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 72 Southern Historical Society Papers.

1877], and I have no doubt other officers did the same. I have reason to fear whether these reports, as a whole, have found their way to the War Record Office in Washington. I think, however, from the circumstances under which they were made, they will be found among General Lee's private papers. I would like to see the last official reports of Lee's subalterns, made at Appomattox Court- house after the surrender, published as a whole. It would make a valuable and interesting volume, and we would then know officially everything reported at the time about the heroic defence of Fort Gregg and its capture. I have always thought that the false claim set up for Harris's brigade was at the instance of General Mahone, because Harris's brigade formed a part of his division. There are other instances in which he did my command injustice. * * He claimed all of the prisoners and one of the flags captured by my brigade in front of the works at Spotsylvania Courthouse on the 1 2th of May, but his claim was never recognized by Generals Lee and Early. He claimed two pieces of artillery captured by Cooke's, McRae's, and Lane's brigades in their glorious charge upon Han- cock's entrenchments at Reames' Station, but General A. P. Hill would not recognize that claim. Colonel William J. Pegram told me that he receipted to General Weisiger for them as ' brought off the field of battle,' and that he declined to receipt for them as ' cap- tured' by Mahone' s old brigade, as the North Carolina brigades had captured them and left them behind them, and McGowan had turned them upon the enemy before Mahone' s old brigade retired them to our rear. This is the fight in which (General Hill told me) the noble and gallant Pegram begged and cried to be allowed to participate.

General Mahone also claimed flags captured by McRae's brigades.



" Yours most sincerely,

"JAMES H. LANE."

[The desire of General Lane that the reports made to General Lee by his general officers, after the surrender at Appomattox Court- house, be collected and published in one volume, commands eager and general acquiescence. The editor would be thankful for the privilege of preserving in the Southern Historical Society Papers all or any of these reports.

It is to be hoped that reports were made, as requested, by a majority if not all of the officers.

The editor wrote to General G. W. C. Lee, in furtherance of the