Thousands of history enthusiasts from all over the country and across the ocean congregated in the little town of Appomattox, Virginia, this past week to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, to Union General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Potomac.
Activities commenced this past Wednesday and concluded on Sunday. During that period, the relatively small parking lot at the Appomattox Court House National Historic Site was closed to visitors. A sprawling, grassy field a couple of miles away served as a temporary parking area. Buses ran all day back and forth to the park.
For those who were coming from Lynchburg, 20-some miles away, other shuttle buses ran to and from that town. All of the services – parking, shuttle rides and admission to the park - were free.
National Park Service personnel were brought in from more than 30 other park sites to assist the local rangers. Scores of volunteers wearing reflective vests were also present to help with parking and to assist the visitors.
Visitors to the park's sesquicentennial event were treated to a non-stop series of activities such as ranger talks and battle demonstrations put on by reenactors dressed in full uniform. Rifle and cannon firing demonstrations delighted visitors of all ages.
When taking a break from the organized events, the visitors, many of whom were dressed in period costume as well, could tour living history camps and the numerous old buildings in the complex, including the re-created McLean House, where the surrender took place on Sunday, April 9, 1865. Infantry soldiers and mounted cavalrymen mingled among the modern-day tourists and were happy to answer questions.
On Wednesday afternoon, a talk was given off-site at a nearby church by Chris Calkins, a former ranger at Appomattox, on his successful efforts several years ago in locating the exact location of a small battle known as Appomattox Station that took place the day before the surrender. Many people don't realize that there was actual fighting that occurred at Appomattox before the surrender.
After Calkins' presentation, everyone made a mass exodus from the church and caravanned a couple of miles to the newly-opened battle site, where a re-creation of the battle took place. The fight was cut short when an ominous storm front appeared on the western horizon. An early evening program that was scheduled on the park property was canceled because of the rain.
Although the commemoration began on April 8, the main event took place the next day, the exact anniversary of the surrender. At 5:30 a.m. the temporary parking area opened for the day, even while it was still dark.
Several hundred spectators were already on hand before 7:00 a. m. to watch a three-hour re-creation of the Battle of Appomattox Court House, which was scheduled to begin at 7:30. The morning was overcast, cool and foggy, the same weather conditions that faced the real combatants 150 years ago. As the muskets fired, the white smoke mingled with the white fog. The sulfurous smell of gunpowder permeated the air
At 10:20, legendary Civil War historian James I. “Bud” Robertson unveiled a painting by noted Civil War painter Mort Kuntsler depicting Grant and Lee outside the McLean house after the surrender meeting. Robertson explained that this painting would be the aging artist's final work of art.
A few yards away, scores of people stood in line to purchase first day covers of stamps depicting the surrender and the Battle of Five Forks, which occurred a week earlier near Petersburg.
At 11:00 the Appomattox 150th Commemoration Program began at an open-air stage set up in a large, open field behind the courthouse building, which is now the visitor center. Several speakers, including Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and US Senator Tim Kaine, addressed over 4,000 spectators.
The keynote speech was given by Robertson, who stated, “The America you and I know was born in 1865, not 1787.”
Two descendants of participants at the surrender meeting at the McLean house were present. Alvin Parker, a great, great grandnephew of Ely Parker, a member of Grant's staff, spoke briefly. So did Dennis Bigelow, the great great grandson of Colonel Charles Marshall, who was Lee's adjutant-general and military secretary.
After that ceremony, the crowd shifted to the McLean house, where a nearly two-hour program was held, during which an over-sized rendition of the two new postage stamps was revealed to the public. The ceremony climaxed with a re-enactment of Grant and Lee exiting the house precisely at 3:00 p. m.
After Lee rode off on his horse, Traveler, the ceremony was brought to a close by the ringing of a bell, signifying the ringing of bells throughout the land 150 years earlier upon receipt of news of the surrender. One of the ceremonial bell ringers was John Griffiths, the great great grandson of General Grant.
Park rangers estimate that Thursday's attendance exceeded 6,000. However, one of the parking attendants said that on Thursday they parked over 6,000 cars. If each car averaged two occupants and if the people who rode the shuttles from Lynchburg are counted, well over 15,000 spectators, not counting the hundreds of re-enactors and volunteers, could have been in attendance on that day.
On Friday, the activities continued full swing, albeit with slightly smaller crowds. The culmination of Friday's event was the stacking of the arms ceremony, a solemn event where the Confederate re-enactors stacked their arms and their regimental flags while soldiers in blue stood at attention.
Activities also took place outside the park, including at the nearby Museum of the Confederacy, where scores of artifacts once owned by Confederate soldiers and leaders, including General Lee, are on display.
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(Author's Note – I have one more article to write in order to finish up my current travel series, after which I will write a couple of articles describing my attendance at the Appomattox sesquicentennial under the heading of my travel column, Travel With Terry.)
