The Cecil Whig., 1882-06-03
VIRGINIA BATTLE FIELDS.
Last Scene of All al Appomattox-A Description Of
tie Place OF Lees Surrender.
"A school in the Jail - said in sur

"A school in the Jail - said in sur
prise.
Yes" repeated DR.. Patterson. the
obhgin@ physician of the village, 1--WE
had school there all last Winter
Well, Should-irradiate.' remarked
my .iocose companion, who was here with
Sheridan sixteen years ago.
But where were the prisoners? ," pro-
tested; the thieves, vagabends, forgers,
cut-throatS, and awful creatures of that
kind o''
why, sir, sometimes Appomattox
! jail is without tenant of that class for
two or three years; we are a law-abiding
people ana love God"
An begad. strangers. interrupted 4
less polished native, ''ef We feel kind o
thirsty yell be 'bleeged ter g way from
| heah ter git yo' licker, cause there amt
a 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
abouts of the out-ol-the- way Court House
and its apple tree is that they are lying
around loose within an hours ride or
50 Of Petersburg. At least that was my
notion until | tried to get here. | had
| forgotten that when Lee left his Cock
ade City lines and when Grant unleashed
his army i'll hot pursuit the worn veter-
ans of the one and the jubilant host of
| the other pushed westward on level land
for five full days. So it was when, with
4 fellow traveller of chance acquaintance,
| 90; out of the cars at AppomattoX Sta
ton on the Southside Railroad | was SUI
| prised to learn that the smoke of busy
Lynchburg could be seen on clear days
inst over among the mountains to the
west. The station is a scraggy collec-
tion OF stores, which apparently have
more clerks than customers. The ride
thence to the Court House is three miles
nnrthward, across Hat fields and through
thick timber. Until we issued upon the
| Appomattox Valley the only thing that
relieved a trot otherwise tireSome was
the sight Of score of little darkeys at
play around a school house, on the stoop
OF which sat the white haired and strong
armed swinger Of the hickory gad.
APPOMhTTON IN \ BEAUTIFUL. VALLEY.
But as soon as We got out OF the woods
roundingS took upon themselves that
which forced our close scrutiny and ad-
mration. The Court House landscape,
made up of little valley and its border
ing hills, seemed to ne t, be as soft and
! pleasant picture as one could wish to
see. To the right from the roadway
stretch rolling lands and to the left are
similar clearingS, with a plantation house
4 quarter of mile distant, in the midst
Of its fields. Beyond and in the direc-
ton we were driving the road runs down
| is the Appomattox, and crossing this
stream. here mere rivulet, the road
ascendS at slight grade until it is lost to
sight in the horizon line to the north.
Up the valley are hillocky fields, and
down the valley. which curves to :he
south, are hillside groves. Where we
now rein i'll our horses to get a mental
picture of the sketch of rolling earth,
Grant once stood as with field glass he
scanned the tent-dotted slope whereon
Lee S last biyouac was made. The sun
light is soft, the sky is one of pearl, the
air is perfumed with the breath of the
pine the oak, and the locust. and far
away rise the Peaks Of Otter, pyramids
Of blue beauty, standing as sentinel tow
ers hard by the gateway of the sun.
Slightly below the point from which
we see these sights is the Court House
village. 1t is snugged up against the
hill, half way down the slope, and is
nearly hidden by shade trees. AS we
move on we pass graveyard that COW
ers less than square rood of ground.
Within the inclosure, as our driver tells
Us. are buried the last victims Of Lees
last campaign. The only slabs in the
place of burial are wooden ones, and the
only tombSroneS are such rude rocks as
have been gathered from the highway.
\ few hundred yards further along the
road We come to tie Mclean house, the
II 4
we hitch our horses in front of the Court
House. in the heart of the little settle
ment.
AN ODD LITTLE PLACE.
1t is plain at first glance that the vii
lage was built with an eye To the geo.
metrioal. The half acre Of grassy ground,
i'll which sluats the Court House, is of
octagenal cut and hedge. Four short
streets form a square around the octagon
and along the outer sides of the streets
are the one hotel, the three stores, and
the thirteen dwellings that constitute the
village. The Court House is brick
building of low pitch in a grove OF To-
Gusts. Stone steps lead in steep success
sion up to a porch, passing which Judge
and juror finds bimself in the hall of JUS
tice. Blackstone is uppermost in the
main room, but iii the basement below
the Bible holds sway, for upon occasion
tine Court House can serve as church.
The jail looks ike brick dwelling, and
its harmless appearance is in keeping
with every other thing about the de-
h.htful village.
The only excitements we have said
DR.. Patterson, ARE in curt weeks.
Court met yesterday and Colonel Read
uster Cameron spoke here, but as you
see. there isn't much stir. Yes. the APP
pie tree place is beyond the creek there
andy the way, do you see that house?
Well. there's where Mr. Peers lives; in
the yard Of his house the last Confeder-
ate gun fired iii 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, gentle
| men that brick house.
IN At THE START AND DEATH.
| We went to the Mclean house and