Appomattox

“Appomattox” is one of a few place names that is not only shorthand for an historic event—the surrender of General R. E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and the effective end of the Confederate States of America—but also a metaphor—for the end of the war, and for a new beginning as a reunified nation. The Museum of the Confederacy-Appomattox’s new permanent exhibit explores these overlapping stories using more than 400 artifacts, photographs, and documents. Included in the exhibit is the uniform coat and sword that Robert E. Lee wore to the surrender, the Appomattox parole lists, and a dozen audiovisual stations that bring rich human stories to life.