The Days of a Man 1912 



democratic equality of man and man. Hardships strengthened 

 the pampered; contact with good manners helped the ignorant. 



Passing through Lexington in 1888, I heard there 

 the college boys of Washington and Lee sing: 



John Brown's body lies a-moldering in the grave, 

 His soul goes marching on. 



A great change since the terrible days of the '6o's! 

 From Lexington we went to Lynchburg, whence we 

 drove across the red hills and scant oak forest to 

 Appomattox Court House, where Lee surrendered to 

 Grant and the war came at last to its end. Ap- 

 pomattox is a straggling village of a few rather 

 large houses, the whole having a neglected appearance. 

 It lies on a slight elevation above a ford in the little 

 river for which it is named. Across the stream is a 

 forlorn old orchard of apple trees, under one of which, 

 now entirely whittled away as souvenirs, the great 

 general of the South finally gave up the unequal fight. 

 The capture of Petersburg, the real key to Richmond, 

 so many times vainly attacked from the north, left 

 Lee no recourse but to retreat westward in defeat. 

 The last The ultimate shot from Lee's forces mortally wounded 

 shot a Union soldier named Wilson. His last pathetic 

 words, "It's hard to die now the war is over/' ought 

 to interest the poets. 



Most of the Southern soldiers now pulled off their 

 gray coats the only coats they had brought 

 out their horses, and went to work. "Go home and be 

 good citizens" had been Lee's last appeal, and Grant 

 let the men keep their mounts. The patriotic advice 

 of the one equaled the chivalrous generosity of the 

 other; of both all Americans may well be proud! 

 Our next stop was Richmond. From there we 



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