Virginia's Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park
See the Place Where Robert. E. Lee Surrendered to U.S. Grant
Lee quickly decided against trying to escape to the mountains to continue the war as terrorists, as some of his generals wanted. He was tired of war. His final surrender to Ohioan U.S. Grant, general-in-chief for the Union, would happen here.
The actual ceremony took place at the house of Wilmer McLean who moved to Appomattox after the first real battle of the Civil War, Bull Run, took place on and near his land. It was one of the many ironies of the war.
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park was established in the mid 20th Century on the site of the original county seat, which was essentially deserted. Most of the commerce (and residents) in the area had long moved a few miles south to the village of Appomattox where the railroad line was.
Today the park contains many of the original buildings of the town and some reconstructed replicas. In the late 1800s, the McLean House was taken apart piece by piece to be part of an exhibit in Washington. When that never happened, it was reconstructed in its original location to become the centerpiece of the historical park.
We visited Appomattox on a hot and dusty day while on our Blue Ridge Parkway excursion. There were two field trips taking place the same day, but we did a decent enough job staying away from the mobs of kids.
Expect to take about 2-3 hours to tour the entire site. Obviously, the McLean House is the most interesting part; a park ranger was on hand to answer any questions.
The visitor center has an audio-visual presentation about the final actions of Lee and Grant around Appomattox. The bookstore is excellent with many volumes about the end of the Civil War along with more general Civil War literature.
The nominal fee of $4 per person was definitely worth it to see this important piece of American History.
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