9th. Sunday. Fighting commenced early. 24 and 15 Corps up. Infantry coming up double quick. Rebs attacked. Drove cavalry back. Infantry turned the tide. Grant summoned Lee to surrender. Lee asks for terms. Grant orders Sheridan to press him. Whole thing moves up, Custer in advance. White flag meets him. Silence reigns. The whole cavalry cheer. A rebel cavalry force attack. Easily repulse it. Whole reb army before us. Glorious day. Surrender.[1]
[1] On April 9, 1865, recognizing that the end of the war was at hand, and that his relations with the Third Cavalry Division must soon be sundered, its beloved commander promulgated to his troops that memorable address best known as
Custer’s Farewell Order
Headquarters Third Cavalry Div., Appomattox Court House, Virginia, April 9, 1865.
With profound gratitude toward the God of Battles, by whose blessings our enemies have been humbled and our arms triumphant, your Commanding General avails himself of this, his first opportunity, to express to you his admiration of the heroic manner in which you have passed through the series of battles which today resulted in the surrender of the enemy’s entire army.
The record established by your indomitable courage is unparalleled in the annals of war. Your prowess has won for you even the respect and admiration of your enemies. During the past six months, although in most instances confronted by superior numbers, you have captured from the enemy, in open battle, one hundred and eleven pieces of field artillery, sixty-five battle flags, and upwards of ten thousand prisoners of war, including seven general officers. Within the past ten days, and included in the above, you have captured forty-six field pieces of artillery, and thirty-seven battle flags. You have never lost a gun, never lost a color and have never been defeated; and notwithstanding the numerous engagements in which you have borne a prominent part, including those memorable battles of the Shenandoah, you have captured every piece of artillery which the enemy has dared to open on you. The near approach of peace renders it improbable that you will again be called upon to undergo the fatigue of toilsome march, or the exposure of the battlefield; but should the assistance of keen blades wielded by your sturdy arms, be required to hasten the coming of that glorious peace for which we have been so long contending, the General Commanding is firmly confident that, in the future as in the past, every demand will meet with a hearty and willing response.
Let us hope that our work is done, and that, blest with the comforts of peace, we may be permitted to enjoy the pleasure of home and friends. For our comrades who have fallen let us ever cherish a grateful remembrance; to the wounded and those who languish in Southern prisons let our heartfelt sympathy be tendered.
And now, speaking for myself alone, when the war is ended and the task of the historian begins—when those deeds of daring, which have rendered the name and fame of the Third Cavalry Division imperishable, are inscribed on the bright pages of our country’s history, I only ask that my name be written as that of the Commander of the Third Cavalry Division.
G. A. Custer,
Brevet Major General Commanding.
Official:
L. W. Barnhart,
Captain and A. A. A. G.
_
Extract from an account of the surrender given by J. T. Haskell, Co. H, at the Reunion of the 2nd Ohio Cav. held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 10, 1911.
“It seems fitting and proper as a final word of the 2nd Ohio Cavalry’s part in this account of the surrender, Gen. Custer’s Headquarters being almost in the immediate front of the Regiment, to give an account of his (Gen. Custer’s) receiving the flag of truce from the Rebel officer carrying the same, and as that account is given by the Rebel General John B. Gordon better than any other account I have ever seen, I will give his words: He says, “I had received word from Gen. Lee informing me that there was a flag of truce between him and Gen. Grant, and that I should notify the Union Army in my front. I called for my Chief of Staff and said, ‘take a flag of truce, bear this message to the Union commander, quick.’ He said, ‘I have no flag of truce.’ ‘O well,’ I said, ‘take your handkerchief and tie it on a stick and go.’ He said, ‘General, I have no handkerchief.” I said, ‘Tear up your shirt, put that on a stick and go.’ He said, ‘I have no white shirt, and see you have none, there is not a white shirt in the whole Army.’ I said, ‘Get something, get something and go.’ He got something and went. There soon returned with him one of the most superb horsemen that ever sat a saddle, and as I looked into his flashing blue eyes, with his long curls falling to his shoulders, I found myself in the presence of that afterwards great Indian fighter, that man who ought forever to hold a place in every American heart, the gallant Custer.
“With a wave of his sword, which embodied all the grace of the schools, he said to me, ‘Gen. Gordon, I bring you the compliments of Gen. Sheridan. I also bring you, sir, Gen. Sheridan’s demand for your immediate and unconditional surrender.’ Just then a white flag was seen in my front, and with it rode Gen. Sheridan and his staff.”
_
Note—Mrs. Elizabeth B. Custer, widow of General Custer, has recently presented me with a souvenir consisting of a part of this famous Flag of Truce (which flag was a crash towel), a fragment of the table on which Grant and Lee signed the Articles of Surrender at Appomatox, and a piece of the red necktie worn by Gen. Custer on this occasion. A. B. N., June 14, 1911.
_
Letter from L. H. Tenney to His Mother and Sisters
“Oakland,” Alabama, Sunday P. M., April 8, 1866.
My Dear Friends:
I am reminded every day of the campaign during those last days of the rebellion. On this day, one year ago—the sun far down in the west—our brigade with no noise save the clamping of horses’ feet and the clanking of sabre scabbards, charged down upon the worried Johnnies at Appomattox Station. The surprise was complete. Three trains of cars, well loaded with provisions and munitions of war for Gen. Lee’s mere skeleton of an army, with the force guarding them fell into our hands without the loss of a man. Three miles away to the east and rear was Appomattox Court House, where the flying and discomforted army was halting. Gen. Walker, Reb., had been sent ahead with the Artillery brigade to take the cars for Lynchburg, only twenty-three miles distant, where Lee was coming. The Artillery was just coming in from the east as we reached the station from the south. The Gen. wheeled his guns, 25, in the road where they were, hoping by a hard fight to get the station. Grape, canister and shell came thick and fast and infantry stood firmly by the guns as we made charge after charge. Night came. Other divisions were coming up. Gen. Custer became impatient. He rode along the line and shouted, “Boys, the 3rd Div. must have those guns. I’m going to charge if I go alone.” The guns were belching forth red fire. The word was given. Gen. Custer did not charge alone. Guns, wagons and prisoners were ours and our boys did not stop until they had passed the Court House where the camp-fires marked the location of the rebel army along the hillsides. Several 2nd Ohio boys were there, Major Easton, Capt. Co. M and Lieut. Rand. The boys were full of enthusiasm and eager to “charge them.” Mounted men were in our front. I ordered “cease firing” and asked who they were. “Gen. Geary and his staff,” was the reply. Looking down to the left of the road, we noticed by the light of the camp-fires a line advancing. We were almost in rear of it. We expected a volley as we withdrew, but the confusion saved us.
At midnight our Div. was relieved. We camped at the station. We wondered what the morrow would bring forth. We knew that we were in front of Lee without Infantry support. And the continual skirmishing told us that Lee was not to be penned without a hard fight. The morning of the 9th came. The Cavalry was being pushed back rapidly towards the station. The boys were falling, scores of them—why was it with victory so near?—when over the hill a dark column was espied coming down the road in close column at quick time. What relief from the awful suspense! What cared we for the color or race of those men so they brought relief to us. We saw courage and determination in their coal-black faces. Give them the ballot, for they insured victory that day. The Cavalry, after being relieved, formed squadrons and at a trot, under flank fire, moved through the fields toward the Court House.
Lines of Infantry were in our rear, moving up from the south and west. Aids came down the line, shouting “Make no noise! Gen. Grant has ordered Lee to surrender and Sheridan to press him! We are going to do it!”
We reach the wooded hills, south of and in sight of the Court House. All at once the Artillery ceases firing. A white flag appears in front. The column halts. Gen. Custer meets it. Again Aids dash off and we see it in their faces, “Lee has surrendered!” Oh the wild and mad huzzas which followed! Pen can not picture the scene. The four years of suffering, death and horrid war were over. Thank God! thank God!! was upon every tongue. Peace, home and friends were ours. Yes, thank God! What wonder that we were crazy with joy? Right here some of Wheeler’s Cavalry, not advised of the truce, came charging upon us. We held our fire, forbore till they meanly persisted, when our boys without orders drove them back. They learned of the truce just in time to save precious blood. Not eighty rods in front of us, when we halted in a hollow, was a brigade of rebel infantry with twelve pieces of artillery loaded to the muzzle with grape shot, waiting for us to come over the hill. Here Sergt. Weary of Co. A fell while demanding the colors of the brigade. He was a brave man and left a family of children to mourn him. How many loving friends were waiting then for the coming of their brave boys, who now mourn their noble dead, whose graves mark the bloody struggle during those eight days from Petersburg to Appomattox.
In the exultations of victory the fallen were well-nigh forgotten. Then on either side of Appomattox C. H. the two armies went into camp—all friends. Rations were issued to all—and the rank and file on each side happy and thankful, I ween, that no more bugle calls were to summon them to battle.
I have spun out this account, but I remember that Lu was absent at the time and the circumstances and incidents are so fresh in my mind that I have enjoyed reviewing them.
May the President and Congress so act as to secure the fruits of the dearly bought victory.
I don’t know and cannot decide what is best in the way of imposing requirements upon the Southern people and establishing guaranties for the rights of freedmen.
The long and bitter discussion preparatory to action on the part of the government, I am confident, is working evil among Southerners. It tends to alienate them. They feel that the spirit of the majority of the Northern people is unfriendly towards them. The conduct of the people in this section has seemed consistent. We couldn’t expect more.
Much more delay in giving them some kind of show will exasperate a great many, I think, and make them unfriendly to Northerners, unkind and unjust to freedmen and disloyal to the government, while now I think the reverse is true.
I enjoyed the letter from Uncle Albert.
With much love to all and two kisses to Carrie,
Your brother Luman.
