"US Marks 150th Anniversary of Civil War's End " Topic

" One-hundred-fifty years ago Thursday, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union General Ulysses Grant, marking the end of the four-year U.S. Civil War that killed more than 700,000 people and freed the slaves.

Many consider it one of the most emotional moments in U.S. history. One reason the surrender scene was so dramatic is because the personalities of Lee and Grant reflected the two sides of the war.

Lee's side, the South, included many large farms that depended on slave labor. The southern farm owners were often wealthy, polite and well-connected in society. Even though Lee was not wealthy, he belonged to a famous family…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Another end-of-the-ACW topic? Wonder how this one will end.

With a post of course. ; )

Meta, nice.

Lee's surrender was not the end of the war. Other Confederate forces were still in the field.

*longwinded highly politicised and not particularly helpful comment*

But seriously, it's a strange and poignant anniversary to commemorate.

I was at Appomattox as a Yankee re-enactor. The near religious relevance to southerners is quite interesting. For example, do the Germans or Japanese place such significance in their defeats? Considering how far the park is off the beaten path we were quite shocked at just how packed the event was.

We where going to stop in Lynchburg overnight and then go to Appomattox the next morning for the day.
We had a very hard time finding a room in Lynchburg. All rooms booked for the reenactment. After much calling a room was found.