Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia

        General Lee surrendered to General Grant in April 1865 in Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.  While many people mistakenly believe this to be the end of the Civil War, it actually took until June, 1865 for all of the Generals and armies of the South to surrender.  Appomattox Courthouse is the name of the town, given because it was the county seat.  The building below was the Appomattox Courthouse court house.  Even though it was an existing governmental building, the surrender took place in the house of Mr. and Mrs. McLean in their parlor.  Lincoln was assassinated five days later.  The telegraph was available to spread the news of surrender and John Wilkes Booth conspired to assassinate the Vice President and the Secretary of State at the same time, but was not successful in those plans.

      Lee had retreated from Richmond, Virginia with his armies and was trying to reach supplies for his troops in Lynchburg, VA.  Union troops blocked the way so Lee tried to intercept the railway line at Appomattox to get food and munitions.  When Grant's troops cut the confederate troops off before they could get the supplies, they had little choice but to surrender.  Grant is said to have been very gracious, starting the in-person conversation with Lee by asking questions about the Spanish-American War that they had both been involved in.  Lee refocused the conversation to the task at hand.



                                                    Court house.

                                                           Tourist Mike.

                                                         McLean House

                                                    McLean's bedroom

                                                Parlor where surrender agreement was signed.

                                                       Other side of the parlor.  The generals
                                                       sat at separate tables.

                                                            Store in town.

                                            Upstairs boy's bedroom

                                               Upstairs girls' room.  The  McLeans had 1 boy and 4 girls.

                                                         McLean's dinning room.
                                                               

                                                     Kitchen building behind the McLean house.

                                                       Jail cell in Appomattox Courthouse jail.

                                                          Lock on cell.

                                                              Prisoner Mike!

Tavern used for printing paroles.

                                                           Printing equipment.
                                      

Hand painted wall paper inside of tavern.

                                                                  Grave in field.

                                            

                                                             Law office.

                                                 Inside the law office.

This street runs through the town and is where the confederate troops marched between lines of Union troops to stack their weapons and ammunition.  They couldn't leave the area without proof of their surrender because they could be arrested by other armies as an enemy or a deserter.  The town tavern was used to print thousands of paroles allowing the men to return home as long as they did not take up arms against the United States of America.  27,000 Confederate soldiers marched down the road and then had to receive paroles to leave.  Most returned home.  They were hungry and without funds so the way home was very difficult.  McClain had lived close to one of the first battles of the Civil War.  He moved to Appomattox to get away from the war, but found himself present at the end.  He sold most of the original furniture and other items in the house after the war, and much of the original items are held in the Smithsonian.

It was strange to walk down the same road that had been the site of approximately 50,000 soldiers going through the last moves of a hard fought war, half of whom must have been ecstatic and the other half devastated. I imagine all were ready to return home to normal lives, families and friends.