Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-07-03
THE APPONATT0X APPLE TREE.

White Flag Sent by the Rebel General
from Under an Apple Tree to Prevent an
Impending Attack by Union Troopn--
The Real Scene and circumstances Of the
Surrender.
From the New York Sum-
At the Chicago convention in 1880
Senator Conkling began tho speech
with which he nominated Gen. Grant
for the presidency with couplet which
was then believed to be his own COM
position:
If you ask us where he halls from, this our sole
response shall be,
That he halls from Appomattox and it, famous
apple tree.
This was pronounced with the dra-
matte force Of which the speaker was a
master, and brought about ono of the
most impressive scenes ever witnessed in
a political gathering. The allusion to
the apple tree revived the recollection
of the climax of Gen. Grants career.
The homely, and, in fact, wholly hypo-
thetical incident by which Gen. Lees
surrender was typifed, the Appomat-
tox apple tree, has gone into history,
with those other dramatic symbols with
which people epitomize the careers of
their heroes. Wellington's up,
Guards, and at en- Sheridan's "Win-
chester Twenty miles away" and Sher-
mans Marching through Georgia"
the only war songs that survives, tell
for the people the story Of success in a
breath Aside from his laconic utter
ances, Gen. Grant had given the peo-
pie no single dramatic incident that
could be seized upon to tell his story in
word, until this apple-tree myth at
the end of his military career. The dis
patch that set the country on fire with
it's simple announcement that Lee had
surrendered to Grant was followed by
another asserting that the surrender
had been made under an apple tree, and
the country made for itself a picture of
the two commanders beneath the
branches Of blossoming apple tree,
the one extending and the other receiv-
ing sword, and thus ending the great
est war Of history.
When Gen. Grant was asked about
it some days later he said: "There
was no apple tree" But the soldiers
had selected one, had hewn it into bits,
body, branches, roots and all, and pre-
cious relics they are now, scattered
throughout the country
It was the opportunity of the writer
to meet two gentlemen on the Appomat-
tox field. some years ago, who, as civil
ians, Witnessed the historic events that
took place there on april 9, 1865, just
twenty years ago. They We're probably
the only civilians who were eye witness.
es of those scenes. One was Mr.. T.. G..
Hix, the owner of the Appomattox farm,
and the other Mr.. &. IT. Peers, the
clerk Of the Appomattox county court.
The Appomattox river threads val
ley, very gently sloplng. 1t is small
and easily fordable stream. Half q
mile west Of it, at the place where y
level plain stretches westw ard, is the
hamlet known as Appomattox Court
House. Here are the dingy brick
court house, tavern, q country store,
a wheelwright's shop, and brick house,
Between his hamlet and the Appomat-
tox river is the house of Mr. Peers. On
the easterly slope leading to the river
ere fields, and one Of them seven acre
lot, had at the time of the surrender a
shed on it near the road. In this lot
was m apple orchard. The Richmond
and I.ynchburg turnpike road ran
through the village, and q bridge over
tho Appom;ttox river YRS about a
stones throw dist ant from the entrance
to the apple orchard. On the morning
of April s, 1868, the main body of Lees
army appeared on the Richmond road
Hbont a mile east of the Appomattox
bridge 1t went into camp there, and
The cavalry and skirmisAers were thrown
rapidly forward through the village to-
ward the depot on the Petersburg and
Lynchburg railway, four miles to the
west. They were feeling for Sharidan's
advance forces, and they found them.
The night before, Sheridan, with Gus
ter's cavalry ahead, had reached the de-
pot, and during the night large body
of infantry had come up. Sheridan
knew that he had headed off Lees army,
and sent ont his cavalry to find it. The,
skirmishers met on the Iynchburg road
about mile west Of Appomattax Court
house, and 8 very brisk shir1nish follow
ed Lees forces Withdrew, as did Sheri-
dams, and Lee was informed that the
Union troops were ahead Of him and
commanded the Lynchburg road. The
confederate generals last slim hope
vas gone. He could not reach Lynch
burg, and he knew, though his army
DAD not ct that time, that in II few hours
oil would be over. Gen. Lee had al
ready been in correspondence with
Grant relative to surrender, and when
ho found that Sheridan had cut him off
he determined to surrender there at
APPROXIMATION. The confederate piclzets
were thrown out on the west side of APP
pcmattox creek, crossing the road di-
rectly opposite Mr.. Peers house.
Through some misundersta standing On the
morning Of the 9th of April Clusters
cavalry and Gen. Chamberlains bri-
gade advanced toward Appomattox vii
lage to make an attack, though it was
not the intention Of Gen. Grant or OF
Gen. Lee that there should be any
fighting that day. Gen. Grant
having ridden pretty much all
night had arrived before morn
ing Of the 9Th, and had made his head
quarters in grove Of pines just of the
Lynchburg road about a mile west OF
Appomattox Court House. The spot
Is now the site OF q negro hut
~ Gen Lee, whose headquarters were
about mile and half east on the
Richmond and Lynch burg road, sur-
prised that fighting was being forced
by the Union troops on his left, decided