Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-15
AppOMATTOx FIELD.
ra,,IETs TO MARK THE HlSTOh'1
SPOTS OF THE SURRENDER
.,,. rre, ia Cone--soldiers Cut UP
Even the Roots for Relics OF tho
Memorable Scene.
p,o,mooa letter dated April 9TH in

A
the New York Advertiser says Il
Tho anniversary OF the SURRENDER u
Too NJ Appomattox Courthouse VIII o'
observed on the famous field Mohuay, 10
,v,,, MS ON May goth. The services Sioh-
dav will be marked by the formal I'M
xsiIIn, of the tablets erected by the
war Department, and possibly by hu-
dresse,' on May Both, however tne
memorial services will be marked by the
attendance Of three men whose careers
are intimately associated with that OF
General Grant These are General Horace
Porter General Badeau. and General
Daniel Butterileld.
Major Davis, the head of the war he-
cord Board, has been hard at work, ana
has at last succeeded in having all the
points OF interest at AppomattoX marked
in a permanent manner. The marking
was done by means of cast-lron tablets
fastened to iron posts 8 feet long. the
letters OF the inscriptions are IL lnches
high, AMI stand out in good relief. the
work Of ascertalnns the exact Spots
was not an easy one, and without the
aid OF Mr.. Peers. who has lived near the
courthouse all his life. 1t might not nave
been accomplished with the certainty ana
ex,ctuess which now make the WORK
especially valuable About half way from
the Appomattox railroad station, up the
old Lynchburg turnpike toward the site oil
the surrender, is the first marking tablet
a.
tablshed the headquarters Of Lieutenant
General Ulysses :. Grant, |. y A. on t"c
afternoon Of April ., 1867
The next in order along the road IS the
most interesting, and reads thus: rms
tablet marks the site of the house owned
and occupied by Wilmer Mclean ia
which General L. s. Grant. United states
army and General Robert h. Lee, con-
Tolerate States army, met ana agreed
upon the terms Of surrender OF the Army
Of Northern Virginia on the afternoon OF
Sunday April ., 1865. The house was
taken down and removed to Washington,
ID. c., In 1893.
OLD COURTHOUSE.
A few rods further up the road the
visitor comes upon the site Of the OLD
courthouse, the story OF which IS told in
the third tablet. thus: Here stood APP
pomettox Courthouse, built in 1872, burned
1892"
The ruins Of the old building are still
to be seen. on the morning following the
meeting between the Generals In the VII
mer Mclean residence they came from
their respective headquarters and rode on
horseback down the side Of the road,
which was extremely muddy for the
purpose OF u further interview. They mot
l.. o. NJ IL FH.tf. ID
Of the courthouse, on the west side Of
the road. Here IS erected tablet wiki
this inscription: con this spot Lieuton-
ant-General Ulyss :. Grant United
States army and General Robert l.. Lee
Confederate States army. met on tie
morning Of April H. 1861
THE oUTPosTs.
Then the lines Of both sides are marked.
The line Of the Union outposts on the
morning OF Sunday, April 9th, which
crossed the road just beyond the meet
ing place. and that Of the Confederate
outposts are noted about 20 yards fur
Their on. The surrender was cOasum-
mated by the Confederate troops march
Ing south from their encampment and
passing in front OF line formed ~ the
First DiYisiJI OF the Film Corps OF O..
badly cut up By the wheels of the ar
tulery the troops were drawn up on the
east side Of the road in the neii. Inc
Confederates filed through the space be-
tween the line and the road and stacked
arms there. At a point just in front ~
MIR. Peers house. and almost across the
road from the meeting plate az the two
generals, Is a tablet with the following
inscription: Near this point was estaD-
lshed the LEFT flank If the First Division
Of the Firth Corps, Army Of tae Potomac,
on the morning of April II, 1865, 10 Joe
ceive the surrender of the arms Of the
| infantry Of the Army OF Northern Nir-
| gunia."
THE LAST SHOT.
\ similar tablet marking the location Of
the right flank Of the division is planted
| about 20 yards further north. The spot
| from which the last shot OF the campaign
was fired Is marked by a tablet at
| point about I'D yards east from the road.
| The tablet reads: From this spot was
fired the last shot from the artillery Of
the Army Of Northern Virginia on the
| morning OF April ., 1865"
| Immediately after the surrender the
| famous apple tree was dug up by soldiers.
| who saw its value as relic. They went
| down several feet in order 10 secure the
| roots. The site OF this tree *, therefore,
| all that can be marked to-day. 1t stood
| n few yards west OF the road, and 90
yards or 50 north of the courthouse.
The tablet which has been placed there
| bears this inscription: Near this spot
stood the apple tree under which Genera.
| Robert f.. Lee rested while awaiting the
return OF a nag Of truce sent by him 10
| General L. ). Grant on the morning Of
| April 9, 1866"
| 'rhe records Of the War Department
were. of course, of g.rat service IN
| placing these tablets. 1t is thought that
the scene Of the surrender, now that II
has been accurately marked, will be the
| objective point of many trips by veterans
| OF the war, who still take an undimin-
ished interest in reyislting the scenes Of
the great battle Of the rebellion.
COur adylces are TO the effect that the
unwilling ceremonies above referred to