Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-26

The recent death of Joshua L..
Chamberlain brought to mind an incl
dent in his army career, really the
last important event in what was as
brilliant and heroic an army service
as that of any man engaged on
either side
| was told in the summer of 1879,
when I was in Maine. that some
times he was called Governor Cham
berlain, since he served three terms
as governor, the first being shortly
after the close of the Civil War; and
he was quite as often called General
Chamberlain, because his friends
knew that he was promoted upon the
field before Petersburg by General
Grant to brigadier- generalship.
One August day in 1881 | visited the
town of AppomattoX Court House. 1t
was a place in which, if the day was
warm, drowsiness would be sure to
overtake one, not disturbed by any
sound of human industry. 1t seemed
incredible that this peaceful little
hamlet, consisting of a court house,
tavern and few dwellings,, could
have been the place which tradition
will always associate with the last
act of the Civil War.
There were at that time a few men
living In the town who were there in
April, 1861. One of these was tavern
keeper. His name was Hicks He
was the owner of the apple orchard
in which it has been asserted that
General Lee surrendered to General
Grant. Mr.. Hicks knew better. He
took me to a neighbor, a man Of
scholarly attachments, named Todd,
who lived in q red house at the top
OF the hill about halfway between
| the brick house where General Grant
and General Lee met and little
| creek which bordered the apple or
chard. Mr. Todd said;
From my doorstep, from the very
| place where we are now standing to-
gether, | saw the closing scene of the
/ war. The Confederates planted two
| small cannon Just in front of these
steps. In those woods yonder | could
see the Federal army or part of 1t. J"
Mr. Todd indicated with wave of
| his hand the distant forest, not a
very dense one, perhaps three-quar-
tiers of mile from his doorstep.
Il saw the Union troops come out
! from that forest and form the line OF
| battle he continued. Il saw their
/ commanding officer. not very distinct
! ly, but Sufficiently so to make it clear
to me that he was preparing to give
/ battle, so that l thought my wiser
| part as a civilian would he to get into
! d place of safety as soon as possible.
One of the guns planted by the Con-
federate artillery in front of these
: steps was aimed and discharged at
/ the Federal line. / expected TO see
/ the commanding officer lead a charge.
/ Suddenly he stopped. He was giving
/ the word of command.
/ The Union troops stood in their
! places and then saw that a white flag
which looked to me like a couple OF
| handkerchiefs tied together-was be.
/ ing carried forward rapidly from the
Confederate line. The next day the
i Confederate troops were drawn up in
line right there on the highway in
| front of my house. The line extend
ed from a point just beyond my
house over the creek up to that little
cottage on the hills, which, by the
way, was the boyhood home of man
who gained great reputation as a
| negro minstrel, Dan Sweeny
''By and by there rode up on a