“His labors are over, and he is at rest. He carried me very faithfully, and I shall never have so beautiful an animal again.”
General Lee was noted for his want of hatred towards any one. He called the Northern soldiers “those people.” Once, in the midst of a fierce battle, he said to his son Robert, who was bravely working at a big gun, “That’s right, my son; drive those people back.” When told of Jackson’s fatal wound, his eye flashed fire and his face flushed as he thought of his great loss; but he quietly said:
“General Jackson’s plans shall be carried out. Those people _shall be_ driven back _to-day_.”
The Rev. J. William Jones says—that one day after the war, as he went up the street, he saw General Lee standing talking to a poor man. As the man walked away he said to him: “That is one of the old soldiers, and added, ‘he fought on the other side; but we must not think of that.’”
After the war, when at the springs, a lady friend pointed to a man near by and said to General Lee, “That is General ——, of the Federal Army. He is having quite a dull time. He is here with his daughters, but we do not care to have anything to do with them.”
“I am glad that you told me,” said General Lee; “I will see at once that they have a better time.”
After that he took pains to make friends with “those people,” and so set the fashion for others. General —— and his daughters were soon having “a better time.”
General Lee was more than brave and tender; he was meek, yet with a heart big enough to love every one of his soldiers, and great enough to plan long marches and glorious battles.
After the battle of Gettysburg, one of his officers rode up and told him that his men were for the most part killed or wounded. Lee shook hands with him and said: “All this has been my fault. It is _I_ who have lost this fight, and you must help me out as best you can.”
Not once did Lee cast the blame where it belonged, but rode among his men with such words of cheer as these: “All this will come right in the end.” “We want all good and true men just now.” “All good men must rally.” In this way he closed up his broken lines, and showed such a brave front that Meade did not deem it well to renew the fight.
[Illustration: PICKETT’S RETURN AFTER THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.]