xposed, like the rest of us. We had seen him often enough under
hot fire. And, by the way, I believe that the one only thing General Lee
ever did, that the men in this army thought he _ought not to do_, was
going under fire. We thought him perfect in motive, deed and judgment;
he could do no wrong, could make no mistake, but this,--that he was too
careless in the way he went about a battlefield. Three different times,
during these very fights, at points of danger, he was urged to leave
the spot, as it was "not the place for him." At last he said, "I wish I
knew _where my place is_ on the battlefield; wherever I go some one
tells me _that_ is not the place for me."

But, he would go! He wanted to see things for himself, and he wished his
men to know, that he was looking after them, both seeing that they did
their duty, and _caring_ for them. And certainly, the sight of his
beloved face was like the sun to his men for cheer and encouragement.
Every man thought less of personal danger, and no man thought of
_failure_ after he had seen General Lee riding along the lines. Nobody
will ever quite understand what that old man was to us, his soldiers!
What absolute confidence we felt in him! What love and devotion we had,
what enthusiastic admiration, what filial affection, we cherished for
him. We loved him like a father, and thought about him as a devout old
Roman thought of the God of War. Anything happen to him! It would have
_broken our hearts_, for one thing, and, we could no more think of the
"Army of Northern Virginia" without General Lee, at its head, than we
could picture the day without the sun shining in the heavens.

An incident illustrating this feeling was taking place up in the front
just about the time we were hearing the news of the General's narrow
escape.

As the Texan Brigade of Longstreet's Corps, just come up, dashed upon
the heavy ranks of the Federals, they passed General Lee with a rousing
cheer. The old General, anxious and excited by the critical moment,
thrilling with sympathy in their gallant bearing, started to ride in,
with them, to the charge. It was told me the next day by some of the
Texans, who witnessed it, that the instant the men, unaware of his
presence with them before, saw the General along with them in that
furious fire, they cried out in pleading tones--"Go back, General Lee.
We swear we won't go on, if you don't go back. You shall not stay here
in this fire! We'll charge clear throu