Appomattox (4/28/2022)

We visited Appomattox Court House the other day. A quick history lesson, this is the place where the Civil War officially ended, and General Lee signed the treaty that officially ended the war. Now I am no scholar of history and definitely not of the Civil War, but I am just amazed by what learned there about what transpired in the end.

It seems that Lee finally decided that it was over for him, and that any continuation would lead to useless bloodshed; that it was best for both parties to end it. So, the surrender was negotiated, and it was signed it Appomattox. General Robert E. Lee met with General Ulysses S. Grant and from what I learned form my visit, the meeting was cordial between two generals who cared much about their troops. Lee wanted to make sure his troops did not go end up looting the countryside and Grant made sure they were not taken prisoners of war but allowed to go home and their family. This is so different from what we see and hear now on television from what is happening on television about Ukraine and the war crimes committed by Putin and his soldiers.

It seems that when Lee and Grant met, they were exchanging war stories and other tales. They had so much fun and were even joking around, that after an hour or so they had to be reminded that they were there for some serious business and to sign the surrender documents of the South to the North. Two generals who had been fighting tooth and nails were able to put things beside them and had fun during this serious moment when the south gave up its ambition. Later on, Washington Lee University was established, in a way of reminding folks that this was one country (again).

One of the random pictures I took during my visit in Appomattox this past week.  I recommend this to everyone, whether you are interested in the Civil War or not.

Leaving Appomattox, the thought just blew us (my wife and me) away how a New York City con artist has been able to rally folks in the south behind him, to believe that he was the next coming of Christ and therefore to vote for him as president. Since he was omnipotent, he could sleep around, grab them by the pussy, lie, and do whatever he wanted without consequences. Thanks to this con artist people now have less respect for their fellow humans; folks stormed the capital in order to stop the peaceful change of government; lied about the elections; there is less chivalry and comradery in this country then there was during Lee’s time, during the civil war. It makes you wonder doesn’t it; are we even more polarized now then back then, and is it all thanks to this con man? An emphatic YES here!

They say, “if you don’t learn from history, you are bound to repeat it.” I honestly wish we would repeat it and the past president would go away peacefully and behave like a gentleman. I have read commentaries which wonder whether another Civil War is near. Brace yourself folks, if so, I am afraid it is going to be a Putin/Ukraine type war as opposed to a more gentleman type war as was fought in the past Civil War, and as we know that was no boy scout trip.