Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-10-29
INTERESTING RELIC.
An Upshur County Mans Remark
able Find.
Writ Phillips, of the Tenth W. Va. VoIun-
teers, Picks up a Portrait Of Lady
Washington On the Field
OF Appomattox.

Tuesday mornings Philadelphia Press,
contains the following interesting story OF
the discovery, by West Virginia soldier
upon the field OF Appomattox of a portrait
on ivory of Mary Washington, the mother
Of the Father of his country, accompany
Ing the story with an engraving of the
miniature:
Marcus A. Root, of l2S South Fifteenth
street, recently returned home from visit
to Up.hur county, West Virginia. he
brought with him the miniature, on ivory,
q cut OF which is printed He believes 1t
to be q portrait of Mary, the mother of
George Washington. Whether it be hers
or another the manner Of its coming TO
light is
SUFFICIENTLY REMARKABLE.
From the part of West Virginia in which
Mr.. Root made his stay was raised during
the war the 10th Regiment, IVES: Virginia
Volunteer Infantry, for service in the I'm
ion army. Many OF the survivors Of the
command now live in the same section
from which they marched. Among them
is Writ Phillips, the bugler Of the Third
Brigade, First Independent Division Of
the Twentyfourth Army Corps, Of which
the 10th West Virginia formed part. 1t
was the story throughout the country side
that Bugler Phillips had been lucky enough
to pick up, on the farm Of Appomattox on
the moruing OF Lees surrender, portrait
Of Mary Washington.
Mr. Phillips investigated the case and
brought 10 Philadelphia with him the orig
inal Of the cut and this statement, address
ed to Mr.. Root, as TO the manner in which
in was found.
THE LETTER
is dated at French Creek, Upshur county
w. Va, October 3, 1885:
"On the morning OF ApTil 9,lSGj, after q
forced march OF Elk days, having marched
the dav previous (the Sth) from Il III
till ii p. m, the Tweniy.iourth Army
Corps, to which | belonged, wGs position
ed in lire of battle on al old road run
ming north and south through @ strip o.
woods lying west of AppomatioX Court
House and Lees army. Our position was q
very responsible, as well as critical one
being right acroFs Lees path Of retreat. II
the morning We commenced advancing
through the woods back in the direction @
Lees army We soon met the rebel al
vance, when q sharp but short engagement
took place. The rebels broke and re
treated back to the main army neOr The
Court House While passing through tbi
little belt Of woods just fought over
glanced on the ground and saw something
red partly covered with the brown leaves
PicEirg 1t up saw it was
AIRED MOROCCO CASE
containing inside beautiful miniature
painting set in gold case. took it i'm
medistely 10 our brigade commander
General +. NJ Harris who pronounced il
a painting CT Mary Washington. All ar
tets that have examined it have expressed
the same opinion. Up TO this date it has
never been positively identified, never hay
ing been opened Refusing all offers for
it's purchase, cent it home Immediately.
"'During the two years that it has been
in my possession it has been copied fire.
quently by artists and other7 desiring fac
similes prize it as q momon:o Of that
ever memorable day on which General
Lee surrendered himself and army TO Gen
Grant at AppomattoX Court House |
was musician of Company X, lOrh Regi
ment, West Virginia Volunteer Infantry.
At the time | found the painting was
brigade bugler for General T. NJ. Hsrris,
commanding Third Brigade, Frat lndepeL
dent Division, Twenty fourth Army Corps.
PROOFS or ITS ANTIQUITY.
The opening Of the case spoken Of by
Mr.. Phillips has been done since the pic
ture has been in Philadelphia by J Henry
Brown, the portrait painter, Of Sixteenth
and Chestnut streets. He, however, found
no inscription between the ivory back and
the she'll OF the plant gold surrounding it
which would lead to the positive identified
ton of the portrait Mr.. Browns eXami-
nation with microscope Of the colors in
the miniature revealed the fact that the
red OF the lips, of which faint traces re-
main, WAS laid on with pigment which
has not been used By artists during the
present century on account Of its liability
TO fade.
"Mr Root, WHO is connoisseur Of por.
traits, having fret made dagucrrcoty ping
fashionable in this CITY or d country nearly
forty years ago at Fifth ard Chestnut
streets, thinks that the portrait is of Mary
Washington and was done by Gilbert Stu.
Art. How the picture came there among
the leaves on
THE FATFFUL MORNING or LEES SURRENDER
would be interesting TO know. Was 1t
dropped By some collateral descendant OF
the Washington family who had "A right to
its possession? Was it looted by some rebal
straggIer from some Virginia manor house
in the hurry Of retreat2 There was a dead
man whose identity, if established, might
have told some tale Of the pcrtrait's owner.
chip He lay in his burternut uniform,
about twenty-five feet from where Bugler
Phillips found the picture, perhaps the last
man slain outright in the war-but who be
was the bugler did not ascertain"