The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-02
DIG Up STOR|ESOF
AN OLD APPLE TREE
What Leaders Said of Tree
at Appomattox
is LARGELY FICTION
But After All It Will Make no Diff
ference if Woodrow Wilson
Plants Another Tree on
Field of Surrender
is LARGELY FICTION
By c. e. STEWART


There has been much in the newspapers
about the planting of the new Appom-
attox apple tree to take the place of the
more famous apple tree under which ira
dition and sometimes history has It that
the surrender of Lee to Grant took place.
Gov. Woodrow Wilson. it is said, has ac-
cepted the invitation of Col George A.
Armes of the United States army, who
owns the old Appomattox courthouse
farm, to visit the historic place in vlr-
ginia within the next few weeks and
plant the new tree on the site of the old
one. which was cut. down and carried
away, piece by piece as souvenirs, by the
soldiers Of Lees and Grants armies.
The Appomattox apple trees have been
one of the fond traditions of the civil
war Like the more celebrated. cherry
tree of Washingtons boyhood days, It
retains it's interest as pleasing and
sentimental story. despite the fact that
when 1t is subjected to the critical
searchlight of history its accuracy has
been time and again effectually dis
proved. Many controversies have been
waged over the subject. On the side of
tradition have been arrayed the old SOL
diers. who notwithstanding the fact that
the final papers We're signed in the old
Mclean house near by, chung persistently
TO the story that the two generals met
under the old apple tree and there dis
cussed informally the terms of the sur
render
There is. however, some basis for the
tradition. There have been many his
torians who have discussed and written
of the surrender and the incidents relat-
ing thereto. but perhaps the memoirs OF
Grant himself are as concise and should
be as authentic as any of them, if not
| more so. He says:
Wars produce many stories of fiction,
| some of which are told until they are
| believed to be true. The war of the re-
/ bellion was no exception to this rule, and
the story of the apple tree Is one of those
! fctions based on a slight foundation OF
fact. AS have said. there was an apple
| orchard on the side of the hill occupied
! by the Confederate forces Running di-
| agonally up the side of the. hill was a
wagon road. which at one point ran very
near one of the trees so that the wheels
of the vehicles had, on that side, cut off
| the roots or the tree, leaving little en-
bankment. General Babcock. of my STAFF
reported to me that when he first met
| General Lee he was sitting upon this
embankment with his feet in the road
below and his back resting against the
tree. The story had no other Foundation
than that Like many other stories il
would be very good If 1t was only true !;
in the Life and Letters of Robert f.,
Lee" published by the Rev. DR.. John
William Jones' who served in the war
and was an intimate friend of General
Lee the story of the surrender and the
apple tree incident is thus given:
while awaiting Grants reply Lee rest
cd on some rails under an apple tree
where staff officer. who brought
Grants reply. found him This is the
origin of the story so widely published
and believed that the two generals met
| under an apple tree. The soldiers of the
| two armies not only cut up. root and
branch the tree under which the surren-
| der was supposed TO have occurred hut
carried off also the whole of the small
orchard of apple trees in which This uar-
| ticular tree stood. 'ADpomattox annie
| tree was in great demand by the relic
| hunters. and some of the returned Com
| federate soldiers when they GOT to Ricb-
mond determined to make a few cream
backs nv sunnlyine the demand
! "Accordinglv. they drove a brisk trade
with pieces of apple tree cut from orch
ards around Richmond. and IT would be
curious snecuIation 10 decide how many
| TONS of Annomattox annie tree wore SCOT
tered through the country, A aentlemar
n, esent when General lee was pivino
his account of the surrender said. eyor
net undar an annie tree did vou not
| r....z,o, r. -a~I;.l. az. IT,. - ss;l