Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-03-18
APpomArrox COURTHOUSE.
The Farmer ON whose Land the
War Began and Ended.
Philadelphia Time

Philadelphia Times.
| We went to the Mclean hous,
and were pleasantly greeted b.
its occupants, Mrs. N. g. Raglad
1t stands, with slight change, as i
stood at the surrender. In 1861
Wilmer Mclean, a quiet citizen
owned a farm near Bull Rur
stream, in Prince William county
When on Sunday, the 2Ist of July,
in that year the great armies clash
ed for the first time, his fields were
devastated and his home despoiled.
He jumped at the conclusion that
the war would be Waged in front
of Washington, and SO, to get away
/ from the fuss, he pocketed his
household goods and moved south.
ward to the untroubled hills of Ap-
pOmattox. Strange does it seem
| that he should have beheld the first
and last acts of the war in Virginia
but it was Immediately around him
that the conflict had its beginning
and end. He was at Manassas
| when the gay young rebel, sashed
and plumed, gave Mcdonald that
first sockdolager, and he was here
at AppOmattOx when the same reb-
ell, ragged, shoeleSs, shirtleSs, the re-
cipient of thousand blows, stacked
arms forever.
In Mrs. McLean's parlor Grant
and Lee met to agree upon the
terms OF surrender. The house is
two-story brick structure, with
porch extending the full length of
the front. 1t was intended origi-
nally to be 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 water. The sum-
mer-house that once covered the
well is gone. The palings are white
with coat of lime and altogether
the property is as neat and pretty
as it is possible to make it. A wide
hall leads from the porch through
the middle of the house. 1t was
with one room only-the parlor to
the left of the entrance-that the
commanders had anything to do.
An alleged engraving of the histor-
lor door, but the villagers say that
several of the Federal officers who
show their fine uniforms in the pict-
ure were not present except in the
engraver's accommodating eye.
The room would seat comfortably
fifty or more persons. A window is
at each end and both windows are
wide. Around the room are por-
traits of Ragland beauties and
beaux, and while Mrs. Ragiand's
furniture and ornaments make the
historic parlor quite pretty they also
make it commonplace. The big
chair in the corner suggests tender
courting episodes rather than Incl
dents of hard campaigning.
A pleasant breeze was sWaying
the tops of the 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-straping 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, un-
interesting of their own account,
but which enable the viilager to get
the bearing of the now up-tOrn To-
Gust where Grant and Lee first met
to talk. That spot is in an open
field, about two hundred yards
north of the courthouse and well
down the slope towards the Apo
mattox. When we forded that
stream, the clear spring water flow
ing over the sandy bottom did not
so much as wet the hubs of our
buggy wheels. It is less than ten
yards wide.
The spot where stood Lees apple
tree is soon reached, as leaving the
creek we go part of the way up
the slope and halt by a roadside
orchard. Persons have said that
the hole left by the removal of the
stump is now visible. If 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
the soldiers who wanted relics to
take home to their wives and sweet
hearts. And as apple wood Is apple
wood, several other trees in the
same orchard were cut up into rel
les also. This season crop of oats
was taken by farmer E. g. Hicks,
from the field. 1t is true that Lee
held brief council under the apple
trees and the story of the tree is not
a myth.
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
in many man9uvers, in
tireless marches and in terrific bat
ties. Hungry, sore and sick, the
poor remnant of a once seemingly
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
fateful! Riding down the hill and
across the stream he met Grant
near the locust. County Clerk Geo.
II. Peers saw Grant and Lee meet.
They saluted, chatted, touched bats,
wheeled and rode in opposite direc-
tions. To appearance it was an or
binary meeting Of two mounted
men. Soon after Lee returned from
the further side of the creek and
with Grant entered the Mclean
house. When the vanquished cap
tain rejoined his comrades and un-
der poplar, now flOurishing in its
growth on the farm of j. w. Flood,
one mile northeast of the court
house, bade farewell to battle-fields.
Here ended the long, fierce, pitt
less struggle which in the record of
the worlds wars vastly overtops all
others. Following the lines Of-scar-
red earth from Manassas hither, a
youth predisposed to carp becomes
aware of the smallness of closet crit
les and after battle valiants. He
thought that the war was waged
under mighty impulse and that
those who fought Overcame obsta-
cles to which the labor of Hercules
were as the tricks of toys. The foot
prints of the grand armies will out
last the generation that made, and
grow to gigantic breadth and i'm
port to those who come after. Myr-
lad graves border the ground of
combat, but peacefully above the
flag of the Union has its place.