| Lee's Surrender, By My Great Grandfather |
My Great, Grandfather Private John Pelopidus Leach wrote:
"Needham and Jack, faithful and devoted servants of my Brother Geo. T. Leach who then commanded my company, and Capt. Richardson who was captured at Fort Stedman, informed of the surrender, came to the front in search of my Brother and myself. They awoke me and gave me the first information I had of Lee's army, which I did not believe, until returning with them past the courthouse to the bivouac of the remnant of my company I saw the open field about the village full of straggling men, moving in aimless fashion, artillery, ambulances and wagons gathering in parks, many men crying, some cursing and all in pitiful distress."
"My command stacked arms in front of the victorious federals on the 10th of April, with one lieutenant, nine white men--all with guns-- and two Negro servants, Needham Leach of Chatham and Jack Richardson of Johnston County." (The Lieutenant was my great Uncle, George Thomas Leach)
"I with Needham, a Negro servant, as my only companion turned south to my home, Pittsboro, NC, passed through Chapel Hill and the Federal brigade of Gen. Atkins stationed there.
At Byrnums Mill on the Haw River, Needham and I were rowed across the stream in a bateau carrying the family servant of Maj. London, Sr. returning home with a bag of corn meal which he carried on the back of a mule."
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