“Salute of Arms”

On April 12, 1865, as Confederates prepared for the surrender at Appomattox, Union Brig. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain watched them form into column, march into the valley, and proceed up the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road toward the village. As the column approached this knoll, Chamberlain ordered his men to honor them, and the Federals snapped to "carry arms," the marching salute. A surprised Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon instantly ordered his men to return the salute. In a drama that until then had been played out by major figures, this became a profound expression of respect by the armies' common soldiers, who more than anyone else would blaze the path to reconciliation in the years that followed.

Appomattox, Virginia · United States