Chapter IV: Act III: Scene I

_General Lee's Tent._

Characters

General Lee
Major W. H. Fitzhugh Lee, his son
Hon. B. H. Hill
General Starke
An Orderly

HILL--I have come to ask your advice. Do you think it would be wise to move the Southern capital farther South?

LEE--That is a political question and you politicians must answer it. I am only a soldier.

HILL--That is the proudest name today.

LEE--Yes, there never were such men in an army before. They will go anywhere and do anything if properly led.

HILL--They could have no commander equal to General Lee.

LEE--No, we made a great mistake Mr. Hill in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake.

HILL--What mistake is that General?

LEE--Why sir, in the beginning we appointed all our worst generals to command the armies, and all our best generals to edit the newspapers. As you know, I have planned some campaigns and quite a number of battles. I have given the work all the care and thought I could, and sometimes when my plans were completed, so far as I could see they seemed perfect. But when I have fought them through I have discovered defects, and occasionally wondered I did not see some of the defects in advance. When it was all over I found by reading a newspaper that these best editor-generals saw all the defects plainly from the start. Unfortunately, they did not communicate this knowledge to me until it was too late.

I have no ambition but to serve the Confederacy and do all I can to win our independence. I am willing to serve in any capacity to which the authorities may assign me. I have done the best I could in the field, and have not succeeded as I should wish. I am willing to yield my place to the best generals, and will do my best for the cause in editing a newspaper.

Even as poor a soldier as I am can generally discover mistakes _after it is all over_. But if I could only induce these wise gentlemen, who see them so clearly _beforehand_, to communicate with me in advance, instead of waiting till the evil has come upon us--to let me know what _they knew all the time_--it would be far better for my reputation, and, what is of more consequence, far better for the cause.

HILL--Don't let those waspish editors annoy you. The South is behind you to a man. They know what General Lee cannot accomplish, no man can.

(_ORDERLY enters and salutes._)

LEE--What is it?

ORDERLY--General Starke wishes to see you.

HILL--I must leave you General, I am grateful for the audience.

LEE--I am always glad to talk to those interested in our common cause. Good day, Mr. Hill.

HILL--Good day, General. (_Exit._)

LEE--Show General Starke in.

(_Enter GEN. STARKE. He salutes._)

LEE--(_Saluting._) Good morning, General, what can I do for you.

STARKE--Nothing for me sir, but a good deal for yourself.

LEE--This is no time to think of private benefits.

STARKE--But General your reputation is suffering, the press is denouncing you, your own State is losing confidence in you, and the army needs a victory to add to its enthusiasm.

LEE--I cannot afford to sacrifice five or six hundred of my people to silence public clamor. When it is time to strike, we will strike with a will.

STARKE--I wish those Northerners were all dead.

LEE--How can you say so?

Now I wish they were all at home attending to their own business, and leaving us to do the same. They also are my countrymen. General, there is a good old book which says, "Love your enemies." What a cruel thing is war; to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors and to devastate the fair face of the beautiful world.

STARKE--But think of our men who have laid down their lives so bravely.

LEE--The loss of our gallant officers and men throughout the army causes me to weep tears of blood and to wish that I might never hear the sound of a gun again.

STARKE--I am sorry to have worried you General, you are right, good day!

(_Salutes and exit. Enter MAJOR W. H. FITZHUGH LEE._)

W. H. F. LEE--Father!

LEE--Fitzhugh, how good it is to see you. You don't know how much I have missed you and your mother and your brothers and sisters.

W. H. F. LEE--Won't it be wonderful when the war will be over and we can all be together again.

LEE--God grant that it may be so!

W. H. F. LEE--I can't stay any longer, Father. I just came in to see you a moment before starting. I must be about my duty.

LEE--I know that wherever you may be placed, you will do your duty. That is all the pleasure, all the comfort, all the glory we can enjoy in this world.

Duty is the sublimest word in the language. There is a true glory and a true honor, the glory of duty done, the honor of integrity of principles.

(_They salute._)

SCENE II

_Battlefield, the Southern Lines. Shells falling all around._

Characters

General Lee
General Gordon
General Gracie
General Stuart
Northern Prisoners
Soldiers

(_Enter squad of Soldiers with three Northern prisoners. One without a cap._)

LEE--(_Addressing prisoner without cap._) Where is your cap? Did the Rebels shoot it off?

PRISONER--(_Saluting._) No, General, but one of them took it off.

LEE--(_Noticing a blue cap on one of the Confederate soldiers._) Give him back his cap, even if your own is ragged.

Men, you had better go farther to the rear, they are firing up here, and you are exposing yourselves. (_Exeunt soldiers and prisoners._)

(_Enter General Gracie who places himself directly in front of General Lee in the direction of the firing._)

LEE--Why General Gracie, you will certainly be killed.

GRACIE--It is better, General, that I should be killed than you. When you go to the rear, I will.

(_Enter General Gordon with company of men._)

GORDON--General Lee, this is no place for you. Do go to the rear. These are Virginians and Georgians, sir--men who have never failed--and they will not fail now--Will you boys? Is it necessary for General Lee to lead this charge.

SOLDIERS--No! no! General Lee to the rear. General Lee to the rear! We will drive them back, if General Lee will only go to the rear.

GORDON--Forward! Charge! and remember your promise to General Lee. (_Exeunt._)

GEN. STUART--General, this is no place for you, do go away at once to a safe place.

LEE--I wish I knew where my place is on the battlefield: wherever I go some one tells me it is not the place for me to be.

LEE--(_To soldiers._) Soldiers, I am more than satisfied with you. Your country will thank you for the heroic conduct you have displayed,--conduct worthy of men engaged in a cause so just and sacred, and deserving a nation's gratitude and praise. Now you must go farther back, you are exposing yourselves unnecessarily. (_As they pass back a little, slowly and unwillingly, Lee goes farther forward, stoops down and picks up something._)

FIRST SOLDIER--What is he doing?

SECOND SOLDIER--Why he's picking up a little bird that had fallen from its nest.

FIRST SOLDIER--"He who heeds the sparrow's fall."

SECOND SOLDIER--I've heard of God, but here is General Lee!

SCENE III

_Outside Appomatox Courthouse during Lee's conference with Grant._

_Ragged Confederate soldiers on one side. Northern troops on the other._

1ST CONFEDERATE--Their uniforms don't look much like ours, do they?

2ND CONFEDERATE--No, nor their General doesn't look much like ours either.

3RD CONFEDERATE--Didn't Marse Robert look wonderful when he went through that door? Just naturally hating to go in, but going just the same, because he knew it was right.

1ST CONFEDERATE--Of course he had to go in, we couldn't have stood another day without any rations.

2ND CONFEDERATE--You mean you couldn't. I could have gone till I dropped without rations, if Marse Robert had said so.

3RD CONFEDERATE--But he wouldn't let his men suffer any longer when he saw it was no use. Sh! Here he comes now.

(_Soldiers stand at attention. The door slowly opens and LEE steps out. He looks up to the hills and sky. Silently clasps his hands together, then slowly and almost bent, walks down the steps. For a moment the men are silent. Then the sight of GEN. LEE is too much for them and they crowd around him cheering him._)

LEE--(_Lifting his hand for silence._) Men, we have fought through the war together. I have done my best for you. My heart is too full to say more.