The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-04-23
ANNIVERSARY OF APPOMATT0X.
Thirty-Eight Years Since Lee Surren-
liberalization II. A. London, VINO
Was Among the North Caroiinians
to Lay Down Their Arms on That
Fateful Day, Becomes Reminiscent.

Pittsboro Record. April 9th.
To-day is the thirty-eighth ami
versarv Of Gen. Lees surrender at
ADpOmattOx Court House. Those
who were then infants in their moth
ers' arms are now middle-aged men
and women. and some OF them have
grown children. The survivors OF
those who were at the surrender are
now old men-the Youngest being
nearly sixty years old. These two
facts forcibly remind US all Of the
length OF time that has elapsed since
that fateful Sunday morning on the
9th of April, 1865, when General Lee
surrendered the grand old Army Of
Northern Virginia.
Notwithstanding the lapse OF thir-
ty-eight years we remember the Incl
dents OF that day rs wildly as If
they had occurred recently, nor will
they probably ever be effaced from
the memory OF any who were then
present There are two myths con-
nected with the surrender that many
persons still believe and will always
be believed. One is that Gen. Lee
surrendered under an apple tree, and
the other is that Gen Grant refused
to accept his sword. There is no
truth whatever in the latter alleged
incident. for Gen. Lee did not offer
his sword to Grant and nothing what
ever was said about it. The founda-
ton for the apple tree story is that
Gen. Lee sat on some rails ut the root
Of an apple tree while awaiting the
arrival OF Gen. Grant, and the latter
being delayed, Gen. Lee rode hall Il
mile farther to the Mclean house,
where heand Grant met and arranged
the terms OF surrender.
At the time of the surrender Gen.
Lees soldiers were almost physically
exhausted. Almost without anyfOOd
and with but little sleep, they had
been marching and fighting for a
week. On the preceding Sunday they
had fought desperately before evacu,
ating Petersburg and Richmond, and
during the intervening week they had
been marching almost continuously
day and night, fighting at intervals
nearl Y every day, and their chief food
was parched corn and not much o
that. 1t seems almost incredible that
human beings could endure such hard
ships, and yet, after such a week, eX
haustrd as they We're. those gallant
men Just before their surrender made
as gallant IL charge and fought Il:
bravcly as they had ever done,
The parole lists show that Gen
Lee surrendered Is, 23l men and OF
ficers, but of them only 7,S92 Were
organized infantry with muskcts anC
about LOO cavalry. The other.
were unarmcd stragolers, who hat
come up since the halt of the army
and extra duty and detailed men o
every description. The parole list
also show that North Carolina hat
J,O17 soldiers ut Lee $ surrender, bu
not half OF them had muskets, as ha:
been generally stated quite often.
Gen. Grants conduct at Appomat
tOX was magnanimous and deserve.
Communications while Gen. Lee showed
himself us grand in defeat as he haC
been i'll victory, and as he rode bacl
from the Mclean house his devoted
soldiers cheered him as ii he was
conquering hero returning from som,
great victory.
The COnfederateS remained ut Ap
pOmattOX Court HOnse three DAVIS
until Wednesday morning. while tn,
parole lists were being made an,
then started for their respectiy,
homes. Before their departure man,
Federal officers visited their old ac
quaintances in the confederate camp
and their meeting WAS as plcasan
and friendly us ii they had not beer
fighting each other for four years.
The list OF North Carolina soldiers
paroled at AppomattoX is published
i'll Volume '. of Judge Clark Regi
mental Sketches, and it is IL roll O
honor OF which their State and kin
dred have cause to be proud. 1t wa
n North Carolinian Major Genera
Bryan Grimes) who planned anC
commanded the last charge at Apo
mattoN, and North Carolinians Cox
Brigade) fired the last volley. Sc
that, it is no idle boast when it i
proudly claimed that North Carolin;
was Last ut AppomattoX,' us wei
as First at Bethel"
Most OF those who were at Lee
surrender are dead. and the survivor
are rapidly passingaway as the year
roll by.