that he was, and then, struck by the lad's voice, but not recognizing him, said, "Whose son are you r "Why, I'm Eobbie," said the boy. He was indeed General Lee's youngest son who was serving as a private soldier and bearing his' full share of the hardships of war. Lee might have given him high rank, but he cliose to make the young soldier win his way without favor. Li his tent near Winchester, Lee heard' of the death of his daughter Annie. She had been THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 59 his dearest child, and his grief was great. But lie wrote thus to Mrs. Lee: ''God in this, as in all things, has mingled mercy with the blow in selecting the one best prepared to leave us. May you be able to join me; in saying, 'His will be done!'" It was now McClellan's timx to attack. But he was slow to move — so slow that Pi'esident Lincoln sent him word to "cross the Potomac and give battle to the foe, and drive him south." As McClellan still did not move, Lee, who wished to fight again, sent Jeb Stuart over into Maryland to find out what he was doing. Stuart for a second time rode around the whole N'orthern army and came back safe to Virginia, having found out what Lee wished to learn. The Northern arni}^ a little later recrossed into Virginia. Lee moved his army from the Valley to Fredericksburg, on the Eappahan- nock river. General Burnside was now put at the head of the Federal army in place of McClellan, whom President Lincoln thought too slow. 60 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE Burnside at once marched toward Richmond. Lee placed his men on the heights above the Rappahannock, on the south side, ^Yhile Burn- side's host held the hills on the northern side. His cannon were posted so as to sweep the river and the plain beyond it. Burnside' s cannon fired on the town of Fredericksburg for a wdiole day to drive out the Southern soldiers. Cooke, a great writer, tells us that the houses w^ere soon on fire and a dense cloud of smoke hung over the roofs and steeples. Soon the red flames leaped up high above the smoke, and the people had to leave their homes. Hundreds of women and children wandered along the frozen roads, not knowing where to go. The Northern troops crossed the river on bridges of boats. At da3diglit on December 13, 1862, tlie battle began and was fought bravely by both sides. But Burnside's men had little chance, for thev had to charge against the heights held by the Southern soldiers, w^ho poured shot and shell into their ranks. LEE AT FREDERICKSBURG 62 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE "On tliey came," says an eye-witness, "as if on parade, their ba^^onets shining in the bright simligiit. On they came, waving their hun- dreds of Hags, which gave color to the dark blue columns of men and the brown winter landscape." The columns were broken and driven back with slaughter. When night came, thirteen thousand Xorthern soldiers lay dead or wounded on the plain. General Lee stood on a ridge, which is now called "Lee's Hill," and watched the scene. I'or a long time he was silent, gazing on the mass of men below him, and then he said in his deep, grave voice : "It is well that war is so terrible, or else we might grow too fond of it." Two nights later the Federal army retreated across the Rappahannock while a storm was raging. Fredericksburg was one of the worst defeats suffered by the Xortli in the war. It made the Southern people and the soldiers love and ad- mire Lee more tlian ever. In less than six months he had fought four o-rcat battles — all THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 63 victories except Sharpsburg, which was neither a victory nor a defeat. The Southern army was fiih of hope and courage. At Fredericksburg it had numbered only sixty thousand men, while Burnside had had more than a hundred thou- sand. Lee had lost five thousand men, less than half as many as the enemy. Lee grieved over the loss of his brave men, and foi; the good people of Fredericksburg, whose homes had been burned during the fight. He waited day after day for Burnside to attack again, but in vain. Burnside stayed on his side of the Eappahannock. At length Lee went into winter quarters in a tent at the edge of an old pine field near Fredericksburg. He was busy in getting ready to fight new battles when spring came. It was about this time that the general found a new pet. One day a number of chickens were sent to supply his table. Among them was a fine hen, which laid an egg before her head could be, taken off. The next day she laid another egg. Bryan, Lee's servant, saved her 64 LIFE OF ROBEKT E. LEE for the egg she laid each day m the general's tent. Lee would leave the door of the tent open for her to o^o in and out. GENERAL LEE'S HEN When the army moved, the pet hen roosted and rode on a wagon, and was an eye-whness of the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettys- burg. After the latter fight, she could not be found when orders were given for the return march. But at last she was seen perched on a THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 65 wagon, ready to go back to her native State. In 1864, when food began to grow more scarce and Bryan had nothing to set before guests, he killed the hen without tellhig Gleneral Lee. At dinner the general said that it was a very fine fowl, never dreaming that Biyan had killed his pet. Earty in 1863 Lee carried out his father-in- law's will. The slaves that Mr. Custis had owned were set free. Many of them had been carried oft' by Northern soldiers, yet Lee wrote out the deed and freed them by law. He had freed his own negroes years before and he never again was the master of a slave. The hopes of the Southern people rose high as the warm days came back in the spring of 1863. They had found a great leader in Lee,, who had proved too much for the Northern generals. It is true that there was want in the. Confederate army, but the men were cheerful. One half of the soldiers were in rags, and many were without shoes. Yet shoeless, hatless, ragged and starving, they followed Lee and C6 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE fought his battles. Their pet name for him was ''Marse Eobert." They knew that their great chief cared for them and would not send them into danger if he could help it. It was no fault of his that their food was scant and poor. They had learned to love and trust him. "Marse Eobert says so" was their battle-cry. Con fed' er ate : a Southern soldier in the War between the States. Fed' er al : a Northern soldier in the same war. Gal' lant : brave ; daring in fight. Mer' cy : goodness ; kindness. Po si' tion: place, as a place held by an army in a battle. Pres' i dent : the head of a free people. Tell about— The two governments. The first gun fired. The first blood shed. Camp Lee. Where General Lee was first sent. Job Stuart. Stonewall Jackson. The Seven Days' Battle. The Second Battle of Manassas. Sharpsburg. Fredericksburg. The will of Mr. Custis. The soldiers' love for Lee. CHAPTER V The Confederate General When the spring of 1863 came, the two armies were still in sight of each other on the opposite banks of the Eappahannock river near Fredericksburg. A new man, General Hooker, sometimes called ''Fighting Joe," had been put at the head of the Northern arn\y. He was the fourth general that President Lincoln had sent against Lee. Hooker's plan was to slip around Lee and get between him and Richmond. In this case Richmond would be taken, and the war might end then and there. To carn^ out his plan, Hooker crossed the Rappahannock with the main part of his army, twelve miles above Fredericksburg. The rest was left in front of the town to hold Lee there. But Lee was not fooled. He had watched his new foe, had found out his plans, and was ready for him. [07] 68 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE Hooker took up his position at Cl^aucellorsville near the river, .tee, in the midst of a cW forest, the battle was fought on May 2-4, 18bo Lee's plan of battle Nvas to send Stonewall Jackson around Hooker's army to attack hnn in the rear. Lee was to stay in front of Chan- cellorsviUe with the rest of his men, to keep the Federals from learning of Jackson's move. Earlv in the morning of May 2, 1863, Jack- son started on his march around Hooker. The day broke without a cloud, a perfect spring morning in the woods. The soldiers hurried on, knowing that some great plan was being carried out. General Lee stood on the road- side and watched them pass. Soon Jackson came along with his staff and reined in Ins horse beside Lee. The two generals talked together for a few minutes, after which Jackson rode on his way. This was the last meeting of Lee and Jackson. Jackson's men marched through the forest so swiftly and with so little noise that they came on Hooker's troops without being seen or heard. THE LAST MEETING OF LEE AND JACKSON 70 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE The Northern soldiers were cooking supper when the gray-jackets rushed like a thunder- bolt out of the woods and swept down on them. After a brief fight, they turned and fled. It was now nearly dark and Jackson rode forward to view the field. As he was return- ing he was shot by his own men. In the dim light they thought that he and his aids were a troop of :N'orthern cavalry. Jackson was struck in three places — in his right hand and twice in the left arm. He was placed in a litter and carried from the field. All care was taken of the great and good soldier, but he died a w^eek later. His last words were: ''Order A. P. Hill to prepare for action. Pass the in- fantry to the front. Tell Major Hawkes"— he stopped and then said, ''Let us pass over the river and rest in the shade of the trees." Thus died the famous Stonewall Jackson, the "right arm of Lee." Tor two days after Jackson was wounded, the fight raged with great fury. General Hooker was struck by a piece of wood split THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 71 off by a cannon ball and for a time was thought to be dead. Jeb Stuart took Jackson's place. He led his men into battle singing "Old Joe Hooker, won't you come out of the wilderness?" At last the bloody battle of Chancellorsville was won by the Southern soldiers, and Hooker's army w^as forced across the river to its old camp. Chancellorsville was Lee's greatest battle, but its glor}^ was clouded by Jackson's death. Lee wrote to his wife on May 11, 1863 : ''You will see that we have to mourn the loss of the good and great Jackson. I know not how to replace him, but God's will be done." In this battle Lee had onty fifty-three thou- sand men, one-third as many as Hooker. All the same he had won a great victor} . In June, 1863, Lee again crossed the Poto- mac. He had two reasons for this move. One was to get food for his men and horses; the otlier was to draw the Northern arni}^ from its strong forts around Washington city and de- feat it. 72 LIFE OF ROBEKT E. LEE Lee gave strict orders to his men not to rob and injure the people of the Xorth. A part of one of his orders reads: "The general thinks that no greater disgrace could befall an army than to harm the innocent and defenseless. . . . It must be remembered that we make war onl}^ upon armed men/' This order, in its noble, Christ-like spirit, will remain the "und^dng glory of Lee," for all his property had been taken by the Federals. His wife and daughters were homeless, yet he did not fail to return good for evil. The South- ern soldierS; in the enemy's country, troubled no peaceful folk and did no harm to the fields and homes. When Lee moved into Maryland, he sent Jeb Stuart on ahead to guard the right flank of his army and gain news of the foe. By some mishap, Stuart crossed the Potomac too far to the east and soon found the whole Federal army between Lee and himself. By hard riding and fighting, he at last joined Lee at Gettysburg, but not until the battle was half over. Thus STONEWALL JACKSON 74 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE Lee had been left without his ''eyes and ears," as we have called General Stuart, and did not know where the foe was. Xeither he nor Meade, the new Northern general who had taken Hooker's place, wished to fight at Gettys- burg ; the}' fell upon each other much like two men groping in the dark. The first two da^^s of the battle, July 1 and 2, 18G3, Lee's soldiers drove back the Federals. The Northern army, however, held a strong ridge south of Gettysburg, covered with can-^ non. Lee had to drive them from these hills to win the battle. On the third day, at one o'clock in the after- noon, Lee opened fire on the enemy's line with one hundred and fifty cannon. For two hours the air was alive with shells and the earth rocked with the noise. Then the Confederate battle line, more than a mile long, swept out toward the enenw. It was commanded by three generals, Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble. A thrill of wonder ran through the Federal army as the grand colunm of fifteen thousand men THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL T5 came up the slope of Cemetery Eidge witli its red battle-flags flying. Soon the gmis began to blaze alono^ the whole Northern line and great gaps were torn in the attacking column. When it drew nearer, the Federal foot soldiers rose and poured their fire in the faces of the Confederates, but the gray Hne still kept on. The column was broken, yet it did not stop. The Southerners reached the breastworks, took them with the bayonet, and planted their flags on them. Eor a moment the fate of the battle hung in doubt. But no other soldiers came to help the Confederates, while thousands of Fed- erals rushed down the hill and fell on them. They were forced back by weight of numbers. Most of those who were not killed or wounded were taken prisoner; few got back to tell the story. Lee's orders had not been carried out and, for the first time, he had been foiled. He had planned to attack early the day before, but there was a delay; thus Meade was given time to bring up great numbers of fresh troops. When night came after the great battle, the T6 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE stars looked down upon a field covered with dead and dying men, and also upon a sad gen- eral. Lee took the blame of the failure on Inm- self, though it was not his fault. He afterward said to a friend, "If I had had Stonewall Jack- son at Gettysburg, I would have won a great victory.'' All day after the battle, Lee waited for a Federal attack ; but none was made. As he had but little powder and shot left, he thought it wise to return to Virginia. After burying the dead, Lee was ready to move. In a storm of wind and rain, Lee's army started homeward. There were long trains of w^ounded and prisoners, and the march was- slow. At last the army I'eached the Potomac river to find it too high to ford. Calm and brave, Lee sent his wounded over in boats and made ready for Meade. But Meade was in no mood to attack; he came up slowly. In the meantime the river ha d been falling. On July 1 3 the Confederates began to cross the river, and bv the next nidit they were safe in Yirmnia. LEE ON TRAVELLER AT BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG 78 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE It was during this retreat that Lee heard of the capture of his son, General W. H. F. Lee. The battle of Gettysburg is looked on as the greatest of the war. The Southern army did not lose heart because it had failed to win a victory, but the men killed there could not be replaced. The South had sent forth all her fighting men and had no more to give. The rest of 1863 passed without another great battle. Lee's chief care was to get food for his men and watch Meade, who would not attack liim. About this time the city of Eich- mond made Lee a present of a house. This lie kindly but firmly refused to take: he begged that such means as the city might have to spare be given to the families of poor soldiers. Late in Xovember, Meade advanced toward Lee, who had built strong forts at Mine Eun near the Eapidan river. Meade, finding the forts too strono" to attack, withdrew in the nio-ht without fighting. The beginning of 1864 found the South facino' a doomv future. The armv was smaller THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 79 tlian before and in need of eveiy thing; the Northern army was larger than ever and well- fed and well-clad. Still another general was sent against Lee. This was Ulysses S. Grant, who had won some great victories in the West and was now in command of all the Xorthern armies. The North felt that it had at last found a general who could beat Lee. Grant's army numbered one hundred and twenty-five thousand men. A wagon train sixty-five miles long was needed to carry sup- plies for this great host. To oppose it Lee had onlv sixty-two thousand soldiers. But Lee's men trusted him as of old and looked forward to new victories. With his great aimy, Grant crossed the Eap- idan river and moved foi*^'ard to give battle. Lee, however, did not wait for Grant; he ad- vanced and met the Northern army in a place called the Wilderness. This was a vast forest full of tangled underbrush, and with only a few narrow roads runnino^ throuo-h it here and there. It was a bad place for a battle, for no 80 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE man could see more than a few yards aromid him. It suited Lee to fight here because the thick woods made Grant's cannon and horse- men of no use, while it was hard for hun to move his masses of foot soldiers. Grant did not know that Lee's men were so near. But when they attacked him in the forest,, he had to give battle. For two days, May 5 and 6, 1864, nearh^ two hmidred thousand sol- diers in blue and orav fouoht breast to breast in the thickets. Men fell and died miseen, their bodies lost in the bushes and their groans; drowned in the roar of battle. In the midst of the struggle, the woods, caught on fire and many of the wounded were bunied alive. At the close of the first day's, battle, Lee had taken a part of the enemy's, breastworks and had struck Grant a heavy blow. He was in great danger himself, how- ever, for Longstreet with a part of the army had not j^et reached tlie field. Without it, Lee's' amw was too small to hold its own against the Northern host. THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 81 The battle began again at daylight on May 6. The Federals charged, and for a time pressed Lee hard. At last Longstreet's men came on the field, hm'rying forward against the foe. As some troops from Texas passed LEE TO THE REAR ! Lee, he put himself at their head to lead the charge. "Hurrah for Texas!" he cried. But the soldiers, fearing for their general, began to shout, ''Lee to the rear!" A gray-haired Texan seized his bridle, saying, "General Lee, if you do not go back, we will not go forward!" So 82 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE Lee reined in his horse and the brave Texans swept on to victory. Grant's army was at last driven back with terrible loss, and it seemed as if he were about to suffer a great defeat. At this moment Long- street was wounded by the fire of his own men, just as Jackson had been a year before, and the Confederates halted. Night found Grant still holdino- his o-round; but his armv had been badly shaken and had dug new breast- works for shelter. On the morning of May 7, both Grant and Lee failed to attack. That night Grant marched toward Spotsylvania Courthouse, hoping to get between Lee and Richmond. But Lee guessed his plan and began to move his army rapidly. When the front of Grant's army came to the courthouse next morning, it found Lee's men behind breastworks ready to fight. Lee still stood between Grant and Richmond. By even- ing the two armies faced each other along the Po river. Here the breastworks they threw up may yet be seen. THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 83 For twelve days Grant made attack after attack on Lee's breastworks. At firs^t he w^as beaten oft' with great loss. But early in the morning of May 12, his masses tore a hole in Lee's line and came pouring through by thou- sands. The Confederates behind the broken first line ran forward to check the Federals and a most terrible fight took place. So heavy was the firing that trees w^re cut down by bullets alone. The trenches ran with blood, and the dead and wounded were piled high on one an- other. Though Grant held Lee's first line, he could not break through the second. The little army in gray stood as firm as the momitains, barring his way. Early in this figlit, when the Southern army was for a time in great danger. General Lee again rode to the front to lead the charge. Genei-al Gordon of Georgia, dashing up, said to him: 'These are Virginians and Georgians who have never failed you. Go to the rear. Gen- eral Lee." 8-i LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE Then Gordon said to the men, ''Must General Lee lead this charge?" "No, no!" they cried; "we will drive them back if General Lee will go to the rear." With the cry of "Lee to the rear," they rushed on and drove back the Federai troops. While the battle raged, Grant had sent his cavalry general, Sheridan, on a raid toward I^ichmond. A fierce battle was fought at Yel- low Tavern, in which Jeb Stuart was so badly- wounded that he died the next day. Alas far Lee ! Jackson and Stuart were now both gone. Grant again turned to the left, trying to get between Lee and Eichmond. Lee moved to the North Anna river to block him. While Grant was once more trying to flank him, Lee took position at Cold Harbor, where one of tlie fights of the Seven Days' Battle had been fought two 3'ears before. 'Grant attacked at daylight. But his men were shot down by thousands and could not reach the Southern breastworks. Lee's loss was small. A second attack was ordered, but the THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 85 IN^orthern troops wouUr not move forward. About thirteen thousand of them had been killed or wounded in less than an hour, and they could no longer stand the awful fire. We are told by Gleneral Fitzhugh Lee that the Confederates were hungry and mad. One cracker to a man, with no meat, was a luxury for the soldiers. A poor fellow who had his cracker shot out of his hand before he could eat it, said, 'The next time I'll put my cracker in a safe place down by the breastworks where it won't get wounded, poor thing!" So ended the famous battles from the Wilder- ness to Cold Harbor. Grant had lost about sixty thousand men; Lee about twenty thou- sand. Grant had failed, too, in his effort to pass Lee and reach Eichmond. After a month of terrible slaughter, he had gone foi*^ ard for some miles, and that was all he had gained. What should he do next? Wliile Lee and Grant were facing each other on the Xorth Anna, another Federal general, Sigel, had moved up the Valley of Virginia. It 86 LIFE OF ROBEKT E. LEE was his part in Grant's plan to cross the moun- tains and come east to attack Lee's flank. But Sigel was met at Ne^-market, on May 15, 1864, hy General Breckenridge, with five thousand troops ; among them was a band of cadets from the Virginia Mihtary Institute at Lexington. These boys fought hke heroes, fifty of them being killed or wounded. Sigel was sent hurry- ing back down the Valley and Breckenridge marched to the help of Lee. Grant's next move was his best. He feared to attack Lee again and he could not get around him. So during the night of June 12, 1864, his army began to cross the James river and to march toward Petersburg, a city twenty-one miles south of Eichmond. The railroads which ran into Eichmond from the south passed through Petersburg. B}^ capturing this place, therefore. Grant would cut off Eichmond from the Southern States and it would fall. General Beauregard (bo' regard) held Petersburg with about two thousand men. On June 15, Grant attacked the handful with eigh- THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 87 teen thousand troops. Beauregard, however, held this force in check until aid reached him. Lee soon came to his help with his arm^^ Grant, having lost ten thousand men, began to dig trenches and build forts to protect his soldiers while he laid siege to Petersburg, the key to Eichmond. Lee had to defend both Richmond and Petersburg, with lines thirty-five miles long, against Grant's army, twice the size of his own. In fact. Grant had all the men he called for, while Lee's ranks were thin and the soldieri^ he lost could not be replaced. His men were starving, too. A small scrap of bacon and a little flour or meal was all that each soldier had as a day's ration. In this stress it is said that Lee thought it would be best to give up Eichmond and go South to join the Confederate army there. We do not know the tmth of this. At any rate, he did not go, but set to work to make his lines stronger and to find food for his soldiers. One of his great cares was to keep Grant from get- 88 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE ting hold of the raih-oads which brought sup- plies to his army from Georgia and other parts of the South. Food and all other things were now very scarce in the country. Prices rose to a point never dreamed of before. Elour sold for two hundred and fifty dollars a barrel; meal, fifty dollars;" corn, forty; oats, twent^^-five dollars a bushel. Brown sugar cost ten dollars a pound; coffee, twelve dollars; tea, thirty-five — and such things were hard to get at these prices. Calico sold at thirty dollars a yard, and lead pencils at a dollar apiece. Women w^ore dresses made of cloth spun, woven, and dyed by their own hands. Thorns were used for pins and hairpins, and shoes were made wath wooden soles. Hats were plaited out of wheat straw and sewed into slia])e. In spit(^ of the hard times, however, the Southern people did not lose courage. All food that could be spared was sent to Eichmond for the army. Time after tune Grant made attacks on Lee's w^orks, but in vain. The shells from Grant's THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 89 big giins fell in the city of Petersburg, bursting in the streets and making the people flee for their lives. One day as General Lee was sitting on a chair under a tree at his headquarters, the bul- lets flew so thickly about him that his aids begged him to seek a safer place. At last he mounted his horse and rode away. A moment later a gay 3^oung soldier sat down in his chair and tilted it back, saying, ''I'll see if I can fill Lee's j)lace for a while." Just then a buUet struck the front round of the chair and cut it in two. If Lee had remained in the chair with- out tilting it, he might have been badly hurt. All thanked God for his escape. On June 22, 1864, the Confederates under General Mahone made a sally from their trenches and gave the Federals a great surprise. The latter fled back to their lines, and the Con- federates brought off two thousand prisoners, four cannon and eight flags. On the same day there was a cavalry fight at Eeams's Station. The !N"orthern horsemen were put to flight, with 90 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE the loss of twelve guns and one thousand men. In the meantime Grant was building earth- works and forts and trying various plans to beat Lee. From a place in his own lines he had a tunnel dug until it reached under one of the Confederate forts. The end of this hole was filled with a blast of eight thousand pounds of powder. His plan was to blow a hole in Lee's earthworks and then rush in with a large body of troops and take Petersburg. Lee knew that the Federals w^ere digging the mine and had a line made in the rear of his trenches. Cannon were placed here so as to fire across the breach when the mine went off. At this time there were only thirteen thousand men in the trenches at Petersburg. Lee had been forced to send some of his troops to the north of the James river to check a move which Grant was making on purpose to draw off his forces from the mine. At dawn on July 30, 1864, the blast of pow- der was fired. There was a great roar and three hundred Southern soldiers, with masses of 92 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE earth, stones and logs, were thrown high in the air. X great hole one hundred and thirty-five feet long, ninety feet wide and thirty feet deep had been made in the ground where the Con- federate fort stood. Those near the spot were stimned by the slioek. Grant's cannon at once opened fire all along the hue, and bodies of troops, waiting behind the Federal breastworks, rushed into the gap. They found a deep pit at their feet and halted. B}^ this time the Confederates had gained their wits and began to fire. The storm of shot and shell foi'ced the Federals down into the pit, or crater, for shelter. Body after body of them, sent forward to the charge, lialted in the crater or ran back to their own lines. Two hours had passed and the Xortliern troops still crowded the crater, where the Con- federate fire played on tliem. N'egro soldiers were now sent forward in great numbers. The}^ came on bravely until the}^ felt the full fire of the Southern guns ; then they, too, huddled in the pit. The crater was filled with a tangled thp: confederate general 93 mass of wounded and struggling men, upon whom the shot kept on pouring. General Lee at length reached the spot. By his orders, General Mahone charged the Fed- erals, who had just begun to move forward from the crater. There was a fierce hand-to- hand fight, but the Federals were quickly forced back. All honor is due the handful of men who so bravely held the breach until help came ! At last a white flag went up from the crater, showing that there were soldiers still alive in the pit and that they were willing to give up. In the ''Battle of the Crater," Grant lost about five thousand men and Lee perhaps a fifth as manv. The pluck and skill of Lee and a few of his troops had upset Grant's well-laid plan and showed wliat these heroes could yet do after years of toil and l)attle. Lee now thought tliat he would send soldiers to threaten Washington. In this way he miglit force Grant to move troops to aid the capital and o^ive him a chance to hurl back the Federal 94 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE host from Eichmond. So lie sent General Earlv down the Valley of A^irginia mto Mar^^land with only ten thousand men. They marched swiftly, and on July 9, 1864, met General Lew Wallace at Monocacy Bridge. After beating Wallace and taking from him tw^o thousand men, Early marched on to Wash- ington. On July 10, his troops made thirty miles and on Juty 11 were in front of Wash- ington. But his force was too small and too much w^orn out to attack the great forts around the city. He coolh^ waited in front of Wash- ington all day, and at night, after a fight with Federals sent out to attack him, went back to Virginia. This raid of Early's did not move Grant. He left President Lincoln to take care of Wash- ington, keeping most of his men massed in front of Lee's lines. A little later the Federal general Sheridan passed up the Valley after Earh% doing great harm to tlie country. He burned two thousand barns filled with wheat and hav and seventy THE COXFEDERATE GENERAL 95 mills full of flour. He also drove off and killed four thousand head of cattle. His boast was that "if a crow wants to fly down the VaUey, he must carry his food along." This was a part of the plan to starve and crush Lee. Much of the flour and wheat w^liich fed the army came from the Valley. On August 18, 1864, Grant at last got hold of the Weldon railroad which brought supplies from the South. Its loss was another great blow to Lee. In the fall of the year, wdien meat was very scarce in the Southern army. General Wade Hampton of South Carolina learned that a large drove of beeves was in the rear of Grant's lines. He asked Lee to give him leave to take some of his horsemen and try to drive out the cattle. Lee at last told him to go, but urged him to take great care not to be caught. The cavalry started early and w^ere w^ll on their way when day broke. They rode on until dark, when they halted in a road overhung by the branches of trees. Here they slept. Just 96 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE at dawn they sprang to their saddles and with the well-known Southern 3TII rushed into the camp of the foe. The Federals made a good fight for their meat, but at last fell back; the Confederates captured and drove out more than two thousand beeves. These they brought safely to camp, after having two fights and rid- ing one hundred miles. The meat was a great treat to Lee's men and the cause of much fun. Lee's lines were so close to Grant's in some places that the men would often call across to each other from the trenches. The Federals nicknamed the Confederates Johmiy Kebs, while the Confederate name for the Federals was Billy Yanks. On the day after the beef raid, one of Grant's men called out: ''I say, Johnny Reb, come over. I've got a new blue suit for 3"ou." "Blue suit ?" growled Johnny. "Yes," said the Federal; "take off those greasy butternut clothes. I would if I were you." "jS^ever you mind the grease, Billy Yank,'^ THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 97 drawled the Confederate. ''I got that oufii them beeves o yoiirn!^ Pop ! went the Federal's gun, and the Con- federate was not slow to pop back at him. As fall passed into winter, General Lee's life was more and more filled with care. Xo sooner was one attack on his lines over than another began, and his army was daih^ growing thinner. He lived in a tent and went down to the trenches himself to see how his men were get- ting on. An old soldier says that the general came into the trenches one day when the firing was quite rapid. The men dared not cheer lest they draw a hotter fire from the foe, but they crowded around him and begged him to go back. He calmly asked after their health and spoke words of hope. Then he walked over to a big gun and told the heutenant to fire, so that he might see its range and work. The officer said, with tears in liis eyes, ''General, don't order me to fire this gun while you are here. The enemy will open fire over there with all those big guns <)S LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE and you will surely get hurt. Oo back out of range and I will lire all day." Lee was greatly touched by this and went back, when the men quickly lired the huge gun. WAR MAP OT VIRGi:>IA The winter of lSt34-"t35 was a sad one for Lee and the Soutli. The general needed not only more troops, but food for those he had. Many soldiei-s died from cold and want : there were no men in the land to take their places. The corn and wheat of the South had been THE COXFEDEEATE GENERAL 99 burned and the cattle killed by the Xortliern armies. The people sat down to empty tables and had no food to send their soldiers. Mrs. Lee, in her sick chair in Eichmond^ "with large heart and small means," knit socks, which she sent to the barefooted men in the arnw. On January 10, 1865, General Lee wrote her: "Yesterday three little girls walked into my room, each with a small basket. The eldest had some fresh eggs, the second some pickles, and the third some popcorn, which had grown in her garden. . . . They had with them a young maid with a block of soap made by her mother. They were the daughters of a Mrs. Xottingham, a refugee from Xorthampton county. ... I had not had so nice a visit for a long time. I was able to fill their baskets with apples, and begged them to bring me nothing hereafter but kisses, and to keep the eggs, corn, etc., for themselves," Li his rare visits to Eichmond in wartime,. General Lee greatly enjoyed a glimpse of his. 100 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE family. He would cast aside his cares and amuse himself by teasmg Mrs. Lee. He often called her "Miss Mary," and would sometimes laughing speak to his daughters as ''Miss Mil- dred," or ''Miss Agnes." "Miss Mary," he would say to Mrs. Lee, "why don't you wear your dresses longer, as is the fashion? I look at the prett}^ girls in town, and they all wear their dresses long. If you don't lengthen yours, I shall have to walk with the pretty girls." By the spring Lee's men were ragged and starving and there were now far fewer of them than ever. On April 1, 1865, at Five Forks, the left wing of Grant's great army swept around the right of Lee's lines and made him give up Eichmond and Petersburg. He now tried to march south to join General Joseph E. Johnston. While the Southern troops were leaving Eichmond, the warehouses in the city were set on fire to keep them from falling into the hands of the foe. The fire spread, and Mrs. Lee's house was in danger of being burned. Friends THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 101 came in to move her to a place of safety, but she did not wish to go. The fire had no terror for her, for she thought of her husband with his army of starving men marching with their ''faces turned from Eichmond." While the fire was raging, the Federal army, with waving flags and sounding music, marched into the city and stacked arms in the grounds of the Capitol Square. In the meantime, Lee was moving toward •Amelia Courthouse. He had ordered meat and bread for his men to be sent to this place on trains. But when he got to Amelia, he found that the trains had been sent elsewhere. Now real want set in for his army. The men had nothing to eat but corn, which they would parch at night and eat as they marched along the next day. Lee's plan was to march south and join Gen- eral Johnston, but time had been lost in trying to get food, and Grant's hosts were near at hand. Lee kept on falling back toward Lynch- burg, but at last he found Grant's vast army all 102 LIFE OF EOBFKT E. LEE aroiiiul hiiii. Piiuliiig tliat he eoiild not escape, he surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court- house, on April 0, ISIk""). Lee had only cioht thousmul men with him under arms, while the Xorthern army numhered about tiro hundred thousand. In this way the great war ended. In all these battles of which you have been told. General Lee had not been really defeated : but he had to give up at last Weause he had no more men and no more food. The Xorthern generals were given all the men and food they asked for, as the Xorth had the w hole earth to draw from. The Soutli was shut ot! from the rest of the world by Northern warships; thus it could not get suppHes or other help from outside lands. Ltv did all that genius and courage coidd do against heavy odds : he was, without doubt, the greatest commander of his time. Colonel Tenable, an officer of Lee's staff. Siiys: '*^Vlien I told General Lee that the troops in front were not able to fight their way out, he said, 'Then, there is nothing left for me THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 103 but to go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths.' " Another officer says that when Lee was thinking of surrender he exclaimed, "How easily I could get rid of all this and be at rest I I have onty to ride along the lines and all will he over. But," he added quickly, ''it is our duty to live, for what will become of the women and children of the South, if w^e are not here to support and protect them?" Some of the officers spoke out against sur- render: ''Oh! General, what will they say of us?" they asked. "Yes, I know they will say hard things of us," Lee replied. ^'They will not understand how we were overwhelmed by numbers, but that is not the question. The question is, is it rigid to surrender this army. If it is right, I will do it." So, with a heart bursting with grief, he once more did his dutv. He arranored a meetino- wdth General Grant in order to make terms of surrender. 104 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE Grant was kind to Lee and his men. These gave up their firearms, but all who had horses were allowed to take them home "to work their little farms." Grant did not ask for Lee's sword, nor did Lee offer it to him; Lee's men w^ere not required to stack their guns between ranks of Federals, with flags flying and bands playing. The soldiers simply went to places pointed out to them and laid down their guns. The officers then signed a parole not to flght against the United States. All were then free to go back to their homes, which in some cases had been burned ; ruin and want were on every side. Grant did not go to Lee's camp or to Rich- mond to exult over the men who had so often met him in battle. He rode back to Wasliing- ton with his staff soon after the surrender. Before going, he sent Lee a large quantity of rations for his men, who had liad nothing to eat for sometime but parched corn. When all was over, Lee rode out among his troops. The soldiers pressed toward him, eager THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 105 to "touch his person or even his horse," while tears ran down their powder-stained cheeks. He said to them, slowly : "Men, we have fought the war together. I have done the best I could for you. My heart is too full to sav more." AFTER THE SURRENDER AT APPOMATTOX Then in silence, with lifted hat, he rode through the weeping ranks toward his home in Richmond. His face was calm and thoughtful as he went his way. He was more concerned about the condition of the poor people of the South than about his own bad fortune. 106 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE All along the road the people were glad to see liim and gave hun of what they had to eat. He was so much touched by their love for him that he would say, ^'These good people are kind — too kind. They do much more than they are able to do for us." At a house, wliich he reached at nightfall, a woman wished to give hmi a good bed to sleep in; but, shaking his head kindly, he spread his blanket on the floor and slept there. When he came to stop at the home of his brother, Charles- Carter Lee, he left the house at night and slept in liis old black amiy wagon. He could not at once give up the habits that he had formed as a sokher. When he ariived in Eichmond, a sad sight met him. In the great fire of April 3, a large part of the city had been burned, and as he rode up Main street he saw nothing but masses of black ruins. At once the news flashed tlirough the city that General Lee had come. The people crowded the streets to welcome him, showing THE CONFEDERATE GENERAL 107 by cheers and the wavmg of hats and handker- chiefs how much they loved hhn. He remained for a time in Eichmond, but he longed to be alone with his family somewhere in the countr}^ Lee needed rest and did not wish to see visitors. He had fought for the South, which had failed to gam the victory. He thought that it was now the duty of eveiy good man to avoid hate and to do all in his power to build up the waste places of tlie countiy. For forty years Lee had been a soldier, and for the first time since manhood was in private life. He greatly enjo3Td the company of his w^ife md children after four years of constant w^ar, and as long as he kept his parole he was thought to be safe. Steps were taken, how- ever, to bring him to trial for treason ; but Gen- eral Grant told the President that his honor w^as pledged for Lee's safety and that he wished the Southern general let alone. Grant's request was heard and there was no trial. After a time the Lee family left Eichmond for the quiet of Powhatan county, wdiere the 108 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE summer of 1865 was passed. Here, amidst pleasant farming scenes, the Southern hero took the rest he so much needed. G^n' ins : great ability. Hurl : to throw \rith force. Siege : the act of besetting, or snrroimdiiig. a fort or city. Sur ren' der : the act of giving np to another. "What do yon remember abont — Chancellorsville ? The death of General Jackson! Gettysbnrg? The Wilderness ? ''Lee to the Eear"! Cold Harbor? The Siege of Eichmond and Petersburg? The Snrrender? General Grant's kindness. CHAPTEE YI The College President In October, 18G5, General Lee became the President of Washington College, at Lexing- ton, Virginia. Many other places of trnst were offered him ; he dechned them all. As he had led the youth of the South in war, he now chose to direct tliem in the paths of peace and learning. Lee rode on his gray warhorse, Traveller, from Powhatan county to Lexington in four days. When he drew rein in front of the vil- lage inn, an old soldier who knew him gave the military salute; then he took hold of the bridle with one hand and tlie stirrup with the other, and held them while the general dis- mounted. Lee at once began his new duties. He took the oath of office, on October 2, 1865, before a justice of the peace. The general was dressed [109] 110 LIFE OF ROBEKT E. LEE in a plain suit of gray and lie folded his arms as he listened calmly to the reading of the oath. The great soldier was now a college presi- dent. His new work was not a light one, and he felt its importance. "I have," said he, '^a task which I cannot forsake." The college had lost much through the war and had to he huilt up in eveiy way. But Lee's presence brought 3'oung men to Lexington from all parts of the South; some of his former soldiers came to study under him. He set to work with skill and zeal and the college felt that a great man was leading it. It has been said that ''Suns seem larger when they set." This was true of Lee. At no time of his life did he appear nobler and grander than in the closing period. In his quiet study, away from the noise of the world, he gave his time and talents to the youth of his own loved South. His earnest wish was to make Wash- ington College a great seat of learning, and to this end he worked and planned. In March, 1866, he went to Washington as THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT 111 a witness before a committee of Congress which was looking into the state of things in the South. This was Lee's first visit to any of the large cities since the war, and it caused much talk. His nephew, Fitzhugh Lee, tells us that the day after his return from Washington, he asked one of his daughters to go walking with him. She said in fun that she did not admire the new hat he was about to put on. "You do not like my hat?" he said. ''Why there were a thousand people in Washington the other day admiring it." This was the only time that he spoke of the crowds of people who gathered to look at him while he w^as in the city. The home life at Lexington was beautiful. Mrs. Lee was bound to her room b}^ ill health, but her husband brought onh^ bright things into her chamber. He let no one touch her chair w^hen he was near, — to push her around was his sacred privilege. "Mrs. Lee," he said one day as he stood be- hind her chair, "I have such a nice thing to tell you to-day. I have had a letter from one of 112 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE 'my bo3^s' and he tells me that he is going to be married, and that he wishes me to give his wife the most beautiful bridal present that a woman could desire. He w^ants me to waite her a letter and sign it with mv name." It might be asked whether General Lee was content in his quiet home after the stirring days of the war. This was what he wrote a friend : 'Tor my own part, I much enjoy the charms of civil life, and find, too late, that I have wasted the best years of my life." There was no bitterness in Lee's heart, and he had much humor. Once, when asked how a certain student was getting along, he said, "He is a very quiet and orderly young man, but he seems very careful not to injure the health of his father's son. N'ow, I do not want the young men to injure their health, but I want them to come as near it as possible." Lee's deep religious feeling was shown in many wws. Seeing that the college chapel was not large enougli, he began to plan for a new one. He chose a site in front of the colleo-e lU LIFE OF EOBEKT E. LEE buildings, so that the chapel might be in fitll Tiew. He had the plans for it made imder bl- own eye and he did not rest imtil the chapel was finished and opened for the senice of God. It is in this building that his body rests. Early in 1870, in the midst of these labors, Lee's health began to fail. There was a flush on his cheek and an air of weariness about him which alarmed his friends. Khetunatism of the beart had set in, and in March, 1870, he went south ''to look upon other scenes and enjoy tlie breezes in the 'land of sim and flowers.' '' His datighter Agnes traveled with him. On this trip he once more went to see his father's tomb on the island oS the Georgia coast. He placed fresh flowers on the grave, which was in good order, though the hotise nearby had been bimied and the island laid waste. He also visited the grave of his daugh- ter Annie at Warrenton, Xorth CaroKna. Lee's health seemed better on his return bome. The change did not last long. His step soon giew slow again, and the flush on his THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT 115 cheek began to deepen. "A noble life was drawing to a close." On the morning of October 12, 1870, the news flashed over the wires that Eobert E. Lee was dead. He had taken cold at a vestry meet- ing in the damp, cold church. The meeting had been a long one. Among many things talked over was the minister's salar3\ Fifty-five dollars were needed to make it up. Though Lee had already given his full share, he said in a low voice, "I will give the sum." These words were the last he spoke in public, and this giving was his last act. He had become chilled in the church and when he reached home was too ill to speak. Mrs. Lee wrote thus of his last hours : "M}^ husband came in while we were at tea and I asked him where he had been, as we had waited some time for him. He did not rej^ly, but stood up as if to say grace. Xo words came from his lips, but with a sad smile he sat down in his chair." The family saw that he was very sick. A 116 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE bed was at once brought to the dining-room and the doctors were sent for. At first he grew better, but soon a change came for the worse. He rarely spoke except when sleeping, and then his thoughts were with his soldiers on the "dreadful battlefields." lOnce when General Custis Lee said some- thing about his getting well, he shook his head and pointed upward. AYlien his doctor said to cheer him, ''How do you feel to-day. General?" Lee said slowly, "I feel better." The doctor then said, ''You must make haste and get well. Traveller has been standing so long in the stable that he needs exercise." The general made no repty, but shook his head and closed his eyes. Once or twice he put aside his medicine, saying, *'It is no use." On October 10, about midnight, he was seized with a chill and his pulse grew feeble. The next day he was seen to be sinking. Among his last words w^re, "Tell Hill he must come up!" A little later he was unable to speak, though he knew those about him. Soon after THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT llT nine o'clock on the morning of October 12, 1870, lie closed his eyes on earthly things and his soul took its flight. The college chapel was chosen by Mrs. Lee as the burial place for her husband. October 13 was fixed on as the time for moving the body to the chapel, where it was to lie in state until October 15, the date for the burial. At the hour named, a long procession was formed. Old soldiers made an escort of honor. After them came the hearse, with the clergy and twelve pallbearers. Behind the hearse Lee's iron-gray warhorse was led by two old soldiers. Then followed a long line of students, cadets, and people. The body was laid in state in the college chapel, where the people might pass by and look on the face of the great soldier. Rare flowers covered the coffin. The chapel was' placed in charge of a guard of honor made up of college students, who kept watch by day and night. On October 14, a funeral service was held in 118 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE the oliapel, and the next da}' the bod}' was kid in the tomb. The Hag of Virginia hung at half-mast above the college. As the procession started, the bells of the town began to toll and the Virginia Mili- tary Institute battery fired minute guns. Kev. J. William Jones described the funeral in these words : ''The old soldiers wore their citizen's clothes, with black ribbons in the lapels of their coats ; and Traveller, with trappings of mourning on his saddle, was again led by two old soldiers. The Virginia Military Institute was beautifidly draped, and from its turrets hung at half mast, and draped in mourning, the Hags of all the States of the late Southern Confederacy. '•At the chapel the Eev. Pr. Pendleton, the dear friend of General Lee, his chief of artillery during the war and his rector the pa>^t five years, read the beautiful burial service of the Episcopal Church. "When the body had been placed in the vault, the chaplain read the concludino- service THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT IID from the bank on the- southern side of the chapel; and tlien the grand old hymn, 'How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,' was sung b}' the people." RECUMBENT STATUE OF LEE AT LEXINGTON Upon the white marble of the tomb are carved these words: ROBERT EDWARD LEE Born January 19, 1807 Died October 12, 1870. All the South mourned for Lee. Bells were tolled in cities and villages, and meetings were held to show the grief of the people. 12U LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE Soon after the funeral a little girl wrote to Mrs. Lee: "I have heard of General Lee, your husband, and of all his great and noble deeds during the war. I have also heard lately of his death. I have read in the papers that collections are being made for the Lee monument. I have asked my mother to let me send some money that I earned myself. I made some of the money by keeping the door shut last winter, and the rest I made by digging up grass in the garden. I send 3'OU all I have. I wish it was more. I am nine now. Eespectfully, ''Maggie McIntyee." Many good men and women wrote to Mrs. Lee, and money was given, until at last two statues were raised to General Lee — one in Lexington, where he is buried, and the other in Eichmond, the cit}^ lie fought so hard to save. In recent years other monuments to Lee have arisen ; one of them stands in the Hall of Eame, THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT 121 in Washington ; another is located on the battle- field of Gettysburg. The legislature of Virginia made January 19, the birthday of Robert E. Lee, a legal holi- day. On that day, all over the South, meetings are held in memory of him, speeches are made by great men, and children recite j)oems which honor his name and his deeds. Chap' lain: a minister of the gospel attending an army. Es' cort : a guard. Mon' u ment : something put up in honor of a man. Pro ces' sion : a line of marchers. Eheu' ma tism : a disease which attacks muscles, Stat' ue : the likeness of a great man in stone or metal. Ves' try: the governing body of an Ex)iscopal Church. Tell— What General Lee became in 1865. Something about his work. About his visit to the South in 1870. About his illness and death. About Washington and Lee tJniversity. What day is kept throughout the South in memory of Lee? CHAPTER VII The Man in Peace and in War Perhaps no man ever lived that was so great, so good, and so unselfish as Lee. Duty was the ke3'note of his life. In the midst of his great- ness he was humble, simple, and gentle. There are many true stories about Lee that throw light on his character. His fondness for children was shown in many ways. Once when riding in the mountains near Lexington with one of his daughters, he came to a group of children who ran at the sight of him. The general called to them : ^'Why are you running away? Are you afraid of me?" "Oh, no, sir! but we are not dressed nicely enough to see you." "Why, who do you think I am?" "You are General Lee; we know you by your picture." [122] THE MAN IN PEACE AND IN WAR 123 General Lee knew all the boys and girls in Lexington and loved to talk with them. When he rode out in the afternoon on Traveller, he used to be greeted by the children. At times he would take some of them to ride. One evening as he was riding along, he noticed two little girls who were quarrehng. The elder was vainly trying to persuade her six-year-old sister to go home. AYhen the gen- eral rode up, she said to him, ^'General Lee, won't you please make this child go home to her mother f The general invited tli,e little one to ride with him, and she went along. When the mother asked the older cliild why she had given General Lee so much trouble, she replied, "I couldn't make Ean go home, and I thought he could do anything." Lee was careful in all his habits. He took care to be right in little things. One day the clerk of the faculty at Washington College wrote a letter to some one at General Lee's re- quest, in which he used the term "our students." When Lee saw the letter, he said that he did 124 LIFE OF ROBEKT E. LEE not like the words ''our students." He said that he had no properts^ rights in the students and that he thought it best to say ''the students," instead of "om* students." There is no end to the stories showing Lee's thoughtfuhiess of others. One day before ser- vice in the chapel at Washington College, Gen- eral Lee was seen to shake hands and chat with a strange clergyman. Li the meantime Rev. J. William Jones, who was to lead the worship in the chapel, came up and asked General Lee in a whisper to introduce the new minister to him, so that he might invite him to conduct the service. But General Lee, with ready tact, said, "Mr. Jones, it is time for service; you had better go to the chapel." After service, when he could do so without being heard, Lee asked Mr. Jones to find out the stranger's name. He had met the man in the Mexican war but could not recall his name. Mr. Jones did so, and General Lee, standing- near, heard it ; then, without making it known that he had forgotten his friend of the Mexican 126 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE war, introduced him to tiiose who were near. Lee cotild not think of htuting the minister's feehngs by letting him know that he had been forgotten. This storv' went the rotmds of the Southern newspapers in 18(34: "On the train to Petersbiu-g, one very cold morning, a young soldier, with his arm in ^ sling, was making gi^at efforts to put on his overcoat. In the midst of his trouble, an officei rose from his seat, went to him and kindh helped him, di'awing the coat gently over thu woimded arm; then with a few kind wordc lie went to his seat. *'Xow, the officer was not clad in a fine imi- form with a gilt wreath on his collar and many straps on his sleeves, but he had on a plain suit of gray, with only the three gilt stars which eveiy Confederate colonel could wear. And yet, he was no other than our gi-eat general, Eobert E. Lee, who is not braver than he is good and modest." Lee's dislike of display was noted. It is said THE MAN IN PEACE AND IN WAR 127 that during the Seven Days' Battle, he was sit- ting under a tree in the twihght, when a doctor rode up and said: "Old man, I have chosen this tree for my field hospital and I want you to get out of the way." "I will gladly give way when the wounded come up, but in the meantime there is plenty of room for both," was the calm reply. The angiy doctor was about to make some retort, when a staff officer rode up and spoke to the ''old man" as General Lee. In 1864, when General Lee was on the lines below Eichmond, many soldiers came near him, drawing the enemy's fire. He said to the soldiers : "Men, you had better go into the backyard; they are firing up here, and you may get hurt." The soldiers obeyed, but they saw General Lee walk across the open space, pick up some- thing and place it in a tree over his head. Later they found out that the thing he had risked his life for was only a little bird which had fallen 128 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE out of its nest. The stern chief had a heart so tender that he could pause amid a rain of shot and shell to care for a tiny fallen birdling. Lee dearly loved horses. Once, when at the springs, he wrote to his clerk in Lexington, sending this message to his horse Traveller, "Tell him I miss him very much." Traveller lived only two years after his mas- ter's death. Li the summer of 1872, when he was fifteen years old, the fine faithful anunal which had carried the general through the storms of war and the calm of his latter years died of lockjaw in Lexington. He was noted for his springy walk, high spirit, and gi'eat strength. He was Lee's most famous war- horse. Li the smnmer of 1862, General Lee owned a beautiful horse called Richmond, given him by some friends in the cit\^ of Eichmond. To the sorrow of his master, this pet was short- lived, and what Lee wrote after his death sounds ahnost as if the general grieved over a friend: THE MAN IN PEACE AND IN WAR 129 ^'His labors are over and he is at rest. He carried me faithfully, and I shall never have so beautiful an animal again." Lee was a Christian soldier. He hated no one. He called the Northern soldiers ''those people," not the enenw. The Rev. J. William Jones says that one day soon after the war he saw General Lee give some money to a poor man. As the man walked away, Lee said to Jones : "That is one of the old soldiers;" and added, ''he fought on the other side, but we must not think of that." When General Lee was at the White Sulphur Springs after the war, a lady, pointing to a man nearby, said: "That is General of the Federal army. He is liaving quite a dull time. He is here with his daughter, but we do not care to have anything to do with them." "I am glad that you told me," said Lee. "I will see at once that they have a 1)etter time." He took pains to make friends with the 130 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE !N"orthern general and his famlh^, and so set the fashion for others. The general and his daugh- ter were soon having a ''better time." General Lee was more than brave and ten- der; he was generous and big-hearted. After the charge on the third day at Gett3^sburg, one of his generals rode up and told him, almost in tears, that his men were for the most part killed or womided. Lee, taking hold of his liand, said, "All this has been my fault. It is I who have lost this fight, and you must help me out as best 3^ou can." Xot once did he cast the blame where it belonged, but rode among his men with such words of cheer as these : "All this will come right in the end." "We want all good and true men just now." "All good men must rally." Li this way he closed his broken lines, and showed such a brave front that ^leade did not deem it well to renew the battle. Once, when some friends were at liis liouse in Richmond, a clergyman spoke in sliai-p terms of the North. A little later when he rose to THE MAN IN PEACE AND IN WAR 131 go, Lee went with liim to the door and said, *'n)ctor, there is a good book which I read and which you preach from, which says, 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to'them that hate you.' Do you thhik that the speech you made just now was quite in tliat spirit f' The minister made some excuse. General Lee added, "I fought the people of the North because I believed that they were seeking to wrest from the South her rights. . . . I have never seen the day when I did not pray for them." Just before a battle, as Lee and his generals were looking at the Federal host, one of them said, ''I wish those people were all dead !" General Lee, turning to him, said, ''How can you say so? N^ow, I wish they would all go home and leave us to do the same." A lady who had lost her husband in the war brought her two sons to Washington College. She spoke bitterly of the North to General Lee. He gently replied, ^'Madam, do not train up 13-2 LIFE OF ROBEr.T E. LEE yoiu* clilklren as foes to the government oi the United States. . . . We are one coiintiy n >w. Bring them up to be Amerirans." Lee heheved that men shoiihl stand by their coimtiy. The welfare of the poor, desoUited South was his chief concern. At the close of the war some of the best men went to seek homes in other lands. Lee thought this to be wrong. He thotight that the men of the South should stay at home and build up the land laid waste by war. He wrote a friend thus : **She (Yirghiia) has need of all of her sons, and can ill ali'ord to spare you.'' Again he wrote: *"I think the South needs the aid of her sons more than at any time of her history. As you ask. I will state that I have no thought of leaving her." Though so gentle and courteous. General Lee was at the same time veiy proud: he re- fused to take the aid wliich, from time to time, his friends offered liim. Tliey knew that he had lost his '*air' by the war, and they wished to help him, so that he might pass his last days THE MAN IN PEACE AND IN WAK 18:3 without care. In a quiet Avay, the trustees of ^^^ashing•ton College gave the house in which he lived to Mrs. Lee, and also the sum of three thousand dollars each year ; when he heard of these gifts, he wrote in Mrs. Lee's name de- chning them. After his death, the trustees again deeded the home to Mrs. Lee and sent her a check for some money. But she, with her hushand's pride, sent hack the check and would not let the col- lege funds he taken for her use. Lee was always neat in his attire, and care- ful of his appearance. This trait was nuich talked of at the time of the surrender. The scene has heen thus descrihed : "A short space apart sat two men. The larger and taller of the two was more striking. His hair was as white as snow. There was not a speck upon his coat, not a spot upon those gauntlets he wore, which were as bright and fair as a lady's glove. That was Eobert E. Lee. The other was Utysses S. Grant. His boots were niuddv and he wore no sword. 134 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE "The words that passed between Lee and Grant were few. While the officeers were writ- ing out the terms of surrender, Grant said, 'General Lee, I have no sword. I rode all night.' And General Lee, with the pride which became him well, made no reply, but in a cold, formal way, bowed. ''There were a few w^ords, which we could not hear, spoken in a low tone of voice between Grant and Lee. "At last, when the terms of surrender had been signed, Lee arose, cold and proud, and bowed to each man on our side of the room. And then he wTut out and passed down that little square in front of the house, and momited his gray horse that had carried him all over Virginia. "When he had gone, we learned what the low-toned words had meant. General Grant turned and said, 'You go and ask each man that has three rations to turn over two of tliem and send them to General Lee. His men are on the point of starvation.' " LEE AND GRANT AT APPOMATTOX 13G LIFE OF EOBEKT E. LEE General Fitzliugh Lee thus pictiu'es the two generals : ''Grant, not yet forty-three years old, five feet eight inches tall, shoulders slightly stooped, hair and heard nut-brown, wearing a dark blue blouse, top boots, pants inside, without spiu's or ST^ord. and no marks of rank save the straps of a general. *'Lee, fifty-eight years old. six feet tall, hair and beard silver-gray, a handsome iniiform of Confederate gray, with three stars on the collar, fine top-boots with spurs, and at his side a splendid sword." Lee was a man of the best habits. He never touched tobacco or drink. Once he oftered a treat to some of his ofiicers, saying. "I have a demijohn which I know is of the best." The jug was brought and the cups held out were filled to the brim — not with whiskey, but with fresh buttermilk. The general seemed to enjoy the joke hugely. Lee liimself lived on the plainest fare. Xear the close of the war, when meat had become THE MAN IN PEACE AND IN WAE 137 scarce, an aid of President Davis was asked to dine at Lee's headquarters. The meal spread on the rough board was corn-bread and a small j)iece of meat in a large dish of greens. The aid saw that the meat was not touched, though General Lee had invited every one to take a part of it. When the meal was over, the aid asked an officer why the meat was not eaten. The repty was that it had been loaned by a friend to cook with the greens and had to be returned. At a fine dinner he was attending one day, Lee refused all the best dishes, saying, "I can- not consent to be feasting while my poor men are nearly starving." It was his habit to send nice things to eat to the sick and wounded in the hospitals. A lady whose brother was badly wounded near Petersburg tells about General Lee's coming to see him one day. He took the wounded man by the hand and told him to cheer up, tliat there was need of all brave men. Then he drew two fine peaches from his pocket and laid them on tlie side of the cot. Tears 138 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE trickled down the wounded man's cheeks when he saw how much his chief cared for him, a private soldier. Lee did not like show of any kind. An Eng- lish officer w^rote thus of Lee's headquarters in 1862 : ''Lee's headquarters I found were only seven or eight pole-tents, with their backs to a stake-fence, while a stream of good water flowed close by. Li front of the tents w^ere tln-ee wagons, and a number of horses roamed over the fields. No guards were seen near, and no crowd of aids swarmed about. A large farmliouse stood close b}^ which woidd have made a good home for the general, but Lee does not let his men rob or disturb the people, and likes to set them a good example." Lee loved and trusted his soldiers and was loved and trusted b}^ them. He said over and over again that the arm}^ he led was one of the best that a general ever commanded. The Eev. J. William Jones was driving along a road one day not long after the end of the w^ar. He saw^ a young man working In a THE MAN IN rp:ACE AND IN WAR 139 field, guiding the plo^^' ^Yitll one Land, for on the other side ^^•as an empty sleeve. The min- ister stopped to speak to the soldier, whom he knew. The young man at the first tap of the drum had gone to figlit for his native State; he had been maimed for life and had come home to find that he must work with one arm for his bread, as his fortune had been wrecked by the war. When Jones told tlie man how sad it made him to see him thus, the latter said, "Oh! it is all right. I thank God that I have one arm left and can use it for those I love." Later Mr. Jones told this to Lee, and the general's face flushed as he said, ''What a noble fellow ! But it is just like one of our soldiers. The world has never seen nobler men than those who belonged to the Army of Northern Virginia." A short time after the surrender, two ragged Confederates, just back from prison in the North, waited upon the general and told him that there were sixty other soldiers around the corner who were too ragged to come. They 140 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE had sent these two to offer their heloved chief a home in the mountains of Virginia. ''We will give you," said the messengers, "a good house and a fine farm. We boys will work for you and you shall never want." Tears came to the eyes of General Lee as he told them that he must decline their gift. The offer of these men was but the feeling of the whole South. Though poor themselves, they would have given him houses, lands, and money, had he let them. Just after the w ar. General Lee received the following letter from one of his old soldiers : ' ' Dear General : — ''We have been fighting hard four years, and now the Yankees have got us in Libby Prison. They are treating us awful bad. The boys want you to get us out if you can; but if you can't, just ride by the Libby and let us see you and give you a cheer. We will all feel better for it." The corner-stone of Lee's life was his faith in God. As he said once, "My whole trust is in God, and I am ready for wdiatever he may ordain." THE MAN IN TEACE AND IN WAE 141 While the arni}^ was at Mine Eun in Novem- ber, 18G3, and a battle seemed at hand, Lee, riding down the line of battle, came upon a party of soldiers holding a pra^'er-meeting. The cannon were alread}^ roaring and the mind LIBBY PRISON, RICHMOND, VA. and heart of the great chief were on the fight. Yet, when he saw those men bent in prayer, he dismounted and joined in the simple worship. Wlien General Lee won a victory, he gave the glory to a higher power. '''God has again crowned the valor of our troops with success," lie would write. A minister once said to him at a critical moment in the war, ''I think it is 142 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE right to tell you, General, that the chaplains of the ixnuy have a deep interest in your welfare and some of the most fervent prayers we offer are in 3^om' behalf." His face flushed and tears started in his eyes, as he replied with deep emo- tion, "Please thank them for tliat. sir. T warmly appreciate it. And I can only say that I am nothing but a poor sinner . . . and need all the pra^Trs they can offer for me." Yet his religion was very practical. He once said to a friend about a preacher who held ser- vice at Washington College: "Do you think it would be any harm for me to hint that we should be glad if he made his morning prayere a little shorter ? You know our friend makes his prayers too long. He prays for the Turks and the heathen, and nms into the hour for our col- lege recitations. AVould it be wrong for me to hint that he confine his morning prayers to us poor sinners flf the college?" Lee's love for his wife and children is shown in the many tender, loving letters he wTote when awav from them. Just before the Fed- THE MAN IN PEACE AND IN WAR 143 era! army crossed the Potomac in 1861, Mrs. Lee left her heautiful home, xVrUngton, and came Soutli. Arlington was at once seized ])y f) h In A .^^Pi* Ni^^ LEE'S HOME IN RICHMOND the Northern government and the grounds used as a hurial-place for soldiers. Mrs. Lee and her daughters then sought a home at the ''White House" on the Pamunkey river, where Washington married the ''Widow Custis." Thev were soon driven from this 144 LIFE OF ROBEKT E. LEE place by the hosts of McClellan and the house was burned to the ground. !At last they found a home in Eichmond, where they lived until the close of the war. MRS. MARY CUSTIS LEE Mrs. Lee's health had failed, but much of her time was spent in knitting socks for the bare- footed soldiers of the South. Her brave daugh- THE MAN IN PEACE AND IN WAR 145 ters also knit socks, and nursed the sick and wounded in the hospitals. The death of her husband was, of course, a great shock to Mrs. Lee, who was not able to walk without aid. She did not live many years longer and now rests beside Lee in the college chapel at Lexington. A daughter, Agnes, who died soon after her father, is buried in the same place. Close by is the grave of Stonewall Jackson. The blue mountains of their loved Virginia keep "watch and ward" over their graves; and each year pilgrims from every part of the land come to visit their tombs and place fresh flowers upon them. General Custis Lee was made president of Washington College in his fatlier's place. The college is now called Washington and Lee Uni- versit}^ after Washington ard Lee, the two great names in the history of our countiy. Char' ac ter : what a man is. Des' o la ted: laid waste, ruined. 146 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE Trus tee' : a man who has charge of something ; a member of a board. Head' quar ters : the place where a general lives. Maimed : having lost an arm or a leg. Pir grim: a traveler to holy places. Tell of— Lee's care not to hurt the minister's feel- ings. His kindness to a wounded soldier on a train. His thought of a little bird. His riding horse Traveller. Lee's feeling toward the North. His refusal to accept help. His appearance at the surrender. His headquarters in 1862. His religion. CHAPTER YIII The People's Hero When Lee died, the newspapers of the whole world spoke of him. The Xew York Sun said: "His death will awaken great grief through the South, and niaiiy people in the North will drop a tear of sorrow on his bier. ... In General Lee, an able soldier, a sincere Chris- tian, and an honest man has been taken from earth." The New York Herald said these kind words of liim: "Li a quiet autumn morning, in the land he loved so well, and, as he held, had seiwed so faithfully, the spirit of Eobert E. Lee left the cla}^ wliicli it had so much ennolded. . . . Not to the Southern people alone sliall be limited the tribute of a tear over the dead Yirginian. Here in the North, forgetting that the time was when [147] 148 LIFE OF ROBEKT E. LEPl the sword of Eobert E. Lee was drawn against us, we have long since ceased to look on hun as the Confederate leader, but have claimed him as one of ourselves; for Eobert E. Lee was an American, 'and the great nation which gave him birth would to-day be unworthy of such a son if she looked upon him lightly.'' The Pall Mall Gazette, London, England, said: ''The news from America that General Eob- ert E. Lee is dead will be received with great sorrow by many in this country, as well as b}^ his fellow-soldiers in America. It is but a few jTars since Eobert E. Lee ranked among the great men of his time. He was the able soldier of the Southern Confederacy, the leader who twice threatened, by the capture of Washing- ton, to turn the tide of success and cause a invo- lution which would have changed the destiny of the United States." General Preston spoke of him thus: "I knew him wlien he was a captain. At that time General Scott liad decidinl upon Lee THE PEOrLE'S HERO 110 as a man who would make liis mark if he were ever called upon to do great work. When the war came on, he followed his native State, Vir- o'inia. ... I remend)er when Scott made use of these words : 'I tell 3^ou one thing. If I were on my death-bed and knew^ that a battle was to be fought for my country and the Presi- dent were to say to me, 'Scott, who shall com- mand f I tell you that with my dying breatli I would say Eobert Lee.' " Time has but added to Lee's fame. Theo- dore Eoosevelt said of him: ''As a mere mlli- tar^^ man Washinoton himself cannot rank with the wonderful war-chief who for four A^ears led the Army of Northern Yi]-ginia. . . . Lee will rank as the greatest of all the captains that the English-speaking people have brought forth — and this, although the last and chief of his opponents [Cirant] may claim to stand as the full equal of Maidborough or Wellington." Lord Wolseley, the famous English general, said of Lee: "I shall never foroet his sweet, winning' 150 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE smile, or his clear, honest eyes, which seemed to look into 3^our heart. I have met many of the great men of my time, but Lee alone made me feel that I was in the presence of a man who was cast in a grander mold and made of a different and finer metal than all other men. I have met with but two men who realize my ideas of what a true hero should be — my friend Charles Gordon was one ; General Lee was the other." Charles Francis Adams said of him: ' 'Uttering no complaints, entering into no disputes, he was as one in suffering all, that suf- fers nothing. Lie accepted fortune's buffets and rewards with equal thanks. His record and appearance during those final 3Tars are pleasant to dwell upon, for they reflect honor on our American manhood." The love and admiration felt for Lee was shown when the bronze statue by Mercie' (mercea') was unveiled in Eichmond in 1890. Soon after the death of Lee, a few ladies met in a parlor in Eichmond and formed THE PEOPLE'S HERO 151 a society kno\Yii as the Ladies' Lee Monument Association. Their plan was to put up a statue to the memory of the great leader, and to col- lect funds for this purpose from the entire South. The lahor of love began at once. Though the South was very poor at this time, the people gave gladly of their small means, until the association had gathered over fifteen thousand dollars. Meanwhile Fitzlmgh Lee became Governor of Virginia and he took measures to bring about the erection of the monmiient. A board of managers was appointed to choose the de- sign, the artist, and the site. A lot in tlie west- ern part of this cit}^ was given the association by Mr. Otwa}^ Allen ; the board selected Jean Mercie', a Frenchman, who was both a painter and sculptor of note, to make the statue. The best photographs of General Lee, as well as his shoes and uniform, were sent the sculjitor. In working out Lee's likeness, Mercie' had the good fortune to consult Miss Mary Lee, who was then in Paris. 152 LIFE OF liOBEKT E. LEE Tlie corner-stone of the nioniinient was laid in 1887 Avitli solenni rites, and in May, 1890, the statue reached Richmond. It ^Yas packed in three boxes. Eacli box Avas placed on a wagon; one wagon was drawn by men of the city; one by old soldiers, and the third by women and girls — the fine lad}^ and her humble sister standing shoulder to shoulder. They pulled the wagons through the city amid the cheers of many thousands of people, until they came to the spot where the statue was to stand. The monument is sixt}^ feet high, and cost about sixty-five thousand dollars. It shows Lee mounted on Traveller. His feet touch the stirrups lightly, after the manner of Southern horsemen. He is clad in a plain uniform, with a sash around his waist and a cavalry sword by his side. He holds the bridle reins in his left hand, while in his right is his hat, which he grasps as if taken off in response to clieers. ■ The monument was unveiled on May 29, 1890. From all sections people thronged to do honor to the great man. It was a bright, THE PEOPLE'S HEPvO 153 sunshiny day. At noon the long line formed and the parade began. Every window, door- wa}^, and other place of vantage was filled with people eager to see the procession, which was four miles long. Pitzliugh Lee, nephew of the hero, was the chief marshal of the parade. Cheer after cheer went up as he rode b}^, wearing his old cavalry liat. The guests rode in open carriages, among tliem Lee's two daughters. They were followed by company after company of soldiers from all the Southern States; behind them marched the veterans of the war. There were old sol- diers from every one of the Confederate States, among them General Longstreet, Lee's famous lieutenant. Some were clad in their old gray uniforms, faded and worn, and in some cases full of bullet holes. Here and there along tlie line could be seen the torn flags of the Con- federacy. After the veterans came the students of Washington and Lee Universit}^, the Virginia Military Institute, and other bodies. 15i LIFE OF KOBEliT E. LEE An iininense throng surrounded the veiled statue when Governor McKinncy stepped for- ward to make the opening speech. There was a prayer by the Eevercnd Dr. Minnegerode, who had been Lee's rector during the war. When the praj^er ended, the band pla3Td Dixie, the strains of which had so often thrilled the old soldiers as the}^ marched into battle. Then General Early rose and spoke a few words of cheer to the veterans. The orator of the da}^ was Colonel Archer Anderson, of Lee's staff, who pictured scene after scene in the general's life with great force and clearness. When the speaker took his seat, General Joseph E. Johnston moved to the base of the monument. He pulled the ropes, the veil fell aside, and the splendid statue stood out in the plain view of the multitude. Up there against tlie blue sky, in the midst of his own people, was the matchless face and form of Lee, Since that time two other notable statues have been erected in honor of Lee. One of them is in the Hall of Fame in Washine:ton and STATUE OF LEE AT GETTYSBURG 156 LIFE OF liOBEliT E. LEE shows Lee standing. The other was phiced on the battlefield of Gett^^sburg by the State of Virginia, and shows Lee on horseback, as if watching the progress of the battle. These monuments may pass awa}^ but the name and virtues of Eobert E. Lee will never die, for they are written in the history of his country and will last as long as time itself. As so ci a' tion : a society ; a band of people. Marl' bor ougli : a great English general, Occupa'tion: calling; trade; profession. Sec' tions : parts ; regions. Wei' ling ton : the English general wlio defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. LEE'S FAREWELL ADDEESS Headquarters Army Northern Virginia, Appomattox C. H., April 10, 1865. General Orders No. 9. After four years of arduous service, marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, tiie Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwlielming 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, feeling that valor and devo- tion could accomplish nothing that would compen- sate for the loss that must have attended a con- tinuance of the contest, I determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen. By the terms of the Agreement, Officers and men can return to their homes and remain until ex- changed. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faith- fully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merci- ful God will extend to you His blessing and pro- tection. With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your Country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration for myself, I bid you all an Affec- tionate Farewell. r22oL. WAR POEMS THE SWOED OF LEE ABEAM J. RYAN Forth from its scabbard, pure and bright, Flashed the sword of Lee! Far in the front of the deadly fight, High o'er the brave, in the cause of right, Its stainless sheen, like a beacon light. Led ns to victory. Out of its scabbard, where full long It slumbered peacefully — Roused from its rest by the battle-song. Shielding the feeble, smiting the strong, Guarding the right, and avenging the wrong- Gleamed the sword of Lee! Forth from its scabbard, high in air. Beneath Virginia's sky. And they who saw it gleaming there, And knew who bore it, knelt to swear That where that sword led they would dare To follow and to die. [159] 160 LIFE OF EOBEIIT E. LEE Out of its scabbard! Never hand Waved sword from stain as free, Nor purer sword led braver band, Nor braver bled for a brighter land, Nor brighter land had a cause as grand, Nor cause a chief like Lee ! Forth from its scabbard ! All in vain I Forth flashed the sword of Lee I 'Tis shrouded now in its sheath again, It sleeps the gleep of our noble slain, Ut^feated, yet without a stain, Proudly and peacefully. LEE TO THE EEAE JOHN E. THOMPSON" Dawn of a pleasant morning in May Broke thro' the Wilderness, cool and gray, While perched in the tallest tree-tops, the birds Were caroling Mendelssohn's ''Songs without words." Far from the haunts of men remote The brook brawled on with a liquid note, And nature, all tranquil and lovely, wore The smile of spring, as in Eden of yore. WAE POEMS 161 Little by little, as daylight increased, And deepened the roseate fliisli in the East — Little by little did morning reveal Two long, glittering lines of steel! Where two hundred thousand bayonets gleam, Tipped with the light of the earliest beam, And the faces are sullen and grim to see In the hostile armies of Grant and Lee. All of a sudden, ere rose the sun, Pealed on the silence the opening gun — A little white puff of smoke there came. And anon the valley was wreathed in flame, Down on the left of the rebel lines. Where a breastwork stands in a copse of pines, Before the rebels their ranks can form The Yankees have carried the place by storm. Stars and Stripes o'er the salient wave. Where many a hero has found a grave, And the gallant Confederates strive in vain The ground they have drenched with their blood to regain. Yet louder the thunder of battle roared — Yet a deadlier fire on their columns ]ioured — Slaughter, infernal, rode with Despair, Furious twain, through the smoky air. 162 LIFE OF KOBERT E. LEE Not far off in the saddle there sat A gray-bearded man with black slouch hat; Not much moved by the fire was he — • Calm and resolute, Robert Lee. Quick and watchful, he kept his eye On two bold rebel brigades close by — Reserves that were standing (and dying) at ease Where the tempest of wrath toppled over the trees. For still with their loud, bull-dog bay The Yankee batteries blazed away. And with every murderous second that sped A dozen brave fellows, alas ! fell dead. The grand old beard rode to the space Where Death and his victims stood face to face, And silently waved his old slouch hat — A world of meaning there was in that! "Follow me! Steady! We'll save the day!" This was what he seemed to say; And to the light of his glorious eye The bold brigades thus made reply: ''We'll go forward, but you must go back." And they moved not an inch in the perilous track. ''Go to the rear, and we'll give them a rout." Then the sound of the battle was lost in their shout. WAR POEMS 1GB Turning his bridle, Robert Lee Rode to the rear. Like the waves of the sea Bursting the dilves in their overflow, Madly his veterans dashed on the foe ; And backward in terror that foe was driven, Their banners rent and their columns riven Wherever the tide of battle rolled, Over the Wilderness, wood, and wold. Sunset out of a crimson sky Streamed o'er a field of a ruddier dye. And the brook ran on with a purple stain From the blood of ten thousand foemen slain. Seasons have passed since that day and year. Again o'er the pebbles the brook runs clear, And the field in a richer green is drest Where the dead of the terrible conflict rest. Hushed is the roll of the rebel drum ; The sabres are sheathed and the cannon are dumb, And Fate, with pitiless hand, has furled The flag that once challenged the gaze of the world. But the fame of the Wilderness fight abides, And down into history grandly rides, Calm and unmoved, as in battle he sat. The gray-bearded man in the black slouch hat. 164 LIFE OF KOBEIIT E. LEE THE CONQUERED BANNER ABRAM JOSEPH EYAN Furl that banner, for 'tis weary; Round its staff 'tis drooping dreary; Furl it, fold it, it is best; For there's not a man to wave it, And there's not a sword to save it, And there's not one left to lave it In the blood which heroes gave it; And its foes now scorn and brave it — Furl it, hide it, let it rest. Take that banner down — 'tis tattered. Broken is its staff and shattered, And the valiant hosts are scattered Over whom it floated high. Oh ! 'tis hard for us to fold it. Hard to think there's none to hold it. Hard that those who once enrolled it Now must furl it with a sigh. Furl that banner, furl it sadly — Once ten thousands hailed it gladly. And ten thousands wildly, madly. Swore it should forever wave. Swore that foeman's sword should never Hearts like theirs entwined dissever, Till that flag should float forever O'er their freedom or their grave. WAR POEMS 165 Furl it ! for the bands that grasped it, And the hearts that fondly chisped it, Cold and dead are lying low; And the banner, it is trailing. While around it sounds the wailing Of its people in their woe. For, though conquered, they adore it, Love the cold, dead hands that bore it. Weep for those who fell before it. Pardon those who trailed and tore it. And oh! wildly they deplore it. Now to furl and fold it so. Furl that banner ! true 'tis gory, Yet 'tis wreathed around with glory, And 'twill live in song and story, Though its folds are in the dust; For its fame on brightest pages, Penned by jioets and by sages, Shall go sounding down the ages. Furl its folds though now we must Furl that banner! softly, slowly. Treat it gently — it is holy — For it droops above the dead; Touch it not, unfold it never; Let it droop there, furled forever, For its people's hopes are dead. 166 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE MUSIC IN CAMP JOHN R. THOMPSON Two armies covered hill and plain, Where K-appahannock's waters Ran, deeply crimsoned with the stain Of battle's recent slaughters. The summer clouds lay pitched like tents In meads of heavenly azure; And each dread gun of the elements Slei^t in its hid embrasure. The breeze so softly blew, it made No forest leaf to quiver. And the smoke of the random cannonade Rolled slowly from the river. And now, where circling hills looked down With cannon grimly planted. O'er listless camp and silent town, The golden sunset slanted. When on the fervid air there came A strain, now rich, now tender ; The music seemed itself aflame With day's departing splendor. WAR POEMS 167 A Federal baud, which eve aud morn Played measures brave aud nhuble, Had just struck up with flute and horn And hvely clash of cymbal. Down flocked the soldiers to the banks, Till margined by its pebbles. One wooded shore was blue with "Yanks," And one was gray with "Rebels." Then all was still, and then the band. With movements light and tricksy, Made stream and forest, hill and strand, Reverberate with "Dixie." The conscious stream with burnished glow. Went ijroudly o'er its pebbles, But thrilled throughout its deepest flow With yelling of the Rebels. Again a pause, and then again The trumpets pealed sonorous, And "Yankee Doodle" was the strain To which the shores gave chorus. The laughing ripple shoreward flew To kiss the shining pebbles ; Loud shrieked the swarming boys in blue Defiance to the Rebels. 168 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE And yet once more the bugles sang Above the stormy riot; No shout upon the evening rang — There reigned a holy quiet. The sad, low stream, its noiseless tread Poured o'er the glistening pebbles; And silent now the Yankees stood, And silent stood the Rebels. No unresponsive soul had heard That plaintive note's appealing, So deeply "Home, Sweet Home" had stirred The hidden founts of feeling. Or blue or gray, the soldier sees, As by the wand of fairy, The cottage 'neath the live-oak trees, The cabin by the prairie. Or cold or warm, his native skies Bend in their beauty o 'er him ; Seen through the tear-mist in his eyes. His loved ones stood before him. As fades the iris after rain In April's tearful weather. The vision vanished as the strain And daylight died together. WAE POEMS 100 But memory, waked by music's art, Expressed in simplest numbers. Subdued the sternest Yanlvee's heart, Made light the Rebel's slumbers. And fair the form of music shines, That bright, celestial creature, Who still 'mid war's embattled lines Gave this one touch of nature. THE SOUTH ABRAM JOSEPH EYAN Yes, give me the land Where the ruins are spread, And the living tread light On the heart of the dead; Yes, give me the land That is blest by the dust, And bright with the deeds Of the down-trodden just. Yes, give me the land Where the battle's red blast Has flashed on the future The form of the i^ast; Yes, give me the land That hath legends and lays That tell of the memories Of long-vanished days. 170 LIFE OF ROBERT E. LEE Yes, give me the kind That hath story and song To tell of the strife Of the right with the wrong; Yes, give me the land With a grave in each spot And names in the graves That shall not be forgot. Yes, give me the laud Of the wreck and the tomb; There's grandeur in graves — There's glory in gloom. For out of the gloom Future brightness is born; As, after the night, Looms the sunrise of morn. And the graves of the dead, With the grass overgrown. May yet form the footstool Of Liberty's throne; And each simple wreck In the way-path of might Shall yet be a rock In the temple of Right. ^.^^^S^^# 7 ^^^^^^S^^^^-^'S^ Suggested Program for Lee's Birthday All Grades I. Song — America. Primary Grades 11. Stories* of Lee's Childhood and Early Youth. III. Poem — A Song for Flag Day — Nesbit. Intermediate Grades , IV. Stories about Lee in Mexican War V. Poem— //a f 5 Oy^'— Bennett. * Have pupils teU in tlieir own words various stories and incidents about Lee; for example, one child will tell about Henry Lee's going to the West Indies; another will relate the story of Mom Sarah throwing the shoe at him ; another will tell how Robert Lee took care of his mother; another about his going to school. The teacher must assist the pupils in preparing for this celebration, especially in tlie primary; grades. [171] 172 LIFE OF EGBERT E. LEE Grammar Grades VI. Stories about Lee in AVar Ijetween the States. VII. Poem — Music in Camp — Thompson. VIIL ^ong—Toitiug To-niglit. IX. Reading — Selections from Page's Tico Little Confederates. X. Poem — The Conquered Banner — Ryan. High School XL Lee as a Citizen. XII. Poem — The Sword of Lee — Ryan. XIII. ^ong— Dixie. XIV. Tributes to Lee after his Death. XV. Song — The Star Spangled Banner — Key. Supplementary Historical Reading Life of General Robert E. Lee For Third and Fourth Grades Life of General Thomas J» Jackson For Third and Fourth Grades Life of Washington For Fourth and Fifth Grades Life of General N. B. Forrest Far Fifth Grade Life of General J. E. B. Stuart For Fifth and Sixth Grades Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia For Fifth Grade Tennessee History Stories For Third and Fourth Grades North Carolina History Stories For Fourth and Fifth Grades Texas History Stories * For Fifth and Sixth Grades Half-Hours in Southern History For Sixth and Seventh Grades The Yemassee (Complete Edition) For Seventh and Eighth Grades (Ask for catalog containing list of other supplementarj^ reading) JOHNSON PUBLISHING COMPANY RICHMOND. VA. Supplementary Reading "Tell Me a story" price. Postpaid. Mrs. Lida B. McMurry— for the First Grade So-Fat and Mew-Mew Georgiana Craik May— for the First Grade Grimm's Fairy Stories M. W. Haliburton and P. P. Claxton— for the First and Second Grades Fifty Famous Fables Lida B. McMurry— for the Second Grade. Around the Lightwood Fire Caroline M. Brevard. Indian Mytiis and Legends— for the Third Grade. From the Land of Stories P P Claxton, a delightful little Volume of Fairy Tales— for the Third Grade. Wonder Tales Hans Andersen— for the Third Grade. Stories of Bird Life T. Gilbert Pearson— for the Grammar Grades The Gold Bug and Other Selections (Poe) R A Stewart— for the Grammar Grades. (Ask'for'catalog of other books for supplementary reading.) Johnson Publishing Company RICHMOND, VA. in Readings in American Literature th. 'vnlte^.liV^r ^.ETCALF. Professor of English ... MAMT^A- fi V^ °^ Virg-mia, and HENRY BRANTT V ^028 pases """ °' ^"^""^^ "' Richmond College ^^ i}.n^}7^'r^ ^"T"^ *^^ writings of the best American au- LiteralJJirr' ^' supplementary to the study of American American Literature fify^of^ffinfa^^^- ^'^'^^^^' ^t English in the Univer- Illustrated; turT^^w^^?"^"^ to realize at last that American litera- tha? t ?« i T^ ^"^ off-shoot from English literature, but rafts and .triv?n^''/''^*?'" '""^^ ^ ^^^^^'^ °f "^^ional ir^it, ,?. Vi ' ^'' ^ century and a quartei- ^leaVmeSnT"^ '"^ Revolutionary Periods, in wlich no gieat hteiature was produced, are exceedingly important fLl ^fJ'T'^^i' ^°' the proper estimate of our later Utera- ture a;id should not be neglected by the serious student ?f wrXsT. /of f'°".'-- ^.•^""^^- treatment of Southern ^vrlters is to be found m this work than in other texts of similar size on American literature. " ^ English Literature By J. C. METCALF. Illustrated; 464 pages In reading the book, one is struck with its perfect sanitv Everywhere there are evidences of a fine seSse of nronnr' tioii and the entire volume is pervaded by an a?m?sphere' ttmeTaleTrnpoTsSfe"^^^'" ^" ^^^^^^ exag^gerationTof^^! The book is in form and content the outcome of Dr Met- ca f s signally successful experience as a teacher of Englfsh Literature, and therefore has the additional merit of hav- mg^been written "with a definite set of indTvidSalsTn Johnson Publishing Co. Richmond, Va. Literature Texts (With Notes for High School Classes.) Price, Postpaid. Addison: Sir Roger de Coverley Papers Edited by JOHN CALVIN METCALF Burke : Speech on Conciliation with America Edited by JAMES M. GARNETT. Carlyle : Essay on Burns Edited by R. A. STEWART Coleridge : The Ancient Mariner Edited by NORMAN H. PITMAN, Eliot : Silas Marner Edited by EVELINA O. WIGGINS Goldsmith : The Vicar of Wakefield Edited by G. C. EDWARDS Macaulay : Essays on Milton and Addison Edited by C. ALFHONSO SMITH Milton : Minor Poems Edited by R. T. KERLIN Poe : Poems and Tales Edited by R. A. STEWART Pope : Homer 's Iliad : Books I, VI, XXII and XXIV Edited by FRANCIS E. SHOUP and ISAAC BALL. Scott : The Lady of the Lake Edited by EVELINA O. WIGGINS Shakespeare: Julius Caesar Edited by CAROL M. NEWMAN Shakespeare: Macbeth ' ^,,^ Edited by JOHN CALVIN METCALF Shakespeare : The Merchant of Venice Edited by ROBERT SHARP, Simms: The Yemassee (Complete Edition) Edited by M. LYLE SPENCER. Tennyson: The Princess Edited by CHARLES W. KENT Johnson Publishing Company Richmond, Va.