Lincoln, the unknown

194 • LINCOLN THE UNKNOWNnight while towering flames were roaring up into the darkness.They were no sooner out of town than Grant was in hot pursuitwith seventy-two thousand men, banging away at the Confederatesfrom both sides and the rear, while Sheridan's cavalrywas heading them off in front, tearing up railway lines, andcapturing supply-trains.Sheridan telegraphed to headquarters, "I think if this thingis pushed, Lee will surrender."Lincoln wired back, "Let the thing be pushed."It was; and, after a running fight of eighty miles, Grantfinally hemmed the Southern troops in on all sides. They weretrapped, and Lee realized that further bloodshed would befutile.In the meantime Grant, half blind with a violent sick headache,had fallen behind his army and halted at a farmhouse onSaturday evening."I spent the night," he records in his Memoirs, "in bathingmy feet in hot water and mustard, and putting mustard plasterson my wrists and the back part of my neck, hoping to be curedby morning."The next morning, he was cured instantaneously.And thething that did it was not a mustard plaster, but a horseman gallopingdown the road with a letter from Lee, saying he wantedto surrender."When the officer [bearing the message] reached me," Grantwrote, "I was still suffering with the sick-headache, but theinstant I saw the contents of the note, I was cured."The two generals met that afternoon in a small bare parlorof a brick dwelling to arrange terms. Grant as usual wasslouchily dressed: his shoes were grimy, he had no sword, andhe wore the same uniform that every private in the army woreexcept that his had three silver stars on the shoulder to showwho he was.What a contrast he made to the aristocratic Lee, wearingbeaded gauntlets and a sword studded with jewels! Lee lookedlike some royal conqueror who had just stepped out of a steelengraving, while Grant looked more like a Missouri farmerwho had come to town to sell a load of hogs and a few hides.For once Grant felt ashamed of his frowzy appearance, and heapologized to Lee for not being better dressed for the occasion.Twenty years before, Grant and Lee had both been officers