Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-05-27


50 Z was the right hank Instead Of the
ARMS WE'RE STACKED.
Between these two ro,nan tho army o.
the A.0oo faithful foiIowVrS q General Les
were stacked. Il vas then open land.
unenelesed. but now enclosed. and has
upon u IN apple orchard With trees nome
: incnes IN diameter. The writer Of this
letter was one Of ire s.eoe that stacked
nis arms at this poinL an b. can well
remember his humillnting feeling on April
H. NO. when the linton army on each
woe Of the road for half mile o. mora.
win banners nyinx. and ~ We poor
refs, a. We were then called. marched
between these lines with guns reversed.
our hags that 30 often had noated victo-
riously to the breeze forever furled. and
with deep chagrin ana modification upon
eacn countenance. we marched forward
70 this spot to stack our arms, never
again To be taken up. What we then
regarded az q great misfortune we
now look upon AZ q blessing.
THE LAST SHOT.
Between these two points IL the resi-
dence OF Mr.. George T. Peers. then and
now the County Clerk. In his backyard
was fired the last shot from the artillery
OF the Army OF Northern Virginia. and
the spot Is marked by an iron tablet
showing this fact. A little further on Is
another iron sign-board showing where
the outposts OF the Union army stood
on that memorable morning. A little
left OF the road, found another tablet,
bearing this inscription:
ION this spot Lieutena- t-Gsneral u. =.
Grant and General r. Il. Lee met on
the morning OF April 10. 1885"
Proceeding some 200 yards further down
under the brow OF the hill, came to
another sign-board. showing where the
Confederate outposts were. Along this
iino OF battle on the ever memorial BILE
morning OF April 8, 1865, stood the 800
gallant heroes. undaunted, and ready at
the call OF their beloved Lee to march
forward 10 victory or to death Again,
proceeding, soon crossed the Apo
mattox river. which 10 here but a small
stream, not larger than a creek.
THE FAMOUS APPLE-TREE.
Proceeding about 30 yards. find some
yards 10 the left OF the road this tablet:
Near this spot stood the apple-tres
General II. u. Lee rested under while
awaiting the return OF o flag Of truce
sent by him TO General u. 5. Grant on
the morning OF April o. 1866"
Again, proceeding on our Journey some
quarter OF a mile nnd to the right OF
the road under poplar. which was then
mere sapling. but now n tree some
fourteen inches In diameter, another tab.
let. bearing this inscription
This tablet marks tho spot upon which
General X. T.. Lee. Confederate States
army, stood while reading his farewell
order 20 the Army of Northern Virginia
on April 10. 1865"
The writer was within ten feet Of Geps.
raj Lee on that memorable occasion. lie
can well remember az he and others
espied him coming down the road on that
noted war-h0rse. Traveller" AS soon as
they saw him they commenced to gather
around him and followed him along the
road, shouting at the top OF their voices.
lie rode along with hat IN hand. as was
his custom whenever saluted by his sol.
dlers.
LEES FAREWELL.
No soldier even the humblest in the
ranks, ever met General Lee upon the
road at any time that did not have his
salutation returned by the General rails
ing his hat On this occasion General
Lea rode hat in hand. The soldiers gath
erlng thicker and thicker around him;
near this point he left the main road
and rode out a short distance. BY this
time the men had gathered around him
80 thick that he could proceed no farther.
With tear-bedimmed eyes they cried out
TO their old commander: Speech speechl
spaechr' AS soon as they had quoted
down he told them In few plain words
that he had no heart 10 speak He then
told them OF the terms Of the surrender,
read TO them his far. well orders, bads
Ihaf,a 10 h..S.. -.
and good citizens as they had been loyal
soldiers. He then bid them goodby, never
more to be seen by most OF them until
the resurrection morn. Not far from this
spot, say some one hundred and fifty
yards, Is another tablet showing the spot
where General Lee had his headquarters
! have given brief description OF few
historic points of interest.
HORRORS IN HOMES.
Let us now turn our thoughts in an
other direction. While these memorable
scenes were being enacted here, let us
for few moments look into the homes
or those living near. How was II there?
Words cannot fifty describe the agony
or the people living In the vicinity OF
Appomattox Courthouse then. nor the r
mean deeds perpetrated by straggl
from the Federal army and detested
horde Of camp followers worse than van
dals Of the North When this writer
reached his home on the Saturday fol-
lowing the surrender. having been de-
tanned up TO that date to get his parole
he found his father and mother, younger
brothers, and sisters living on boiled peas.
with not particle Of bread for the
three days preceding; with not cooking
utensil OF any kind, except one kettle, In
which they boiled the peas; not a knife
or fork, plate or dish, or piece Of earthen-
ware Of any description; all carried off or
broken up; horses stolen, sheep shot
down In the field and left there No one
can now rightly estimate the horrors and
priyations Of those days. But
soon these terrible men. worse
than heathens, left. and the peo-
pie commenced again, as II were, the
battle OF life. With n few broken down
mules left by the army they set to work.
and under a smiling Providence the end
OF 1865 found the people In n great degree
rallied from the ills of war With fine
seasons for n few years and good prices
for tobacco they soon reached an era
OF prosperity scarcely ever seen In the
palmiest days OF antc-bellum times. Many
portions or the county are now in a more
prosperous condition than ever before.
Where once stood broom-sedge and old
pine fields are now erected beautiful resi-
dcnoes, with orchard-grass, clover, etc.
The people are Just at this time passing
through trying ordeal The burning OF
the courthouse and destruction of the
Wills, deeds, etc, has greatly encumbered
them. coming as II did. in general
financial pressure, but they cannot be
downed by adversely. and with renewed
determination an era OF prosperity is in
store for them never equalled in the past.
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