"The Silent Witness at Appomattox"- This episode tells the little known story of the McLean family's unwilling participation at both ends of the Civil War, beginning with their Northern Virginia farmhouse being bombarded at the Battle of Bull Run in 1861, prompting them to move. They choose to move to safer climes 120 miles south in the quiet village of Appomattox Courthouse, where one of the last battles of the Civil War takes place, and where their house, by pure coincidence, is used as the site for the signing of the surrender. The youngest child in the family, Lula McClean, has a little rag doll which her mother made for her, and the rag doll. left in the parlor, becomes a witness to and an unwilling participant in the surrender and subsequent ransacking of the home's parlor by the Union officers in their post meeting hunt for memorabilia. It is a sad reminder that the losses of the Civil War extended beyond battles and generals to children as well. Sources and Music: www.civilwar.org/battlefields/appomattox courthouse www.eyewitnesstohistory.com Catton, Bruce. A Stillness at Appomattox. Doubleday 1953 Friedman, Robin. The Silent Witness: A vTrue Story of the Civil War 2008 the popular Civil War Song Lorena, Arranged and Performed by Jay & Molly Ungar from the CD "Civil War Classic" available at Amazon and all music stores, Used with permission.
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