oitre the roads and works leading to
Richmond. They had gone but a little distance into the Confederate lines,
when they saw a shabby, old-fashioned carriage, drawn by a pair of lean,
lank horses, the occupants waving a white flag. They met this
flag-of-truce party at the line of fortifications, just beyond the
junction of the Osborne turnpike and New Market road. The carriage
contained the mayor of Richmond--Colonel Mayo--Judge Meredith of the
Supreme Court, and Judge Lyons. The fourth worthy I cannot recall. Judge
Lyons, our former minister to England, and one of the representative men
of Virginia, made the introductions in his own characteristic way, and
then Colonel Mayo, who was in command of the flag-of-truce party, handed
to Major Stevens a small slip of wall paper, on which was written the
following: "It is proper to formally surrender to the Federal authorities
the city of Richmond, hitherto capital of the Confederate States of
America, and the defenses protecting it up to this time." That was all.
The document was approved of, and Major Stevens most courteously accepted
the terms for his commanding general, to whom it was at once transmitted,
and moved his column upon the evacuated city, taking possession and saving
it from ashes.

His first order was to sound the alarm bells and to take command at once
of the fire department, which consisted of fourteen substitute men, those
who were exempt from service because of disease, two steam fire engines,
four worthless hand engines, and a large amount of hose, destroyed by the
retreating half-crazed Confederates. His next order was to raise the stars
and stripes over the Capitol. Quick as thought, two soldiers, one from
Company E and one from Company H of the Fourth Massachusetts cavalry,
crept to the summit and planted the flag of the nation. Two bright,
tasteful guidons were hoisted by the halyards in place of the red cross.
The living colors of the Union were greeted, while our "Warriors' banner
took its flight to meet the warrior's soul."

That flag, whose design has been accredited alike to both George
Washington and John Adams, was raised over Virginia by Massachusetts, in
place of the one whose kinship and likeness had not, even after renewed
effort, been entirely destroyed. For by the adoption of the stars and bars
(three horizontal bars of equal width--the middle one white, the others
red--with a blue union of nine stars in a circle) by the Confederate
Cong