A Beginning and An End

On our first stop in Virginia we visited two of the most iconic historic places in America: Moticello and Appomattox Courthouse. How strange to think that a site representing the beginning of an exciting new era in American history like Monticello would be located within such a short distance from Appomattox, where an incredibly painful chapter ended.

"Stove top" on the left  in Monticello's kitchen

Thomas Jefferson was way ahead of Walt Disney when he built Monticello, which was like the 1800s House of the Future. From the moment we walked in the front door and saw the huge clock--which even had a  second hand and worked  off a system of weights, showing not only the time but day--we were delighted by Jefferson's ingenious inventions that were the definition of high tech at the time.  (Not everything was perfectly designed though; he ran out of room for the marker for Saturday so that marker was actually down in the basement.) My favorites were both in Jefferson's  study-- a writing device he rigged up that our guide called the "first copy machine" and a candle attached to each arm of his desk chair to provide extra light for reading and writing. No photos are allowed on the first floor so I can't show you those things but we do have a photo of another of Jerfferson's innovations: a "stove top" set up using charcoal briquets. 

Trust me, I was careful on these narrow stairs at Monticello

I'd highly recommend the "Behind the Scenes" tour of the house which we took. Not only did we get the guided tour of the downstairs but we also got to tour the recently opened second floor and even got to go up into the famous and unusual dome room on the third floor.   

Jefferson was meticulous (and opinionated) in his design of Monticello. He maximized the space by building pocket staircases instead of the common grand entry staircase and by insisting that all the beds be built in alcoves instead of freestanding.  

Continuing the search for artifacts at Monticello

We also took the outdoor tour about slavery at Monticello. Our guide didn't sugarcoat the slave experience there or Jefferson's treatment of the slaves. There is no reliable answer of how the Thomas Jefferson who wrote that all men are created equal could coexist in the same body with the Thomas Jefferson who owned other humans and almost certainly fathered some of those enslaved people. What is certain is that the enslaved people at Monticello were woven into every facet of the plantation and were as much a part of it as their white owners.

The foundation which owns and operates Monticello is still researching and still searching for artifacts that will add to current knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and life at Monticello.

McLean House parlor: An ordinary room with an extraordinary history

If Monticello was a testament to the promise of the future, Appomattox was the unmistakable moment of an ending. Even though it wasn't the formal end of the Civil War, it was for all practical purposes an unequivocal sign that the war was over. At the time of the surrender Appomattox Court House was actually a village, although only a few structures exist today. After all the Civil War battlefields we've visited and all that we've learned about the war it was somewhat eerie to think it all ended in a small room in a quiet village when two men signed a piece of paper.  We learned that despite all the bloodshed in the past four years of war, the terms of surrender were generous: after the Confederates signed a pledge of loyalty and surrendered their arms, not only would they be allowed leave, they would also be issued Union rations and given a pass to return home unharmed by any Union forces.  (Unfortunately, Confederates  who were captured  literally hours before the surrender ended up spending time in Federal prisons.) After so much bloodshed, so many horrific battles, so much loss and pain it seemed incredible that in the end, Union troops watched as 28,000 Confederates laid down their arms, surrendered their colors and simply walked away heading by foot or train to whatever remained of their homes. 

According to Union General Joshua Chamberlain, who was in charge of formal surrender, as the surrender began, Confederate General John Gordon approached, riding ahead of Stonewall Jackson's old Brigade.  As Gordon was riding towards him, Chamberlain ordered the Union troops to assume the 'carry arms' position, which Chamberlain described as a "marching salute in review". When General Gordon passed, Chamberlain ordered the  bugle blown and Union troops stood at attention. Chamberlain wrote later that, Gordon "wheeled his horse facing me, touching him gently with the spur, so the animal slightly reared, and as he wheeled, horse and rider made one motion, the horse's head swung down with a graceful bow, and General Gordon dropped his swordpoint to his toe in salutation." Then Gordon ordered his troops to maintain the same carry arms position as they marched past the Union troops. The Confederates marched up to the Union troops, stopped and faced them, standing at attention as the surrender began. Chamberlain,'s account said that soldiers on both sides had tears in their eyes at the memories of the struggles of the past four years.

Demonstration of process that printed 28,000 paroles overnight for surrendering Confederates

After learning how the surrender at Appomattox took place I realized that those events weren't just about an ending to a terrible conflict. They were also about the start of healing.