Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-05

While almost every landmark remains I'M
changed there is only one resident OF the village
left who was an eye witness to the events that
shall attempt to place on record; and from him,
Mr. Geo. I. Peers, a prominent merchant at
the court house. the following facts were OBJ
tanned a few months ago, when had occasion
to visit that historic locality.
Mr.. Peers for over twenty years had charge
of the records of Appomattox county and now
lives within stones throw of the court house.
On the Sd Of April, 1865, the confederates
evacuated Richmond, and on the following day
President Lincoln held q levee in what only two
days before had been the white house of the
confederacy. Lee was then retreating west
ward along the Appomattox river. On Friday,
the 7th, Gen. Grant established his headquar tiers
at Farmyiile, where he soon learned that Ewell
had crossed the James. Provision trains for
the relief of Lees army, then subsistng on
parched corn and -four paste. the latter cooked
on ramrods. had been dispatched to Appomat-
tox depot, thirty-two miles west of FarmvIlle.
Sheridan had been ordered to capture these
trains with his cavalry before they could re-
| lieve Lee, and Grant, feeling sure the time had
come to exchange the sword for the pen,
opened correspondence with Lee to prevent
further effusion of blood. On Saturday, April
). arrangements were concluded for the meet
ing OF the commanding generals at 10 a. m the
next day between the picket lines of the two
| armies.
MR.. PEERS RECoLLECTIoNs.
Mr.. Peers recollections of what happened at
the court house village are of the greatest
interest. 1t will be noticed that he disagrees
in few particulars from former writers on the
subject. His description OF what he saw is in
substance as follows:
Il remember perfectly what happened on
| Saturday and Sunday, April and 8, 1865.
| believe / am now the only resident of the vii
| lage who lived here then. l was clerk of the
county at the time and for that reason was not
! in the army. On Saturday there was consider
able firing in tine neighborhood and few men
were killed and wounded. In little cemetery
west of the town eighteen confederate soldiers
lie buried. They were the last of the Army of
Northern Virginia to fall in the war. On Satur-
day Lees army was in camp in the woods along
the hill on the north side of the Appomattox
river.
From the soldiers who had been passing for
| day or two in retreat from Petersburg we
learned that there was little hope of prolongine
the struggle, and when we heard early on Sun
day morning that Sheridan had captured the
railroad train loaded with provisions that had
been sent from Lynchburg to Appomattox
| station (three miles from here) the night before
We knew that We had almost reached the end
1t was rumored on Sunday morning that
some negotiations had been going on between
Grant and Lee. but we heard that Lee had de-
clined to surrender. You will notice that the
house in which / lived is IN the fork of the
road leading from Evergreen, station between
| AppomattOx depot and Farmville. The apple
tree about which so many false statements have
| been made stood on the side hill on the north
| side of the Appomattox river, short distance
from the west side of the road that leads from
| my house to Buckingham Court House. Many
| people believed that it was here that Lee sur.