Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1865-11-30
4atuprana geaaiag.
The Wonderful Apple Tree Of Appo-
mattox.

S S y
The Wonderful Apple Tree of Appo-
mattox.
A gentleman just from Appomattox
Court House informs us that "there is moth.
ing left of the apple tree under which Gen
eral Lee surrendered, but red hole in the
ground, and it is feared that unless the hole
is fenced in, that also will be removed BY
curiosity.seekers." 1t is subject worthy
Of notice, too, that the apple tree alluded
to was the largest tree in the world, being
at least forty times the bulk of the cele-
brated California oak, which was about the
size Of the citadel of Ham. About nine
hundred and seventeen cords of this apple
tree have already been distributed over the
U. States in the shape of walking canes, fish
ing poles, umbrella handles, policemen's
clubs, work boxes, sewing machines, VIII
ting desks. vest buttons, corks,. charms,
lead pencils, pen handles, toddy muddlers,
ooth-picks, tobacco pipes, and snuff boxes
The number of persons felicitating in these
heroic relics is estimated at about twenty
eight millions, which is equivalent to the
number of rebels killed, wounded and mis-
sing in the late war, according to the pub
iished statements Of Northern newspapers,
from statistics gathered at the time. In
fact, this apple tree enjoys as wide oircu-
.lation as any bogus medicine in existence,
and, but for the fact that Gen. Lee didn't
surrender under any apple tree at all, it
might be appropriately placed, photograph
ically, among the historic archives of the
country, as the greatest tree in all history
the one in which the Magma Charta was
hidden, or the banyan, or the bamboo of
India, or the cork tree, the camphor tree,
the majestic palm, the cedar of Lebanon,
the cocoanut, or the still more renowned
gum tree, up which the traditional opos.
sum climbed, not excepted. 1t is however,
in keeping with the march of historical
precision to say that the surrender took
place under the apple tree, or any other
tree, inasmuch as from the time Gen. Grant
took the contract to squelch the rebellion
and, in fact, from the affair at Bull Run
the Xenophons of the Northern press did
nothing else but record victories and sui
renders, and surrenders and victories, nm.
der every variety of circumstances and all
sorts of trees, apples and otherwise. In
the Revolutionary war the battle Of Bunker
Hill was fought on another hill by mistake,
but Bunker got the credit and keeps it till
this day. In the great Kilkenny. .cat-6ght,
known as the battle of Chevy Chase,
similar mistake occurred, and nobody
knows how, the correct location is myste.
ry yet, and the "CheVy Chase. enjoys the
classic honors Of the fight. But there was
still more magnificent battle, which; for
want of location, has been immortalized
by an unknown poet, and is only known as
q "Battle of Song"-the strange and
mythical Niebelungen Lied, which antigua
rians aver was based on the truth, and, it
is to be supposed, took place where apple
trees, and, perhaps oranges, citrons and
persimmon trees grew. 1t is unnecessary,
however, to give catalogue Of the varia-
tions of the historical compass, for the sake
of excusing this slight misapprehensiops of
facts in the matter of Lees surrender. It
is useless to attempt the conviction of the
truth SO long as the stock on hand of the
great Appomattox apple tree is unexhaust
ed, and, perhaps, even when the supply
gives out-for the destruction. of apple
trees in New England, when the Maine law
excited prejudice against brandy, renders
such an exhaustion probable--histcry will
claim the original as the rightful possessor
of the fame of the locality, and the surren-
der Of Gen. Lee underan apple tree will
be fixed in the national records and the
pictorial reports from the Patent Office on
Pomology and Agriculture.-Richnao''d
Sentinel. =.