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The American Civil War, a pivotal event in United States history, had an unusual connection to a man named Wilmer McLean.
The first major land battle of the war began in 1861 near McLean's farmhouse in Manassas, Virginia,
after decades of simmering tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states’ rights, and westward expansion. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 caused seven southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America; four more states soon joined them.
The first major clash on land, known as the First Battle of Bull Run or the First Battle of Manassas, took place on McLean's property.
After this battle, McLean, seeking to avoid the war, moved about 120 miles to the south to the village of Appomattox Court House.
In a twist of fate, the war found McLean again in Appomattox.
The McLean House in Appomattox, Virginia, became the meeting place for Generals Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy and Ulysses S. Grant of the Union on April 9, 1865.
It was in McLean's parlor that Lee surrendered to Grant, effectively ending the Civil War. Despite McLean's attempts to escape the conflict, it can be said that the Civil War started in his backyard in 1861 and ended in his parlor in 1865. This unique circumstance has etched Wilmer McLean's name into the annals of American Civil War history.
en.wikipedia.org
The first major land battle of the war began in 1861 near McLean's farmhouse in Manassas, Virginia,
after decades of simmering tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states’ rights, and westward expansion. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 caused seven southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America; four more states soon joined them.
The first major clash on land, known as the First Battle of Bull Run or the First Battle of Manassas, took place on McLean's property.
After this battle, McLean, seeking to avoid the war, moved about 120 miles to the south to the village of Appomattox Court House.
In a twist of fate, the war found McLean again in Appomattox.
The McLean House in Appomattox, Virginia, became the meeting place for Generals Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy and Ulysses S. Grant of the Union on April 9, 1865.
It was in McLean's parlor that Lee surrendered to Grant, effectively ending the Civil War. Despite McLean's attempts to escape the conflict, it can be said that the Civil War started in his backyard in 1861 and ended in his parlor in 1865. This unique circumstance has etched Wilmer McLean's name into the annals of American Civil War history.
