150th Anniversary of Gen. Lee’s Surrender

Appomattox, Virginia, celebrated the 150th anniversary of General Lee’s surrender to General Grant from April 9-12. The site was home to numerous events.

I was there on Sunday, April 12^th to experience the reenactment of the Confederate soldiers stacking and surrendering their arms to the Union soldiers.

The procession started with a group of Union soldiers marching through the Appomattox site until they reached a dirt road where they proceeded to form a line of soldiers facing the dirt road in front of them.

A group of Confederate Soldiers came from the opposite direction and formed a line facing the Union soldiers. The commanding officers called out an order, and the Confederate soldiers began to stack their guns together in piles.

Afterward, they removed other items they had on them such as their canteens and satchels and placed them on top of the arms they.

One of the Confederate commanders shouted another command, prompting the soldiers to form a new line and march along. Once the Confederate soldiers were out of sight, the Union soldiers followed suit and marched away from the stacking area.

There were many other activities at Appomattox in addition to the reenactment. Park rangers stood by telling stories of the Civil War and describing how the two famous generals, General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army and General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army, came together and reached the terms of surrender.

Volunteers dressed up as either Confederate or Union soldiers and interacted with visitors. A band of Union soldiers played classic songs from the war using Civil War instruments.

It was a great place for people to relive an important moment in Civil War history.