Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1872-10-05

Smith leaves widow and tour children.
Bali. San, UedneSday.
DEATH OF A DISTINGUISHED MEDICAL
ARMY OFFICER.-Dr. David Camden
McLeon, Acting Surgeon-General of
the Southern Confederacy i'll its earlier
days, died at Santa Fe, New Mexico, on
the Sd instant, aged about fifty years.
He was native Of South Carolina, and
after graduating at Philadelphia entered
the United States army as surgeon and
served through the Seminole war in
Florida, At the breaking out of the
Mexican war he went with General
TAYLOR to the Rio Grande, was present
at most of the battles which led the vic
tors to the gates of Mexico, and entered
that city when it surrendered. riding at
General SCOTS left hand For these
services, as well as for gallantry in &C
ton (when commanding officers were
killed OF wounded and he took their
plaue,) DR. McLeon twice received the
thanks Of Congress, but was again as
signed to frontier duty in Mexico on
the ground of his great energy and har-
dihood. When secession took place he
ranked very high on the list in his de-
partment; was i'll sight Of its highest
place by seniority Yet he was one of
the first of the Southern officers of the
army to tender his resignation. When
he did 80 he was sent for by his old
commander and friend General Scott,
who refused to accept il, at the same
time offering to send him to the north
western frontier with the pledge that he
should be kept there while the strife
continued. In the alternative Of his
refusal General Scott threatened to put
him under arrest, giving him a few
hours for his decision. He returned
home, packed his trunk, and immediate
" started for the South, and reported
to Mr.. Davis, then Provisional PreSi-
dent of the Confederacy, who assigned
him the difficult but important task of
arranging the Medical Department, at
the head Of which he acted for several
months, until the resignation Of DR..
Moore (who ranked him in the old
army,) under Mr. Davis's rule, gave
that gentleman the higheStpost Trans
tcrred to another department, and to
various places during the war until it
closed, he shared the struggles and the
sutftringS of his brethren. When all
was over, with several other officers he
from Texas into Mexico, vowing henev-
crwould return to the conquered South
until She was free After 4 years trial
of Mexico he left it in disgust and re-
turned to New Mexico where he had
been stationed for many years and own
cd property. There he planted and
practiced his profession until his death.
His last years were darkcned by exile,
disease, and suflering.-Richmond DIS
patch.
UNRoMASrIc APPEARANCE OF a HIS
roRIC BATTLE GRoUND.-A correspond
ent of the New York EUeni"g Post
writes as follows from Virginia
Midway between Farmvihe and
Lynchburg is Appomattox. When the
brakeman opens tie car door and calls
out in loud tone, 'AppomattoX," there
is a general rush of heads to the car
windows, and everybody looks ont ca
gerry, rs if expecting to sec something
wonderful.
Nothing of the kind appears, a less
historical place IN appearance will not
be found in all this uninviting region.
\ country store, wheelrights and
blacksmith's shop, an aged individual
with tobacco juice running out Of the
corners of his mouth, and two or three
piles of oak bark, constitute the first
view of Appcmattox, as seen from the
windows of the train. True, this is on
ly the station, the village of Appomat-
toI being mile or more away, and the
scene of the memorable surrender fur
ther away still No monument Of any
kind, ! am told, marks the Waterloo of
the rebellion The New Yorker. you
may be sure, had his head ont Of the
window and his tongue going.
Where is that apple tree that Lee
surrendered UNDER
'Donc cut down" said the aged per.
'SOn.
"Whcre are the roots =
"Donc cut up.
@Who cut EN- up-Ianks?'
"Yanks and Coittds both
"Roots all gone ,
Clean gone.
"Well, I'm right down sorry. l
came here expressly to buy them roots,
intending to divide en- equally between
Ulysses and Horace, Good-by, my ven
cradle friend.
Ear YOU well, said the old man, as
the train moved off.
1t is related as a singular circumstance
that the owner of the farm on which
Lee surrendered, also owned the farm
on which the first battle of Bull Run,
July Is. 1861, was fought. Fleeing
from the might of the Union armies,
he found in Appomattox, as he thought,
a place TO which the war would never
penetrate. and there, by singular chance
witnessed the downfall of the Conteder-
acy.
O, THAT WERE BEAUTIFUL.
is the unspolcn wish of thousands of