Dr. Peter Eppes House

Dr. Peter Eppes House. Four Centuries: City Point, Virginia 1613 A.D..

"At first we lived in tents, but later, when my husband became commander of the post, I lived most comfortably in a house...." - Septima M. Collis

, The house Septima Collis lived "most comfortably" in during the last months of the Civil War had been built by Thomas and Martha Williams in 1859 on land they had purchased from Dr. Richard Eppes for $400. Septima's husband, Brigadier General Charles H.T. Collis, obtained the house for his headquarters when he became commander of the post in October 1864., As a high ranking officer, Collis was permitted to have his family with him at City Point. Years later, Septina fondly remembered her time in the Eppes house. One evening, she and General Collis were enjoying an informal picnic supper in front of the fire. After an evening of horseback riding, the General and his wife threw a dozen James River oysters on the embers of a wood fire. Seated on the floor, Mrs. Collis was devouring the succulent bivalves which her husband opened. At that moment General and Mrs. Grant came to call, much to Septina's consternation - although, as she noted, her guests "enjoyed the situation heartily, and were good enough to say they envied us,....", [Caption:] , A Zouave guard, a member of Collis's 114th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, stands before his commander's home and headquarters. Dr. Peter Eppes purchased the house after Thomas Williams's death in 1868. Since then, the house has been turned ninety degrees; the home's original front is now the south side., Near the end of the war the Colliers hosted captured Confederate officers, including Generals Ewell and Barringer. Mrs. Collins, who considered herself "quite a cordon bleu" presented an attractive menu consisting of superb raw oysters, green-turtle soup, a delicious James River shad, and a fillet of army beef. A bottle of whiskey and another of brandy, and a cup of the good black coffee constituted the dinner. General Barringer later said it was the first square meal he had eaten in two years. When General Ewell questioned the Southern-born Mrs. Collis's loyalty, she retorted that she had only followed the example of many other Southrons" – hers being the "state of matrimony.", Mrs. Collis resided in the Dr. Peter Eppes House with her husband and young daughter from October 1864 through the end of the Civil War. Because of her daughter's illness, Septima was allowed to remain in City Point even after other ladies were evacuated, and thus witnessed the final weeks of the war, including President Abraham Lincoln's visit.