The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-11-06
AT AppOmaitOx. A
THE SLEEPY OLD PLACE THAT WILL LIVE
IN HISTORIAN EYEWITNESS TO THE
SURRENDER-THE STORY TOLD BY
COLONEL PEERS ON THE
HISTORIC FIELD.
Special Cor. PHILADELPHIA Times.

APPoMATTox C. H., Va, Sept. FL.
This sleepy little village, doing its
days away on the old stage road between
Richmond and Lynchburg, seems to the
Northern traveller to have become tired
of existence away back in the early part
of the century and to have settled into
Rip Van Winkle sleep, from which it
only once awoke, shaken by the thunder
of cannon and the tread of armed men,
only to relapse into more profound slum
Der. All unconscious of its worldwide
fame and the richness of its local his
tory, the little town is content with its
own peculiar life and calmly ignores the
roar and rush of the outside world.
Once in a while a stray tourist comes
this way, but seldom does the old tavern
door open to admit a stranger. Its
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 few strokes of the pen, the most
bitterly contested and bloody interne-
cine contest ever to swell the pages of
history.
THE ROAD TO APPOMATTOX.
This morning two trampS from the
borders of the Keystone State found
themselves at Appomattox Station, on
the Norfolk and Western Railroad. After
a walk of three miles through sedge,
field and thicket, forests and corn-fields,
they reached Appomattox Court House.
Upon the brow of hill overlooking the
town small graveyard brings vividly
back to memory the one short but preg-
nant period of civil war which is insep-
arably connected with the place, for
within its whitewashed fences are eigh-
teen graves in one long row, each with
a nameless white pine head-board of
simple design. These graves contain
the dust of the Confederate soldiers kill
ed 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 had
been erected in the centre 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 Court House, tall, square, red
brick building, resembling more the
residence of solid old Virginia farmer
than public structure, stands within
small square or green in the centre of
the town. The old stage road coming
over the eastern hills deferentially turns
to one side and passes around the Court
House in a 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 look
ing structure of ancient architecture. A
mass of matted ivy leaves cling to one
damp wall, while near by the old time
we'll sweep rears its messy head. Very
rarely does a guest inscribe his name in
the musty register, or climb the creak-
ing stairs with his tallow candle to seek
repose. The County Jail is southeast
of the Court House and about twenty
wards away. Two small stores, one of
which enjoys the additional dignity OF
being the Post Office; blacksmith
shop and ten or twelve dwellings, con-
stitute the remainder of the town, which
contains by actual count one hundred
inhabitants. The nearest church is two
miles away. The people of Appomattox
are very kind and hospitable, and with
out questioning the intent and purposes
| of the stranger at their gates, receive
him courteously, minister to his wants
quietly, unostentatiously, but with a
kind-heartedness beneath all that is gen.
uine and cheering. A number of North
ern visitors stray here in the course OF
the year; in fact curiosity is the only
motive inducing strangers to come at
all, but there is no GOODNESS in the well
come of these people. The veteran who
fought under Meade at Gettysburg and
followed Hooker into the Wilderness
finds here one of Jackson's foot caval-
ry' ready to grasp his hand and share
his humble home with his late foe.
COLONEL PEERS STORY.
| A great man here is Colonel G. l.
Peers, Clerk of the County Court, ar
office he has held uninterruptedly fol
eighteen years and altogether for nearly
quarter of century. Colonel Peer
is the only white man now living at Ap
pomattox Court House who was here a
the time of the surrender of Genera
Lee. He is the friend, counsellor ant
leader of the little community, and hi
kindly blue eyes and flowing whit
beard give him patriarchal appearance