The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-10-13
WHERE THE FLAG WAS FURLED.
THE SLEErl OLD PLACE THAT Will.
EVER 1--we ~ HISTORY.

TIRE SLEEPY OLD PLACE THAT WILL
EVER 1--we ~ HISTORY.
An Eyewitness to the Surrender The story
Told by Colonel Peers on thr Historic Field
Q.cttcr to the Philadelphia Iimesy
Appomattox Courthouse, Va, sleepy
little village, doing it's days away on
the old stage road between Richmond
and Lynchbmg, seems to the Northern
traveller to have become tired Of exist
cncc away back in the early part of the
century and to have settled into Rip
Van Winklc sleep, from which it only
once awolic, shaken by the thunder of
cannon and the tread of armed r,en,
only to relapse into moro profound
slumber. All unconscious of It's world
wide fame and the richness Of its local
history, the little town is content with
Its own peculiar life and calmly ignores
the roar and rush of the outside world
Once in while Il stray tourist comes
this way, but seldom does the old tavern
door open to admit stranger. It's
hinges have accumulated rust for years
and long Sprlgs OF grass grow between
the broken porch-stcps. Tho whole
town wears the same passive air of
Somnolcncy as when Generals Grant and
Lee rode through it's quiet streets to
close, by few strokes of the pen, tho
most bitterly contested and bloody in
tcrnccino 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 Mt AppomattoX Station, on
the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
After II walk of three miles through
scdgc, field and thicket, forests and
con-fhlds, they reached Apponattox
Courthouse. Upon the brow of a hill
overlooking the town small graveyard
brings wildly back to memory the one
short but pr egnant period of civil war
which is inscparably connected with the
place, for within its whitewashed fences
are eighteen graves in one long row each
with namcl,ass white pine head-board
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. i small whitcwushcd pine ,aonu-
mcnt had been ere ccted in tho ccntcc Of
the lot by some LOYAL friend of the dead,
but even it Is now overturned AMI lies
PROSTATE before the row of mounds
The Courthouse, n tall, square, red
brick building, resembling moro the
residence Of II solid old Virginia farmer
than public structure, stands within a
small square or "grccn IN the center Of
the town. The Old stage road coming
over the eastern hills dCfcrcntialY turns
to one side and passes around the Court
house lii Scmi-circlc, to resume in
front It's onward course again. Just
north of the public building and across
the road Is the tavern, IL glOomy-loolling
OF ancient architecture A
mass OF matted ivy leaves cling to ono
damp wall, while near by the old-timc
weli-swecp rcars its messy head. Very
rarely does guest ins,:ribc his name in
the musty register, or climb the crcnking
stairs with his tallow c;mdle TO seek re-
pose. The county Jail is southeast of
the Courthouse about twenty yards away
Two small stores, one of which cujoys
the additional dignity OF being the post
oilcc, blacksmith shop and tol or
twelve dwellings, constitute thc remain
der OF the town, which contains, by
actual count, one hundred inhabitNn Nnts
The nearest church is two miles away.
The people OF AppOmattoX are very kind
and hospitablc, and without Questioning
the intent and purpose of the stranger
at their gates, receive him courtcolisly,
minister to his wants quietly, mostcnta-
tlously, but with n kiu,d-hcartedncsS be-
meath all that Is genuine and cheering
number Of Northern visitors stray here
III the course OF the year; III fact, curl
oSlty Is the motive inducing strangers
to come at all, but there is no cool
ness III the welcome of these people
The veteran who fought under Meade at
Gettysburg and followed Hooker iIto
the Wilderness finds here one of Jack
sons "fOot cavalry" ready to grasp his
hand and share his humble home with
his late foe.
COLONEL pE.ERs's STORY.
A great man here is Colonel G. Z.
Peers, clerk Of the county court, an
Office he has held uninterruptedly for
eighteen years, and altogether for near
iy quarter OF a century. Colonel Peers
is the only white man now living at
Appomattox Courthouse who was here
at the time of the surrender of Geueral
Lee. He is the friend, counsellor 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 tho last century
and concerning the estates and fortunes
OF many proud f. f. VS.. Colonel
Peers is probably better acquainted with