McLean House

At midday on April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee rode into the yard, dismounted, and disappeared into the McLean House. Grant, surrounded by generals and staff officers, soon followed, while dozens of officers, horses, and onlookers waited outside. After 90 minutes, Lee and Grant emerged, and to the silent salutes of Union officers, Lee rode back through the village to his defeated army. The home that hosted the surrender meeting was one of the best in Appomattox. Built in 1848, it had since 1862 been owned by businessman Wilmer McLean. The house became a sensation after the surrender. Union officers took some mementos, and in 1893 it was dismantled for display in Washington, D.C. But that display never happened, and the National Park Service reconstructed the building on its original site in the 1940s.

Appomattox, Virginia · United States