“General, I have no flag of truce.”

I told him to get one.  He replied: 

“General, we have no flag of truce in our command.”

Then said I, “Get your handkerchief, put it on a stick, and go forward.”

“I have no handkerchief, General,”

“Then borrow one and go forward with it.”

He tried, and reported to me that there was no handkerchief in my staff.

“Then, Colonel, use your shirt.”

“You see, General, that we all have on flannel shirts.”

At last, I believe, we found a man who had a white shirt.  He gave it to us, and I tore off the back and tail, and, tying this to a stick, Colonel Peyton went out toward the enemy’s lines.  I instructed him simply to say to General Sheridan that General Lee had written to me that a flag of truce had been sent from his and Grant’s headquarters, and that he could act as he thought best on this information.  In a few moments he came back with some one representing General Sheridan.  This officer said: 

“General Sheridan requested me to present his compliments to you, and to demand the unconditional surrender of your army.”

“Major, you will please return my compliments to General Sheridan, and say that I will not surrender.”

“But, General, he will annihilate you.”

“I am perfectly well aware of my situation.  I simply gave General Sheridan some information on which he may or may not desire to act.”

He went back to his lines, and in a short time General Sheridan came forward on an immense horse, and attended by a very large staff.  Just here an incident occurred that came near having a serious ending.  As General Sheridan was approaching I noticed one of my sharpshooters drawing his rifle down upon him.  I at once called to him:  “Put down your gun, sir; this is a flag of truce.”  But he simply settled it to his shoulder and was drawing a bead on Sheridan, when I leaned forward and jerked his gun.  He struggled with me, but I finally raised it.  I then loosed it, and he started to aim again.  I caught it again, when he turned his stern, white face, all broken with grief and streaming with tears, up to me, and said:  “Well, General, then let him keep on his own side.”

The fighting had continued up to this point.  Indeed, after the flag of truce, a regiment of my men, who had been fighting their way through toward where we were, and who did not know of a flag of truce, fired into some of Sheridan’s cavalry.  This was speedily stopped, however.  I showed General Sheridan General Lee’s note, and he determined to await events.  He dismounted, and I did the same.  Then, for the first time, the men seemed to understand what it all meant, and then the poor fellows broke down.  The men cried like children.  Worn, starved and bleeding as they were, they would rather have died than have surrendered.  At one word from me they would have hurled themselves on