18 December 2005
by The General
Published in:
Battlefield preservation
12 comments
David Terrenoire posted a comment in response to my entry “Of Books and Dilemmas”, and mentioned that he lives about a mile from Bennett Place, the site of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's surrender to William T. Sherman on April 26, 1865. His post reminded me of the absolutely stunning difference between the Bennett Place site and Appomattox Court House, the site of Robert E. Lee's surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.
The entire village of Appomattox Court House was purchased by the War Department and was turned into a shrine. It's now part of the National Park Service, with many of the buildings–including Wilmer McLean's handsome home–having been reconstructed as replicas of the original structures. The Appomattox Court House National Park consists of 1800 acres and includes 27 original structures. It is amply monumented, and the small battlefield area–the fight was brief and aborted when Lee realized that Union infantry had arrived and that his plight was hopeless–is well interpreted.
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