150 years ago today, Gen Lee surrendered: The Civil War was over

[The Spin Meister]

While the war was over, the scars still exist today. An unbelievable conflict, with unspeakable suffering, and a major juncture in the history of our country.

Interesting tidbit;

The two sides agreed Grant and Lee would meet in the parlor of Wilmer
McLean, a farmer who was the subject of one of the strangest
coincidences of the war. Four Aprils earlier, he allowed Confederate
forces to set up command in his home for the First Battle of Bull Run
(known by Confederates as First Manassas). A cannonball hit his porch
and caught his home on fire. After that, McLean decided to move away
from the heat of battle, to the more sleepy Virginia hamlet of
Appomattox. Little did he know the war would eventually find him, which
allowed him to correctly say that the Civil War started on his front porch, and ended in his parlor.



Short video by a park employee

 

[LionJim]

Which brings up this conversation I had with my wife yesterday.

Me, while driving the two of us into work: "Oh, when did the Civil War end?"
Her: "1865."

 

[Op2]

You mean the War of Northern Aggression?

I'm kidding but a lot of people still call it that and aren't kidding. It's amazing that 150 years later some people can't get over it. I don't even want to think what things would be like today had the South won that war and the CSA became a permanent nation. For starters what is the continental US today would instead be at least two, if not more, nations. For another, slavery would have continued on indefinitely. What would WW 2 have been like if instead of the US being one united country fighting the Axis it was 2 or 3 or 4, maybe some aligned with the Axis? I don't want to think about it.

It's been 150 years plus now but I'm still very grateful for those people that put their lives on the line to ensure that US remained one nation.

 

[Woodpecker]

Granny, is that you?***

 

[Thus Spoke Mainer]

READ ALL ABOUT IT !!!! (link)

.

As it happened.

 

[massimoManca II]

thanks - just pissed myself**


LOL

 

[insider76]

Somewhere at home I have a book on that ...


I think it's called If the South Had Won the War, basically recreating history after Lee won at Gettysburg and went on to threaten Washington and forced the North to accept Southern seccession. Interesting twist was, according to the autorh, at some point (it's been a while since I read it, so the details are foggy) the two sides had reunited, with a refined Constitutino that guaranteed more state autonomy. But slavery was finally abandoned in the late 1800s. Bottom line was that by WWII the US had pretty much evolved into what we know today and modern 20th century history developed the same as in the history books..

 

[Ranger Dan]

I honestly don't believe that anyone is still "hung up" on the civil war

I spent two years living in Georgia, and have visited every state in what was the Confederacy. The only issues that still exists is racism, but not what I believe is a real desire for sovereignty/independence.

 

[Ranger Dan]

I ponder whether the US and Canada should merge into one

country. Other than the additional language issue (French), and their more socialized government, we are ideologically the same. Canada would gain industry and the US would gain natural resources.

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

LOL. SMH. ****


f

 

[Beech Cricker]

The largest Confederate army to surrender did so a few

weeks later when Johnson gave in to Sherman at Bennett Place, NC.

 

[Beech Cricker]

For those Southerners that call it that I just refer to the

Civil War as the "War of the Rebellion".

 

[Ranger Dan]

Do you disagree?

What is there for anyone from the south to lament that isn't really about race?

 

[KD666]

Under the CSA constitution, states had no

right to prohibit slavery. In other words, the CSA constitution provided fewer states' rights.

 

[lein]

Lee should be viewed as the traiter he was

Why we continue to have statues of and places named after him and other CSA cohorts is beyond me.

 

[Michael.Felli]

The rebel yell

Rebel Yell at Gettysburg: https://youtu.be/m1byof4IAHk

Thus Spoke Mainer says "That's the rebel yell!!!!"

 

[Obliviax]

Re: Do you disagree?

I feel like being bigoted in the name of fighting bigotry is a bad idea. I've been to every major city in the south. other than some minor cultural issues, I find no difference. In fact, cities like ATL, Charlotte, Birmingham, Dallas, etc are so diluted with northerners moving there, they reflect more "north" thinking than "south." its actually hard to find people with pronounced southern accents there.


But overall, when we seek to "classify" people with labels, we all fail.

I heard a guy on the news last night say "I cannot tolerate your tolerance and hate people who hate." I think that pretty much nails it. Politicians have been, successfully, dividing us for a couple of decades now. Its time for that to stop.

 

[Cosmos]

With so many Americans obsessed over the British monarchy...

one has to wonder 'what if'.

One thing about the events leading up to WWII, America was hardly a superpower in the 1930s. It had laid down its rifle, only to be picked up again on December 8th, 1941. We were never on a constant war footing but WWII changed that forever. And so upon leaving office, Eisenhower warned of undue influence by the military-industrial complex. I look at it as one of those seminal moments which reset American history forever and yet is glossed over by historians because 'it aint sexy'. Similar in vein to Lincoln imposing an income tax, the Bretton Woods conference and Nixon taking us off the gold standard.

 

[Cosmos]

Re: Lee should be viewed as the traiter he was

What makes you think sending Lee to the gallows would've helped reunification?

 

[wex18]

Re: The largest Confederate army to surrender did so a few

There's a very small park and museum here in Durham at Bennett Place. It's not well publicized, with only one sign off the interstate.

While the soldiers from both sides were hanging around for several days waiting for the final signing, they took a liking to the brightleaf tobacco in the area, and Durham became the center of American Tobacco Co. and Bull Durham.

 

[thecoolestfish]

+1 - The Confederacy and their states' rights to slavery agenda lost.

They represent an embarrassing, shameful time in our history. Oh, and again, they LOST.

 

[fairgambit]

If anyone has not yet read "A Stillness At Appomattox" by Bruce Catton,

I would highly recommend it.

 

[Howie'81]

Re: For those Southerners that call it that I just refer to the

Originally posted by Beech Cricker:
Civil War as the "War of the Rebellion".

I once had an African American woman from Virginia tell me it was the War of Northern Agression. Can't make that one up.

 

[Thus Spoke Mainer]

How it was observed 100 years ago (link)

.

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045211/1915-04-09/ed-1/seq-8/

 

[Alphabets]

Similar to when Kennedy was assassinated, I remember exactly where I was when Lee surrendered as well. What a day.

 

[throw2oj]

and Kirby Smith and Stand Waite held out until June...

Jeff Davis fled and wasn't captured until May 10.

 

[Ranger Dan]

I'm not saying that the "south" is racist...

I'm saying that the reason that some people feel that civil war isn't over is because of race, not because of sates rights.

 

[psu00]

Re: For those Southerners that call it that I just refer to the

It's because they've created this revisionist history about the 'War of Northern Aggression' and 'state's rights'. They think it was just 1 ideal society taken straight from the movie Gone with the Wind.... until those 'damn Yankees' ruined everything. That's why you get episodes like Paula Dean talking about having a Gone with the Wind type Old South reception where everyone dressed like in 1860 with blacks serving everyone and she gets shocked when people get upset.

 

[northwoods]

Much more to it - Lee was torn between loyalty to country or to state

He was offered the position as the top General by the Union (his record in the Mexican war was outstanding), but could not bring himself to fight against his beloved State of Virginia.

 

[c1976]

Quite by coincidence I accompanied my wife on a business trip today and while she was at Shepherd University in WV I toured the Antietam Battlefield which is just across the Potomac in MD. Numbing in many ways. The bloodiest day ever in the USA with 28100 killed or wounded. 8000 plus in three hours in " the Cornfield". That's more than all USA losses at DDay. South could have ended the war that day without some heroics. The guide was carrying some pictures of the Generals who are all remembered but also one of a soldier from Pennsylvania who lost his life and is in an unmarked grave. That man was his great great great great grandfather. Wasn't ready for that. Touching.

 

[dawgduice]

Don't think there was ever any chance for the South to win. Shelby Foote will tell you the North fought the war with one had tied behind it's back. A great read is "Battle Cry of Freedom".
The truth was that until "Sherman" the North had hoped to not have to DESTROY the South (infrastructure). Sherman recognized the fanaticism of the South. So the North reluctantly approved the Sherman tactics. Those "could" have been implemented earlier in the war, but "gentlemen are gentlemen" AND to many War is fun!

 

[massimoManca II]

one interesting point a PSU professor brought to me...

Forgot his name, but IIRC he taught "History of Pennsylvania" at UP in 1988 - mistakenly thought this would be a 'layup' course.... Unfortunately it was absolutely not - and worse, required the purchase of $80?textbook + $20 study-guide authored by the prof ( so much for using anybof my honed B.S. Writing skills)... Buddy talked me into this class as we'd never taken one together... Claimed the book was $20 ( i fell for that).... Hadta work my ass off to get out of an early hole as i imploded the first exam with a less-than impressive 31%. It was my final semester... Ended up with a hard-earned c+

Sic; forget any rightous reasons - the North opposed slavery mostly because yanks really weren't interested in blacks fleeing slavery in the South... End slavery and black flight is quashed... They'll stay in the south, if free

i Remember my jaw dropping when I heard that...

 

[c1976]

Actually the reason that south had a chance prior to Antietam was that they had just secured some rapid victories at Manasas and a couple other places. The US soldiers in and around DC were in complete disarray and many AWOL . Lee knew this and took his troops simultaneously to Harpers Ferry and Sharpsburg for the first fight north thinking they couldn't reconstitute themselves fast enough to fight not only one battle but especially two. Lee believed he could essentially go for the kill right there, early in the war in 1862. The US troops indeed surrendered in just hours to the Confederates at Harpers Ferry. But by the time the Harpers Ferry victors could get to Sharpsburg/Antietam to join Lee's troops there by late morning the US troops had valiantly fought Lee and then pushed back the reinforcements. This was actually the victory that Lincoln was needing and just a few days later issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the Confederate States. Interestingly, Maryland was a border state and their slaves were not freed by the EP.