t fall!" He did not accede to the proposition; but
later I heard him insist that one of our drivers should let him have his
spurs, as he, the driver, would have no further use for them; but he did
not get the spurs.

By noon, or soon thereafter, the terms of the surrender were made
known--terms so generous, considerate, and unlooked-for as scarcely
believed to be possible. None of that exposure to the gaze and
exultation of a victorious foe, such as we had seen pictured in our
school-books, or as practised by conquering nations in all times. We
had felt it as not improbable that, after an ordeal of mortifying
exposure for the gratification of the military, we would be paraded
through Northern cities for the benefit of jeering crowds. So, when we
learned that we should be paroled, and go to our homes unmolested, the
relief was unbounded.

Early in the afternoon General Lee, mounted on "Traveler" and clad in a
spotless new uniform, passed along on his return from an interview with
General Grant. I stood close by the roadside, along which many of his
old soldiers had gathered, in anticipation of his coming, and, in a life
of more than three-score years, with perhaps more than ordinary
opportunities of seeing inspiring sights, both of God's and man's
creation, the impression and effect of General Lee's face and appearance
as he rode by, hat in hand, stands pre-eminent. A few of the men started
to cheer, but almost instantly ceased, and stood in silence with the
others--all with heads bared.

The favorable and entirely unexpected terms of surrender wonderfully
restored our souls; and at once plans, first for returning to our homes,
and then for starting life anew, afforded ample interest and
entertainment. One of the privileges granted in the terms of surrender
was the retention, by officers and cavalrymen, of their own horses. My
recent acquisition at Sailor's Creek had put me in possession of a
horse, but to retain him was the difficulty, as I was neither officer
nor cavalryman. Buoyed up with the excitement of bursting shells and
the noise of battle, he had carried me out gamely, but, this over, there
was but little life in him. I transferred the saddle and bridle to a
horse abandoned in the road with some artillery, and left my old
benefactor standing, with limbs wide apart and head down, for his
original owners.

[Illustration: FAC-SIMILE OF PAROLE SIGNED BY GENERAL PENDLETON]

To accomplish my purpose of going ou