Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1917-05-24
CLOSE TO ITS END
Little Remains Of AppomattOx,
Where Generals Grant and
Lee CIasped Hands.

~ ROwN up with underbrush
and scrub pine is the spot
Y that marks ''the end Of the
war" when General Grant
and General Lee. the two opposing
commanders. cIasped hands firmly and
Grant said, LET Us have peace" But
there are a few OF the comrades still
left who remember that bright, sun
shiny day at Appomattox Court House,
when the two generals. fIanked by 9TH
or generals Of their commands, went
into the historic Mclean house and
arranged the terms OF the surrender
that meant the end OF the war and
the return Of the citizen armies 70
their civilian occupations.
Unlike other famous battlehelds,
there has been no attempt TO preserve
the spot that marked the most impor-
tant event In the soldering Of a d.
yided nation. The village has nearly
disappeared. Only three houses have
survived Gre. storm and neglect, and
even those are badly warped, giving
promise that they. too. win soon rot,
and that weeds. followed by scrub
pine, viii overrnn thets sites. Two Of
these houses have long been aban-
donsd. The other one IL occupied by
the large family Of small farmer.
stranger 10 that part Of Virginia and
unfamiliar with and apparently indIf.
ferent 20 the great memories Of the
country In which be lives
At the time OF the surrender the
village had been reduced by four years
Of war TO ramshackle, crossroads
haralet. A cluster Of dwellings. most.
~ of wood. livery stable and
store or two were built around the
sleepy courthouse square. The court
building was burned down 20 years
ago, and today the desolate courthouse
square II numbered with ashes
charred plaster and shattered bricks.
In particularly dark patch o. a
gloomy stretch % tho pines there re-
turning Vetarnns come upon the North
| Carolina monument.
The inscription on Il has causcd
tense and bitter controversy In the
South. II follows;
Last ne Appomatt0x.
@At this place the North Carolina
brigade Of Brig. Gen. w. II. Cox or
Crimes division, hrcd the last volley
April 9. 1866.
/ MAI Gen. Bryan Grimes Of North
Carolina planned the last battle fought
| by the army ~ northern Virginia and
commanded the infantry engaged
therein, tho greater part Of whom were
North Carolinians.
"1rhe stone Il erected by the author
/ ity OF the general assembly Of North
/ Caroiinn IN grateful and perpetual
memory 81 the yalor endurance and
I patriotssm % hrf sons, who followed
with mistaken fidelity the fortunes Of
the Confectionery TO this closing scene,
faithful TO the end.
Erected April O. 1905.
''North Carolina Appomattox COM
mission II. A. London. chairman; 10.
J. Holt. w. T. Jenkins. Cyrus 3. Wat
son, A. u. McGlIl,"
| On the opposite side Of the monu-
ment Il the inscription
! ''North Carolina. First at Bethel,
Farthest 10 the front Mt Gettysburg
and Chlckamauga. Last at Appomat
tax"
Company X, One Hundred and Nine
ty.uinth Pennsylvania. IN command Of
Capt. Charles n. Sickles. paced the
porch OF the historic house while
Generals Grant aud Lee were In the
/ plain hut spacious room In the inside
arranging the terms Of peace. After
! tho terms OF surrender had been com
picted this command still remained on
guard until II reached Richmond. when
II was mustered out June q, 1855,
md was discharged at Camp Cadwai-
lader July 8, 1866.
After the company left the front,
wrote X. A. McAuston, one OF the
guard. recently. there were over one
hundred officers and men. but at the
latest reunion at Mannheim only nine
were accounted for. Since then two
have answered "taps." These seven
with Comrade Strutor. make eight who
actually saw what was going on at the
surrender, April o. 1866.
Il