Visiting one home of Wilmer McClean

In my experience, Wilmer McClean is not a household name. Wilmer had two major events in nineteenth century American history occur on two of his properties within a few years. In July,1861, early action in the First Battle of Bull run took place on the McLean farm in Manassas, Virginia. Not quite four years later, April 9, 1865, McClean's home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, hosted Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

This is the home at Appomattox Court House. The National Park Service has done a very nice job restoring the home (once dismantled in the early 1900s) and the battlefield to form the Appomattox Court House Historical Park.

Though we arrived in the last hour of a rainy day, the rangers were very good about getting us to the right house, explaining the time line of events, and answering various questions.

Preparing this entry, I ran across an excellent account of the interaction between Generals Lee and Grant leading up to the surrender.