Civil War (Appomattox Courthouse) essays

Civil War (Appomattox Courthouse) essays The original Appomattox Courthouse was built in 1846, one year after Appomattox County was established. The courthouse consisted of different houses such as, the McLean house, the site of the Confederacy surrender, and the Appomattox Valley, the site of the Appomattox Campaign. The McLean house in the village of Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia was used on April 9, 1865 for the surrender meeting between General Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant. The house was also used on April 10, 1865 for the surrender commissioners meeting, and over the next few days as the Headquarters of Major General John Gibson. During the Civil War, the Appomattox Courthouse was the site of a major campaign. The Appomattox Campaign lasted from March 29 to April 9, 1865. After the Civil War, the McLean family left Appomattox Courthouse and Virginia estate in the fall of 1867. When Wilmer McLean defaulted on repayment of loans, the banking house of Harrison, Goddin, and Apperson of Richmond, Virginia brought judgment against him, and the Surrender House was sold at a public auction on November 29, 1869. The house was purchased by John L. Pascoe and apparently rented to the Ragland family of Richmond. In 1872, Nathaniel H. Ragland purchased the property for $1250.00. On January 1, 1891, the property was sold by the Widow Ragland for the sum of $10,000 to Captain Myron Dunlap of Niagara Falls, New York. Myron Dunlap and fellow speculators went through two or three plans intending to capitalize on the noted history of the property. One idea was to dismantle the home and move it to Chicago as an exhibit at the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition. Measured drawings including elevation and material specifications lists were produced and the house was dismantled and packed for shipping, but due to cash flow and legal problems, the plan was never completed. The home sat dismantled in piles, prey to vandals, collectors, a...