The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-01
THAT APPLE TREE STORY.
RecOIIections of the Surrender of
Lee TO Grant.
From the chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
There was no apple tree at Appomat-
tox mhere Grant and Lee met to close
the war. at least none that l knew Of
The man who thus turned down a page
of history lives in Chicago. He was "Jeo"
Stuarts chief of STAFF. and afterward chief
of STAFF of Rooney CW. H~F) Lee, son
of the confederate warrior. At present
he is manager of the hotel of a man who
is now abroad.
Il don't want you to print my name &"
he said to the Tribune reporter, for,
in the first place, you wouldn't get it
right-the papers never do-and, in the
second place, / don't care to be conspicl-
Gus. The war is over and we didn' t
succeed, and-well. that's all there is to
IT, But | am willing 10 tell you anything
l can remember, especially anything
that has never been printed. And when
say ! do not know of any apple tree at
the place where Grant and Lee met j 10
not mean that there was none, but l never
heard of it,"
Were you there"
No; not at the exact spot While I
think of it, the man who owned that
property was at the first Bull Run fight
1t is my impression that that apple tree
story grew out of the fact that there was
an apple orchard at the place where Lee
received a communication from Grant
"AppomattoX Court House slanus, GA 4
hill. At the base of that hill is a rivulet
and across that riVulet is a plain The
day Lee received the communication 1
have referred to Gen. W. II. r. Lee came
to me and said he wanted me to 20 with
him to see his father. We crossed the
rivulet and went to a place near by The
first thing that attracted my attention
was a rail pen, inclosing a quarter Of an
acre of ground perhaps. Inside of that
pen / saw Gen. r. e. Lee. in a splendid
of rails. and about him / say quite a
number OF officers. They were all major
generals. The generals son was admitted
and told the sentinel TO pass me in. The
confederate leader saluted us. Just then
a young federal officer rode Up.
What struck me was his very youthful
appearance. / remember distinctly that
his mustache was quite young He was
made known to Lee as Capt Porter. and
he was from Grants headquarters Lee
received him. | remember that Lee tried
to rise and failed In his first effort
think some one assisted him, and when he
stood he was as straight as an arrow. and
] think he was the most soldierly being
had ever seen, and saw a good many of
them during our war, and was in Europe
a the time Of the Crimean war"
The young federal captain took off his
hat and well he may have done so !
think no man could have stood In Lees
presence without uncoverlng. We all
withdrew during the conference. | had
orders to go elsewhere Just then, and with
drew There were, as ] have said some
apple trees there, in the vicinity of that
THE next day 7 was in the same vicin-
ity. at the brink Of the rivulet. / saw
Lee there. He was watering his horse. A
courier had just arrived and handed the
commander note. He called to me and
said he had left his spectacles in his tent
and asked me to read the note. Ii was
from Capt Porter the young federal Of
ficer who had called to see the commander
the day before. 1t was a request for a
pass to the headquarters Of Gen. Meade
who held a position in our rear When /
had read il Gen. Lee said to me: Go 10
headquarters and get the pass and fur
nish CAPT Porter with an escort through
the Zines to Gen. Meade's headquarters.
Lee was always a soldier. He did every
thing in a soldierly manner. He gave me
this order with his characteristic dignity
Il executed the order. Of course. and
Capt Porter was soon on his way Then
I returned to Gen. Lee and reported He
handed me his last address
and his last orders, He said
| was to go up TO the courthouse.
where some one had a printing Office. and
that I was to see that the hrst parole 10
be printed was for the cavalry because;
he explained. their horses need forage.
and there S none here. Get them out OF
the way first He was the most humane
man I ever saw.
when had done this was instructed