KansasFreestater
1st Lieutenant
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2014
One of my favorite Grant stories is how when he arrived at Appomattox, he immediately started reminiscing with Lee about the Mexican War. From Grant's memoir: "We soon fell into a conversation about old army times . . . Our conversation grew so pleasant that I almost forgot the object of our meeting. After the conversation had run on in this style for some time, General Lee called my attention to the object of our meeting...."
Grant also describes how he had to ride into Appomattox with nothing but the clothes he was wearing since the baggage with his changes of clothes was miles behind on the road somewhere. The contrast between his rough appearance and Lee's own appearance is well-known now, and scandalous in some quarters, but Grant didn't even notice it at the time -- his mind was on other things!
What I'm curious about -- here's my request to all the Lee people around here -- is: Is there any record of LEE's reflections afterward about Appomattox? My impression has always been that in later times, Lee talked of these things as little as possible. But if there's any record anywhere, I figure the Lee fans here would know.
Thanks for whatever leads/links you can offer!
Grant also describes how he had to ride into Appomattox with nothing but the clothes he was wearing since the baggage with his changes of clothes was miles behind on the road somewhere. The contrast between his rough appearance and Lee's own appearance is well-known now, and scandalous in some quarters, but Grant didn't even notice it at the time -- his mind was on other things!
What I'm curious about -- here's my request to all the Lee people around here -- is: Is there any record of LEE's reflections afterward about Appomattox? My impression has always been that in later times, Lee talked of these things as little as possible. But if there's any record anywhere, I figure the Lee fans here would know.
Thanks for whatever leads/links you can offer!