People will say that Lee surrender his Army to General Grant at the Court House in Appomattox. This is partly correct and partly incorrect. You see there is a court house in Appomattox Courthouse (see court house below) but the town is called Appomattox Courthouse, two words. Not just Appomattox. This court house nor any prior court house was involved in the surrender. The original court house burned down and was rebuilt in the 1900's as a Visitor's Center for the newly established National Park.
Two adversaries, one General Lee, holding a famous reputation as a great strategist and leader of the Army of North Virginia.
The other General Ulysses Grant, equal in reputation for the Federal Army of the United States.
Following some brilliant strategic moves by General Grant, the Union managed, in spite of General Lee's equal brilliance and efforts to outmaneuver and break through the Union lines and move south, Grant had managed to cut off all escape and Lee realized he'd been outmaneuvered and his North Virginia Army was surrounded. Further battle would only result in more dead. With a heavy heart, Lee sent a small group of his staff officers out to meet with Grant and arrange for a location for surrender. Gen. Grant agreed to Lee's surrender and asked the men to pick a location and let him know.
The men approached the McLean farmhouse just inside the town limits. McLean, trying to maintain his distance from all military, he directed them to several options in town but none were acceptable for different reasons. The men, realizing they were at a perfect location asked Mr. McLean if they could meet at his home and he agreed. Below is the McLean home, which we will go through before we leave.
Back in the Visitor's Center we viewed many artifacts from Grants and Lee's surrender meeting. Below is the Terms of Surrender drafted by General Grant.
General Lee's Confederate Flag.
We left the Visitor's Center and walked around the quiet, peaceful, little town that looked today much as it did back in 1865. Probably a few more trees now, and bigger trees but a few less buildings. The buildings standing, with the exception of the Court House are original. There's one other exception which I will tell you about later.
This is the interior of the Merchant Store.
The town attorney. Interesting that the attorney has the smallest house in town. Modest and small, possibly with less status and affluence than today's attorneys.
Say howdy to everyone inside there Larry, and take a deep whiff while you're at it.
A very pretty little town. This road leads to the west of town where General Grants men were camped and blocking Lee's only passage out and south.
Below center is the jailhouse.
And Now The Rest of the Story
The home that hosted the surrender meeting was built in 1848 and one of the best homes in town. Wilmer McLean, a town businessman, owned it since 1862.
Naturally the house became a sensation after the surrender. In 1893 it was dismantled for display in Washington, D.C. That never happened and when the National Park Service bought the town they reconstructed the building on it's original site in 1940s. Sadly the 47 years the home laid disassembled there was serious decay and pilfering of the wood. Approx. 5000 bricks survived and were matched to complete the house. The furniture is original and survived because it was stored.
Now Back to the Story
Into the yard of the McLean house rode General Lee. He dismounted and went inside. It was noon. Soon after General Grant, surrounded by generals and staff officers followed. Below is the actual room General Lee on the left and General Grant on the right sat and prepared their terms of surrender.
General Ulysses Grant sat here.
General Robert E. Lee sat here
.
General Lee never actually signed Grant's Letter of Surrender, believing that would make the Confederacy subservient to the Union. Instead he prepared his own Surrender Terms for Grants acceptance.
Ninety minutes later General Lee mounted and rode back through the village to his defeated men.
This reaction was somewhat equal on both sides. Great relief, joy for having survived, sorrow for friends and family that did not survive and for the sheer pleasure knowing they were no longer on guard for battle. There was much celebration on both side and eventually the north and south camps drifted towards each others camps and celebrated together once again brothers in arms,.
One of Lee's terms of surrender was each of his men who owned their mount could keep it. And each man would be given a full pardon.
Below is the printing press put into continual action in the preparation of over 20,000 pardons.
After the Surrender Terms had been agreed to, Lee and Grant meet once again on the knoll where the surrender would take place. An interesting piece of information was that George Custer was with Grant and he urged a final battle to kill every last one of the Confederates. Grant dismissed his suggestion and we know what fate met Custer a few years latter at Custer's Last Stand at Little Big Horn.
It was on this location that Lee and Grant discussed the Surrender Ceremony.
On the morning of April 12, 1865, Union Brig. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain watched the distant ridge as the Confederates prepared for the surrender ceremony. Into a single column they formed and marched from the ridge down to the village and to the pre-agreed knoll of Lee and Grants second meeting. Following Maj. General Gordon, the Confederates began their approach of the line of Union men, Chamberlain ordered his men to honor them. The Federals snapped to "carry arms", the marching salute. Maj. General John Gordon instantly ordered his men to return the salute. Here was a profound expression of respect by the armies' common soldiers. Their blazing of the path to reconciliation in the years that followed was set.
Each Confederate soldier stacked his weapon and kept walking towards home.
Below is the road the Union soldiers lined and the Confederate soldiers marched in their surrender.
Before we all left this amazingly historic Civil War location we just happened upon a final short film about the Civil War and Appomattox. The film was sensitive and heartbreaking. I believe my reaction came from my realization that, like the story line of the film we watched, we too had traveled with General Lee and General Grant through many of their battlefields. So much of our past year's journey followed in their footsteps and the footsteps of the armies of some of America's most courageous, brilliant and patriot men. We've studied, viewed and witnessed so much more than we could have imagined possible at the outset on this journey back in 2013. In this area so rich in history, we've come to embrace these brave historic leaders, to feel their sadness, their sense of loss, the tragedy of the loss of life and personal suffering. And at Appomattox, where the conclusion of these two brilliant Generals' journey was destined to end, so too was the end of our journey with Larry and Gail, and Sherry and Randy, coming to it's end. I turned to Gail and with tears in both our eyes we hugged. My heart was breaking for General Lee and the end of all our journeys together.
I'll lighten this up a little. We passed this Funeral Home just beyond the Confederate Cemetery.
Had a great lunch at Granny Bee's.
Walked a couple of blocks, took some pictures and went home.
Thank you for sharing this most wonderful day of all days exploring the Civil War. We begin our westward return home now. Their will be more adventures with Larry and Gail. And though Randy and Sherry had to return to California back in July we still think of them as part of our experiences. We have much on the agenda still. We'll be seeing Nashville again, Little Rock, and Branson to complete the run. Stay tuned for more fun and games. Susan
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