The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-07-10
THE APPOMATTOX APPLE TREE.

IHE AfFVMAIlVA APfLE lhEE.
"A White Flag Sent by the Rebel General
from Under an Apple Tree to Prevent an
Impending Attack by Union Troops
The Real Scene and Circumstances of the
Surrender.
From the New York Sun.
At the Chicago convention in 1880
Senator Conkling began the 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 its famous
apple tree.
This was pronounced with the dra-
matte force of which the speaker was a
master, and brought about one 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 home1y, 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 'em;" 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
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
a word, until this apple-tree myth at
the end of his military career. The dis
patch that set the country on fire with
its 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 picture of
the two commanders beneath The
branches of a 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: "Tnere
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.
1t 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 8, 1865, just
twenty years ago. They were probably
the only civilians who were eye witness
es of those scenes. One was Mr.. E. G.
Hix, the owner of the Appomattox farm,
and the other Mr.. g. T. Peers, the
clerk of the Appomattox county court.
The Appomattox river threads val
1ey, very gently slop1ng. It is a small
and easily fordable stream. Half
mile west of it, at the place where
level plain stretches westward, is the
hamlet known as Appomattox Court
House. Here are the dingy brick
court house, tavern, a country store,
a wheelwright's shop, and brick house,
then owned by Major McLane.
Between his hamlet and the Appomat-
tox river is the house of Mr. Peers. On
the easterly slope leading to the river
are 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 an apple orchard. The Richmond
and Lynchburg turnpike road ran
through the village, and a bridge over
the .Appomattox river was about
stones throw distant from the entrance
o,l ~,
of April s, 1865, the main body of Lees
army appeared on the Richmond road,
about a mile east of the Appomattox
bridge. It went into camp there, and
the cavalry and skirmishers were thrown
rapidly forward through the village to-
ward the depot on the Petersburg and
railway, four miles to the
west. They were feeling for Sheridan'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 out his cavalry to find it. The |
skirmishers met on the Lynchburg road,
about mile west of Appomattax Court |
house, and avery brisk shirmish follow |
ed. Lees forces withdrew, as did Sheri-
dams, and Lee was informed that the
Union troops were ahead of him and
the Lynchburg road. The
confederate generals last slim hope
was gone. He could not reach Lynch
burg, and he knew, though his army
lid not at that time, that in a few hours
lll would be over. Gen. Lee had al
ready been In correspondence with
Grant relative to surrender, and when
ne found that Sheridan had cut him off
he determined to surrender there at
AppomatIox. The confederate pickets
we're thrown out on the west side of APP
,omattox creek, crossing the road di-
.ectly opposite Mr.. Peers house.
some Misunderstanding on the