graphic description of the charges of
our comrades the day before. Colonel Washburn survived his injuries only
a few days. He told Captain Ray that "if I had the whole of the 4th
regiment with me I would have annihilated Fitz Hugh Lee and Rosser." This
was the marvelous courage and spirit of the man, "a gentleman and a
soldier."

We immediately started on to report to the headquarters of the army of the
Potomac. All the way from Petersburg there was evidence of conflict. At
Amelia Courthouse we found the remnants of Ewell's corps of the
Confederate army. Artillery, wagons and ammunition piled up in disorder;
from people along the way reports of fighting. The Confederate troops
hurriedly passed down the highway, to be immediately followed by the blue
lines of federal troops. On the morning of the ninth of April we began to
catch up with the army of the Potomac.

Through the lines of the sixth and ninth corps we rode, until early in the
afternoon came the report that Lee had surrendered. You ought to have seen
the faces of the soldiers of the army of the Potomac then. They looked
like heroes to me. When we reached the Confederate lines we kept on
through their camps and landed at General Meade's headquarters at
Appomattox C. H., where we were immediately put on duty to assist in the
work of paroling and disbanding the Confederate army.

A detail from my squadron went to Lynchburg one afternoon with General
Gibbons returning in the night. When the arrangements of paroling the
Confederate army were complete and General Lee was at liberty to depart
from his army, an order came from army headquarters for a detail of
cavalry to escort General Lee from his lines. The escort was made up from
the 4th Massachusetts cavalry and I was privileged to be one of them.
Sixteen men composed the platoon and Lieutenant Lovell of our regiment was
in command. I was right guide of the detail, and I thought at the time
that we were pretty good representatives of the Union cavalry.

We had H guidon with us which was one of the flags that was the first in
Richmond. We went to General Lee's headquarters and Lieutenant Lovell
reported to General Lee.

He was courteously received and asked to wait until General Lee and his
staff had breakfast and completed arrangements for their departure. We
dismounted a short distance away. General Lee seated himself at a table
made from a hard tack box and ate his last breakfast (consisting of hard
tack, fri