Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-07
SLEEPY APPOMATTOX.
The Old Town Will Ever
Live in History.
NEAR THE CLOSE OF THE WAR.
But Few Reminders of the Great
Civil COntest-The Story of
the Surrender.

ApPoMArrox tVa.), Oct. l2.-Thi
sleepy little village, doing its day
away on the old stage road between Rich
mond and Lynchhurg, seems to thu
Northern traveller to have become tiret
of existence away back in the early par
of the century and to have settled into
Rip Van Winkle sleep, from which i
only once awoke, shaken by the thunder
of cannon and the tread of armed men
only to relapse into more profound slum.
ber. All unconscious of its worldwide
fame and the richness of its local history
the little town is content with its OWE
peculiar life and calmly ignores the roai
and rush of the outside world. Once in
while stray tourist comes this way,
but seldom does the old tavern dooi
open to admit a stranger. It's hinges
have accumulated rust for years, and
long sprigs of grass grow between the
broken porch steps. The whole town
wears the same passive air of somnolen.
cy as when Generals Grant and Lee rode
through its quiet streets to close, by a
| few strokes OF the pen, the most bitterly
contested and bloody internecine contest
ever to swell the pages of history.
This morning two tramps from the
borders of the Keystone State found
themselves at Appomattox Station, on
the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
After walk of three miles through
sedge, field and thicket. forests and corn
fields, they reached Appomattox Court
house. Upon the brow of hill overlook
ing the town a small graveyard brings
vividly back to memory the one short
but pregnant period of civil war which
is inseparably connected with the place,
for within its whitewashed fences are
eighteen graves in one long row, each
with nameless white pine headboard
of simple design. These graves contain
the dust of the Confederate soldiers
killed in
THE LAST SKIRMIsH.
On Saturday night and Sunday morning,
before Lee sent the flag of truce over the
hills to Grant. A small whitewashed
pine monument has been erected in the
center of the lot by some loyal friend of
the dead, but even it is now overturned
and lies PROSTATE before the row of
mounds.
The courthouse, tall, square, red
brick building. resembling more the res.
idence of a solid old Virginia farmer
than public structure. stands within a
small square or green in the center of
| the town. The old stage road coming
over the eastern hills deferentially turns
to one side and passes around the court
house in semi. circle, to resume in front
its onward course again. Just north OF
the public building and across the road
is the tavern, a gloomy-looking structure
of ancient architecture. A mass of mat
ter ivy leaves clings to one damp wall,
while near by the old-time wellsweep
rears its messy head. Very rarely does
a guest inscribe his name in the musty
register or climb the creaking stairs with
his tallow candle to seek repose. The
county Jail is southeast of the court
house and about twenty yards away.
Two small stores, one of which enjoys
the additional dignity of being the post
office; a blacksmith shop and ten or
twelve dwellings constitute the remain
der of the town, which contains by ac-
tual count 100 inhabitants. The nearest
church is two miles away. The people
of Apporattox are very kind and hospi-
table, and, without questioning the in.
tent and purposes Of the stranger at
their gates, receive him courteously,
minister to his wants quietly and unos-
tentatiously, but with kindhearted-
ness beneath all that is genuine and
cheering. A number of northern visitors
stay here in the course Of year; in fact,
curiosity is the only motive inducing
strangers to come at all, but there is nc
GOODNESS in the welcome of these people.
The veteran who fought under Meade al
Gettysburg and followed Hooker into the
Wilderness finds here one of Jackson's
foot cavalry ready to grasp his hand and
share his humble home with his late foe.
THE STORY OF AN. EYEWITNESS.
! A great man here is Colonel G. T..
Peers, clerk of the County Court, an
| office he has held uninterrupteiiy for
eighteen years, and altogether for nearly
quarter of century. Colonel Peers
is the only white man now living at
Appomattox Courthouse who was here
at the surrender Of General Lee. He is
the friend, counselor and leader OF the
little community, and his kindly blue
eyes and flowing white beard give him
patriarchal appearance. His office in
the basement of the courthouse is
crowded with musty old papers, many
bearing date early in the last century
and concerning the estates and fortune
of many proud F. f. VS.. Colonel Peer
is probably better acquainted with the
local events transpiring at the time OF
Lees surrender than any man in the
south. With great kindness he pointed
out the scenes of the memorable incl
dents of the Sth and 9th of April. 1865.
81 remember well, !" he said, as stand.
ing on the courthouse green, he gazed
thoughtfully at the woods skirting the
western sky, az though catching again
in memory's eye the glimmer of hostile
planners through the trees. 81 remem-
ber as though yesterday the day when
the Army Of Northern Virginia passed
into history. There were few men in
Appomattox that spring. Some were
with Lee around Richmond, others with
Joe Johnston in the south, and others
again were sleeping on the fields of
Gettysburg, Antietam and Chancellors.
vile. There were anxious wives.
broken. hearted widows and childless
mothers among us. and the few who re-
mained could easily see the dark clouds
gathering closer over the CoDfedelacy.
Lee, driven out of Richmond and up.
rooted from Petersburg. was hurrying
his weary troops toward the western
mountains, with the sleuth hounds oil
Grant and Sheridan pressing hard be-
hind. On Saturday morning, April Sth,
a few stragglers reached Appomattox
with the information that Lee was close
at hand, while terrified country people
from the west came ia with the intelli'
gence that Sheridan had come up the