This text is part of:
Table of Contents:
“
[401]
the authorities take their course.
I have no wish to avoid any trial the Government may order; I hope others may be unmolested.”
Reverdy Johnson, the distinguished Maryland lawyer, who did not agree with General Lee's political views, hearing that he was to be prosecuted in court for the alleged crime of treason, placed the fifty years of his great study and profound experience at his command, because, as he states, “in saving him I would be saving the honor of my country.”
General Lee wrote General Grant to withdraw his application for amnesty under the President's proclamation, if steps were to be taken for his prosecution, as he was willing to stand the test.
Grant saw the President, and protested against a procedure against General Lee, informing him that he considered his honor and the honor of the nation pledged to him, and no proceedings were taken.
General Lee's enjoyment of the society of his family and friends in Richmond was much broken into by visitors from all sections of the country.
Many persons were attracted to the city because it had been the Southern capital, whose lines had for so long kept great hosts from entering her gates, and a visit to or a sight of General Lee was always on their programme.
Numbers of people stood on the street and gazed at the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of its occupant.
Not desiring to make a public exhibition of himself, the paroled soldier was a prisoner in his own house; and his condition produced the desire to move to more secluded quarters.
Mrs. Lee's health, too, would be benefited by going out of town during the coming summer months.
The house he lived in belonged to Mr. John Stewart, of Brook Hill, a fine specimen of the kind-hearted, benevolent Scotch gentleman.
He had rented it to General Lee's son, General G. W. C. Lee, some time before the war closed.
The general felt that he should make post-war terms with his excellent landlord; but, before he could take any steps, Mrs. Lee received a note from Mr. Stewart which read: “I am not presuming on your good opinion when I feel that you will believe me-first, that you and yours are heartily welcome to the house as long as ”
Scanned printed text.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.