untered by those
great leaders. They were at the head of perfectly organized,
thoroughly trained, and well disciplined troops; while Lee's soldiers,
though gallant and daring to a fault, lacked the military cohesion and
efficiency, the trained company leaders, and the educated staff which
are only to be found in a regular army of long standing. A trial heat
between two jockeys mounted on untrained horses may be interesting,
but no one would ever quote the performance as an instance of great
racing speed.

Who shall ever fathom the depth of Lee's anguish when the bitter end
came, and when, beaten down by sheer force of numbers, and by
absolutely nothing else, he found himself obliged to surrender! The
handful of starving men remaining with him laid down their arms, and
the proud Confederacy ceased to be. Surely the crushing, maddening
anguish of awful sorrow is only known to the leader who has so failed
to accomplish some lofty, some noble aim for which he has long striven
with might and main, with heart and soul, in the interests of king or
of country. A smiling face, a cheerful mien, may conceal the sore
place from the eyes, possibly even from the knowledge of his friends;
but there is no healing for such a wound, which eats into the very
heart of him who has once received it.

General Lee survived the destruction of the Confederacy for five
years, when, at the age of sixty-three, and surrounded by his family,
life ebbed slowly from him. Where else in history is a great man to be
found whose whole life was one such blameless record of duty nobly
done? It was consistent in all its parts, complete in all its
relations. The most perfect gentleman of a State long celebrated for
its chivalry, he was just, gentle, and generous, and childlike in the
simplicity of his character. Never elated with success, he bore
reverse, and at last, complete overthrow, with dignified resignation.
Throughout this long and cruel struggle his was all the
responsibility, but not the power that should have accompanied it. The
fierce light which beats upon the throne is as that of a rush-light
in comparison with the electric glare which our newspapers now focus
upon the public man in Lee's position. His character has been
subjected to that ordeal, and who can point to any spot upon it? His
clear, sound judgment, personal courage, untiring activity, genius for
war, and absolute devotion to his State mark him out as a public man,
as a patriot to