Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-04-12
HISTORIC OLD 1 RICHMOND.
n. A. II. Gibson Visits the City and Recalls
Interesting Events Of the Past.
I { Received too late for last week. !

mond, at the residence of our son,
Walter Gibscn, sitting at q second
story window, overlooking the majes-
tito James river, and looking out
across Liberty Hill Park, which lies
just in front of where / am now sit
ting at this writing. The view is
beautiful beyond description, being
opposite bend in the river, from
which point you look in a south
easterly direction down the river for
distance of three miles or more,
Nen looking in southerly direction
an extensive view of the country be-
yond the James river greets the eye
like magnificent panorama, which
includes the beautiful little city of
Manchester. Did WELD the. pen of
a, accomplished writer / might give
al interesting description of this
ma gnificent scene, but as 1 do not,
Leave it to the imagination of your
selves and your readers. The Con.
federal. monument stands just on
the south tide of the park, as II best
remember, OF. sspot where some big
guns we're plan I'D in time of the
war.
Just forty years az to-day ::Rioh-
mond was entered by Grant's army,
coming in on one side, while the
Confederates we're going out at the
other. The scenes and tragedies en-.
acted in Richmond that day will
$sver be fully written. Her citizens
were overwhelmed with consterna-
tion and alarm, and we'll theylmight
be. 1t was yesterday, forty years
ago, that Gen. Lees memorable dis
pstuh was handed by an officer to
President Davis while he was at
worship in St. PauPs Episcopal
church, conveying the startling in
telligence that his lines were broken
in three places, and that Richmond
would have to be evacuated that
night. Soon the terrible news spread
throughout the city. II send here
with a clipping from the Times-Dis-
patch, Richmond, Va, April 2, 1905,
which gives an interesting account
of those terrible days. Itsis as fol-
lows:
The Fall OF Richmond.
"April Sd is memorable day in
American annals, yet 80 swift is the
march of events that the historic sig.
nificance of the day will occur to
few persons. This is the fortieth an
niversary of the Fall of Richmond
1t was in the morning of April 3,
1865, that Federal troops entered the
capital of the Confederate States. 1t
was day of great emotions. The
people of the South, her ragged,
SCARED and heroic armies and her
impoverished people were saddened.
The great, rich and powerful North
was elated. While flames were
sweeping through Richmond, enthu-
siastic meetings were being held in
all the cities of the East and West.
In Washington it was holiday. All
tN offices of the government were
closed. In New York one of the
biggest meetings of all time was held.
Bells were ringing and orators were
voicing the glee of the North. The
broken legions of Lee, magnificent in
victory and magnificent in defeat,
were falling back toward Danville.
Appomattox was soon to follow.
"Sunday, April I'd, was quiet day
in Richmond. The situation was no
more tense than it had been for
M@ny days. President Davis was at
Wyfvice in ST. Pauls Episcopal
church. An officer entered and
handed him this tragic dispatch from
Robert E. Lee: my lines are broken
in three places. Richmond must be
evacuated tonight The news trav-
eled on wings through the doomed
city. The Confederate archives
were packed and shipped to Dan
vile. Congress and the Virginia
Legislature left the city. Wagon
trains were rumbling through the