Robert E. Lee's chair from Appomattox

Robert E. Lee's chair from Appomattox

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Description
On April 9, 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee met in the home of Wilmer McLean at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, to negotiate the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to the United States Army. Sitting in the chair on the left, Lee discussed the fate of his troops. Grant then, leaning over an oval table, drafted and signed the final terms of surrender. While there were still Confederate troops in the field under other commanders, Lee's surrender effectively marked the end of the Civil War.
Union officers, recognizing the significance of the event, individually took pieces of furniture as souvenirs. General E. W. Whitaker grabbed Lee's chair, General Henry Capehart claimed Grant's chair, and General Philip Sheridan took the table and presented it to the wife of Major General George Amstrong Custer. In three separate donations, by 1915, these items were reunited at the Smithsonian Institution.
Object Name
chair
Date made
before 1865
associated date
1865-04-09
user
Lee, Robert Edward
used
United States: Virginia, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
associated place
United States: Virginia, Appomattox
Physical Description
wood (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 45 1/2 in x 18 1/2 in x 20 in; 115.57 cm x 46.99 cm x 50.8 cm
ID Number
PL.015820
catalog number
15820
accession number
59140
catalog number
15820
related event
Civil War
See more items in
Political and Military History: Political History, General History Collection
Government, Politics, and Reform
Military
National Treasures exhibit
Exhibition
Price of Freedom
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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Comments

I was just surprised to see Lees chair on Tv...I have a very similar rocking chair with the cane replaced with wood... been in my family for close to a 100 years....curious now about when where it was made.

Gerald Baker

Sun, 2017-01-01 15:54

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