The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-09-23

-
all l~ss Winter
"Well, Ishould-irradiate, remarked my
jccose companion, who was here with Shert-
dan sixteen years ago.
''But where were the prisoners?" protested,
"the thieves, vagabonds, cut-throats, forgers
and awful creatures Of that kind?"
''Why, sir, sometimes Appomattox Jail is
without tenant of that class for two or three
yesrs; We are a law-abiding people, and love
God"
can, bedad, strangers" interrupted a less
polished native. 'ef ye feel kind o. thirsty yen
be 'bleeged ter gwsy from heah ter git yo'
ticker. cause there ANITA drap o. the critter
In ole Appomattox.
Such was my introduction to the scene of
Lees Surrender and Grants triumph-as
peaceful and pleasant spot as can be found
on the continent. What take to be the COM
mon idea OF the whereabouts of the out-of-the-
way court house and its apple tree is that they
are lying around loose somewhere within an
hours ride or 50 of Petersburg. At least that
was my notion until tried to get here. I had
forgotten that when Lee left his Cockade City
lines and that when Grant unleashed his az
my in hot pursuit the worn veterans of the
ore and the jRbilant host of the other pushed
westward on level land for five full days. So
it wes that when, with a fellow traveller of
chance acquaintance got out of the cars at
Appomattox station on the Southside railroad,
was surprised to learn that the smoke of
busy Lynchburg could be seen on clear days
just over among the mountains to the west.
The station is scraggy collection of stores,
which, apparently, have more clerks than Gus
toaers The ride thence to the court house is
three miles northward, across fiat fields and
through thick timber. Until we issued upon
the Apponartox valley the only thing that re-
lisved trot otherwise tiresome was the sight
OF score of little darkies at play around
school house, on the stoop Of which sat the
white haired and strong armed swinger Of the
hickory cad.
AFPoAIaTTox IN A BEAUTIFUL VALLEY.
But as soon as we got out of the woods and
drew near the village the whole surroundings
took upon themselves that which forced our
close scrutiny and admiration. The court house
landscape, made up Of little valley and its
bordering hills, sssmed to me to be as soft and
pleasant picture IS one could wish to see To
the right from the roadway stretch rolling
lands and 70 the left are similar clearings. with
plantation house quarter OF a mile distant,
in the midst Of its field. Beyond and in the,
direcIen we were driving the road runs down
q long declivity. 1T the foot Of the hill is the
Appolnattox and crossing this stream, here a
mere rjyulet the road aScends at a slight
grade until it is lost to sight in the horizon line
TO the Forth. Up the valley are hillocky fields
and down the valley, which curves to the
south, are hillside groves Where we now
rein IN our horses to get a mental picture or
the stretch of rolling earth Grant once stood,
as with feld-glass no scanned the tent-dotted
slops wherein Lees last bivouac was made.
The sunlight is soft, the sky is one OF pearl,
the air Is perfumcd with the breath OF the pine,
the oak and the locust, and far away rise the
Peaks of Otter, pyrsmifs OF blue beauty,
standing as sentinel towers hard by the gate
way OF the sun.
Slightly below the point from which we see
these sights is the Court House village It is
snuggled up against the hill, half way down
the slope, and is nearly hidden by shade trees.
As we move on we pass graveyard that cov-
ers less than o square rood of ground. Within
the enclosure as our driver tells us, are buried
the last victims of Lees last campaign. The
only slabs in the place OF burial are wooden
onsx, and the only tombstones are such rude
rocks as have been gathered from the high
way. A few hundred yards further along the
road we come to the Mclean house, the place
of surrender, and moment later we hitch our
horses in front OF the court house, in the heart
Of the little settlement.
AN ODD LITTLE PLACE
built Nth an eye to the geometrical. The
half acre of grassy grouna in which squats the
court house is of ectagonal cut and hedge.
Four short streets form a square around the
octsgon, and around the outer sides of the
sszsets are the one hotel, the three stores and
the thirteen dwellings that constitute ithe vii
lage. The court house is a brick building OF
low pitch in a grove OF locusts. Stone steps
lead in steep succession up to a porch, passing
which Judge or juror finds himself in the hall
n1a2 tru%~ Sc oO0f "a
main room, but in the basement below the BIZ
BE holds SWAY, for upon occasion the court
house can serve as church. The jail looks
like brick dwelling, and its harmless appear
ance is in keeping with every other thing
about the delightful village.
"The only excitements we have" said DR..
Patterson, ARE in court weeks. Court met
yesterday and Colonel Readjuster Cameron
spoke here, but as you see, there isn't much
stir. Yes, the apple tree place is beyond the
creek there, ana-by the way, do you see that
house? Well, there's where Mr.. Peers lives;
in the yard OF his house the last Confederate
gun fired in Virginia went off on the Sunday
morning OF the surrender. On the other side
OF the county building is the Mclean house;
do you see, gentemen?-that brick house."
mat THE START AND THE DEATH.
We went to the Mclean house and were
pleasantly greeted by its occupant, Mrs N. G.
Ragland. 1t stands, with slight change, as 1T
stood at the surrender. In 1861 Wilmer Nc
Lean, quiet citizen, owned a farm near Bull
Run stream, in Prince William county. When
en- Sunday, 21st of July, in that year, the great
armies FLASHED for the first time his fields were
devastated and his home despoiled. He jumped
at the conclusion that the war would be waged
in trent of Washington, and to get away from
the fuss, he pocketed his household goods and
moved southwark TO the untroubled hills OF
Appomattox. Strange does it seem that he
should have bsheld the first act and the last
act Of the war il Virginia, but it was immedi-
ately around him that the conflict had its be-
ginsng aud end. BE was at Manassas when
the aay young rebel, sashed and pinned, gave
Mcdowell hat first sockdolager, and he was
here 81 s 0p5nel sox when the same rebel
ragged, shcsis6s, ehirtless, the recipient OF
Thousand Slows-stacked arms forever.
WHERE TIE WAR ENDED.
In Mrs McLean's paflor Grant and Lee met
TO agree upon the terms OF surrender. The
house IS gwostory brick structure, with
porch extending the full length OF its front
II was intended originally for tavern. The
yaru Is large square gross plot, bcrdered by
six towering locust trees A hugs willow
that stood ~ the time of tho surrender, has
been cut sgay, stump and all. In the middle
Of tbs yard Is o wsjl OF sweet water. The
summer house that once covered the we'll is
gone. At the edge Of the porch are a number
of gera1ium pos with flowers in bloom. The
palines are white with a fresh coat of lime and
aitoee Their the properly is as neat and pretty as
it is possible 20 make it. A wide hall leads
from the perch through the middle of the
house. It was with one room only--the parlor
TO The left of the entrance-that the command
ers had anything to DO An alleged eDgrav-
iog Of the historic conference hangs over the
parlor door, but the villagers say that several
of the federal officera who show their fine uni
forms in the picture, were not present except
in the engravers accommodating eye. The
room would saSt comfortably fifty or more
persons. There is a window at each end and
hofh windows wide. The frenlane ig
screened by pictured board. Around the
room are portraits of Ragland beauties and
beaux, and while Mrs. Eagland's furniture
aud ooisnents rake the historic psrlor quite
r-ttfs, they g - make Is commonplace. The
big e'.4fr ia tae corner suggests tenaer court
ing saisldaa rather than incidents Of hard cam
ps Mag.
= eieasaut breeze was swsysug the tops OF
tkc Gusts IS W. eft the Mclean house and
passed once Mcre through tue village, clear
over which my companion swore that he could
knck base ball in sky scraping curve Here
At this wheel wright shop fell the dashino Root