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Union cavalry form up on a ridge overlooking Appomattox Court House.Morning came early on the 9th. Not sure how many other crazy history geeks were going to converge in the fields of this small Virginia hamlet, I wanted to get to the park early for the first activity of the morning. The real time Battle of Appomattox Court House demonstration was starting at 7:30 am. The weather cooperated in setting the mood with historically accurate dampness, chill and a clinging morning fog. After taking the nearly empty shuttle bus from the remote parking lot to the Historic Villiage, I wandered through the awakening Union camps of living historians. Reveille sounded, and cook fires burned. I was introduced to"bacon toast", a piece of bread fried in a skillet of bacon fat which was offered to me with the question, "Do you like bacon?" as if there could be any other response than "of course."
On the morning of April 9, 1865, Lee was regrouping after the loss of his artillery and supplies in the previous evening's battle at Appomattox Station. He was on his way to Danville by way of Lynchburg to join up with The Army of Tennessee under the command of Joe Johnston. Lee believed that if he and
Confederate cavalry prepare to engage Union troopers.Johnston--the latter of whom was being pursued just as determinedly by William Tecumseh Sherman as Lee was by Grant--could converge, the two Confederate forces could destroy either Sherman or Grant then turn on the other. He could still make it to Danville and possible salvation if he could continue west along the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road. The fighting started early on the 9th, and the Confederate forces pushed Union cavalry and artillery off the field. But as the Confederates pressed their advantage and crested a hill, they saw two corps of Union troops arrayed in line of battle. Lee knew that his small force--depleted to just 26,000 troops after a week of constant marching, engagements with the Union army and desertion--had no hope of breaking out of the cordon of over 63,000 Union troops. At approximately 10:30 am, a white flag was sent out from the Confederate line while Lee and Grant arranged to meet to determine the terms of surrender.
The National Park Service is very strict about "demonstrations" on NPS land. To preserve the land, and respect the sacrifice of those who fought and died on the battlefields, they do not allow battle reenactments on their property. Live
Confederate infantry opens fire.fire events do not include one side firing at another (for the purposes of safety and respect). No two opposing forces simulate battle action. So imagine my surprise when the entirety of the 3 hour battle demonstration included cavalry charges (at opposing units), artillery fire (at opposing units), infantry fire (at opposing units) and, surprisingly enough, the Rebel Yell. I didn't even register how odd this was until I heard a comment from someone nearby remarking on it.
While the battle raged on, I took an opportunity to wander the rest of the village, always mindful of the time to ensure that I was back in time to see the white flag. And doing so proved to be an emotional experience that I hadn't anticipated. The resignation in the posture of the rider, and the elation of the Union troops seemed quite authentic.
After the white flag and the conclusion of the battle, I took my seat for the Opening Ceremonies. After the same event at Gettysburg (which remains in my mind the sole blemish on an otherwise fantastic event), I was a little leery. And the politicians who chose to speak threatened to condemn this program to
General George Armstrong Custer watches his troopers receive the Confederate cavalry attack.the same fate as that one (can you tell it is still a sore spot?). Ultimately what saved it was the chance to hear Ed Bearss and Bud Robertson, two of the best Civil War historians alive today and who have both forgotten more about the Civil War than I will ever know. I admit to a pure history geek moment, listening to Dr. Robertson describing the importance of the moment with, "Appomattox marked the time when sunset and sunrise met."
The event of the entire commemoration was held that afternoon. People, many far ruder than I have ever experienced at these events previously, crowded around McLean House on the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road. People climbed fences and elbowed others out of the way. We were awaiting the arrival of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. At 1:00, Lee approached from behind the house accompanied by one of Grant's aids. Half an hour later, Grant apporached from the west sedately riding on horseback.
The crowd waited for an hour while NPS Historians from Appomattox Court House National Historic Park and Fredericksburg Spotsylvania National Military Park (is it sad that I didn't need to be told who these people
The Union infantry's arrival on the field prompts Lee to send a white flag for the cessation of hostilities while a surrender is discussed. The Army of Northern Virginia has fired its last shot.were...that I recognized Fred-Spot's John Hennessy and Frank O'Reilly on my own?) recounted the four long years of war that were finally coming a close with the meeting happening in the parlor of the house. At 3:00, both Generals emerged, and took their leave. Lee riding through the crowd on Traveler, and later, after he and his staff watched Lee go, Grant riding through the crowd on Cincinnati.
The retreat from Petersburg to Appomattox has always been somewhat of a conundrum for me. I am not in any way sympathetic to the Confederate cause. I am happy that Appomattox ended as it did and the war began to draw to a close. But, whenever I think about this headlong run from Petersburg and its eventual end at Appomattox, I feel a sense of desperation and numb disbelief that may have mirrored what the Confederate soldiers felt as they learned that their long fight was over. After pulling off miracle after miracle, the strategic genius of Robert E. Lee couldn't save them now.
Have you ever given yourself so fully to something that it becomes all you ever knew and ever expected to know? And then it ends. The
A Union trooper takes the news back to his comrades.jarring realization that everything you had worked to achieve had been no more than a dream and you would never know its promised reality. I don't agree with the cause that the Confederacy chose, but I can understand and empathize with the abrupt ending of a dream and the dumb shock that follows. The flip side of this emotional moment has never been joyful, but certainly relieved.
The final event of the evening was a lantern tour of the historic village. Moving from building to building, we heard 6 first person accounts of the battle. Wilmer McLean's step-daughter told of the stipping of the house after the surrender meeting. A Union General shared with us his duties while the army was encamped. A young mother talked of the terror of fleeing from her home under Union artillery fire and being separated from her baby (the baby was found with a slave who had spent the duration of the battle in a drainage ditch). A Confederate soldier who recounted killing a Union officer. The Union officer that he killed telling of his last moments. And the story of Hannah Reynolds, a slave who stayed behind at her master's home with
General Robert E. Lee arrives at McLean House to discuss terms of surrender. He is dressed in his best uniform and brings his dress sword, expecting to be taken prisoner by General Ulysses S. Grant.her husband to protect the property. She was wounded by Union artillery. Hannah died from her wounds. She has long been known as the only civilian casualty of the Battle of Appomattox Court House, her death a great irony. While her fellow slaves shared in a new birth of freedom, that new birth came too late for Hannah. It is only recently that primary documentation has been discovered that proved Hannah didn't die the same day she was wounded, but three days later...as a free woman.
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