The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-09-22


! sURRENDER-THE FAMOUS APPLE TREE
THE M'LEAN HOUSE, WHERE THE TREATY
/ WAS SIGNED.
Special Correspondence of The Timesl
APPoMATTox, C. H., Sept. 9, 1881.
| In Mrs. McLean's parIor Grant and Lei
met to agree upon the terms of surrender
I The house is a two-story brick structure
with porch extending the full length OF
Its front. 1t was intended originally for a
tavern. The yard is a large square grass
/ plot, bordered by six towering locust trees
A huge willow that stood at the time of the
surrender has been cut away, stump and all.
In the middle of the yard is a well of sweet
I water. The summer house that once COW
cred the well is gone. AT the edge of the
porch are a number of geranium pots with
I MOWERS IN bloom. The pailings are white
with fresh coat of lime and altogether the
property is as neat and pretty as 1t is posi-
Bile to make it. A wide hall leads from the
porch through the middle of the house. Ii
was with one room only-the parl0r to the
leit OF the entrance-that the commanders
had anything to do. An alleged engraving
OF the historic conference hangs over the
parlOr door, but the villagers say that sew
eral of the Federal officers who show their
fine uniforms in the picture were not pres
ent except in the engraver's accommodating
eye. The room would seat comfortably
fifty or more persons. There is a window
at each end and both windows are wide
The fireplace is screened by a pictured
board. Around the room are portraits of
Ragland beauties and beaux, and while
Mrs. Ragland's furniture and ornaments
make the historic parl0r quite pretty, they
also make it commonplace. The big chair
in the corner suggests tender courting epi-
sodes rather than incidents of hard cam
paigning.
pleasant breeze was swaying the tops
of tine locusts as we left the Mclean house.
and passed once more through the village,
clear over which my companion swore that
he could knock a base ball in sky-scraping
curve. Here at this wheel-wright shop fell
the dashing Root, the last officer of the
Army of the Potomac to die. Further along
we see an oak and black-gum, uninterest-
ing OF their own account but which enable
the villager to get the bearings of the now
up-tOrn locust where Grant and Lee first
met to talk The spot is an open field,
about two hundred yards north of the Court
House and we'll down the slope towards the
Appomattox. When we forded that stream
the clear, spring water flowing over sandy
bottom did not So much as wet the hubs OF
our buggy wheels. 1t is less than ten yards
In width at this time, though in stormy
weeks, when the red soil above takes to
itself something of the fluidity as well as
the color of blood, the riyulet truly swells
into river and passes eastward its one
hundred and fifty miles to the James with
rush and roar that tell of the highland bed
wherein it was born. The source of the
stream is three miles above-a spring that
is visited daily by darkey boys who balance
buckets upon their heads with as much
dexterity as the thumb of the sweet swell
at Long Branch throws into the twirl of his
cane.
AT THE APPLE TREE.
The spot where stood Lees apple tree is
soon reached, as leaving the creek we go a
part Of the way up the slope and halt by
roadside orchard. Persons have said that
the hole left by the removal of the stump
is now visible. Ii so it is microscopic
The driver showed US "near bout" and
put nigh" the place where the hole ought
to be. The day after the surrender the tree
was removed root and branch by soldiers
who wanted relics to take home to their
wives and sWeethearts. And as apple wood
is apple wood, several other trees in the
same orchard were cut up into relics also.
This season a crop of oats was taken by
Farmer E. e. Hicks from the field and
September stubble now makes the whole
hillside brown. 1t is true that Lee held
brief council under the apple tree and the
story Of the tree is not myth.
LEES APPLE TREE, LOCUST AND POPLAR
The weary leader was hemmed in on all
sides. The thousand days of fighting were
over and the one day of parley had come
The Army of Northern Virginia had spent
its strength in many maneuyres in tireless
I4arches and in terrific battles. Hungry,
sore and sioH. the poor remnant of once
seemingly invincible host now under the
bright light of an April moon slept its last
sleep with the knapsack for its pillow.
From the apple tree the rebel chief sent out
his white sign OF peace-a poor, torn rag,
but how tatefull Riding down hill and
across the stream he met Grant near the
locust. County CLERK, George I. Peers, saw
Grant and Lee meet. They saluted, chat
ted, touched hats, wheeled and rode in op-
posite directions To appearances it was
an ordinary meeting of two mounted men.
Soon afterwards Lee returned from the fur
ther side of the creek and, with Grant,
entered the Mclean house Then the
vanquished captain rejoined his comrades
and under poplar, now fourishing in its
gFowth on the farm of J. w. Flood, one
mile northeast Of the Court House, bade
farewell to battle-fefds.
Here ended the long, fierce, pitiless strug-
gle, which in the record of the worlds wars
vastly oyertops all others. Following the
Lines of Gcarred earth from Manassas hither,
a youth predisposed 70 carp becomes aware
of the smallness Of closet critics and of
aftet.battte yaliapts He feels that the war
was waged under mighty impulse and that
those who fought ovsteams obstacles to
which the labors of Hercules were as the
tricks of toys The footprints of the grand
armises will outlast the generation that
made the;n and grow to gigantic breadth
and import for those who come after. Myriaa
graves Dogdar the grounds of combat, but
peacefully above each 6attie- field the flag of
the Union has its place. G. M.