appomattox courthouse, early 1865, before war came, appomattox court house looked not unlike hundredsof other communities across america. the tavern served travelers on the richmond to lynchburg stage road as it had for decades. francis meeks ran a common general store across the lawn from the tavern right behind you. he also served, he did, as the village's postmaster and pharmacist. one thing rendered appomattox different than many american villages. it was the county seat. it's an undeniable curiosity that when in 1845, the virginia legislature created appomattox county and designated the county seat at this village then called clover hill. it's an undeniable curiosity that local leaders decided to build the jail before they built the courthouse. once the courthouse opened in 1846, appomattox commenced a distinct rhythm that persisted for decades. monthly court days brought life to this community once a month as citizens gathered from across the county to conduct business to run for office, to sell goods, to sell slaves. to witness court proceedings. they sprawled throughout the vi

.-- c-span a live look from the appomattox courthouse national historic park, if the site where 150 years ago, confederate general robert e lee surrendered his army to union general ulysses s. grant, effectively ending the civil war. we will be live from the park for the next three hours as the commemoration continues with reenactments of the gun stacking that took place on this day in 1860 five when more than 22,000 of general lee's infantry troops turned over their weapons and battle flags. we will bring you the sights and sounds of the ceremony throughout the coverage and later in the program, you wi hear remarks from historian david blight who will talk about the legacy of appomattox. we will also give you a chance to call in and talk with him and elizabeth varon from the university of virginia. we are joined by two men who played a starring role in the surrender ceremony you just saw. ulysses s. grant and robert e lee. general grant is portrayed by kurt field and general lee by thomas jesse. you want to invite you to be part of the conversation. here's how to do that -- call us at th

let me ask you, in the days after appomattox, general lee, what did you do? >> i was here at my headquarters. at first i had decided i would follow my troops out to surrender their weapons. i would be with them. general gordon and general longstreet convinced me that would not be a wise move. they said they would take care of it. i stayed here at my headquarters at my tent until the last surrender, the last day. i was taking care of correspondence, making sure the men did get rations, finding paroles. i was waiting on colonel marshall to finish writing my general order number nine. >> he was your aide? >> he was assistant adjutant general. he's the one who usually wrote my orders. so colonel marshall from baltimore wrote general order number nine. >> general grant, how quickly did you notify washington of the surrender and how long were you on the battlefield or in appomattox rather after the -- >> i took care after the surrender, and general lee left me a myriad of minutia with all of the details i had to handle. it was some time late that day that one of my

lee's surrender at appomattox. at 10:20 p.m., we visit the camp sumter military prison in andersonville, georgia, for a ceremony honoring union p.o.w.s who died there. later, at 12:35 a.m., we talk to historian leslie gordon. the civil warr the 8:00 p.m. eastern wednesday on c-span3. wednesday night, book tv in prime time features programs on the supreme court and its justices. at 8:00 p.m., melvin urovski on dissent and the supreme court, its role in the court's history and the nation's constitutional dialogue. at 9:00 p.m., eren carmen on notorious rbg, the life and times of ruth bader ginsburg. at 10:05 p.m., linda hirschman on sisters in law, how sandra day o'connor and ruth bader

courthouse in appomattox, virginia. civil war was fought in thousands of different places from southern pennsylvania to texas, from new mexico to the lord a coast, and right here in our backyard just a few miles away in maryland. died ons thought and both sides of the battle line. nearly 620,000 soldiers, including nearly 40,000 free and runaway slaves, died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease during the war, which, to this day, marks the largest total number of deaths in all american conflicts. maryland, a slave state, was a border state, but its proximity and opposingl city viewpoints attempting to sway public opinion, maryland played a major role in the american the contradiction of slavery in a nation founded on freedom. on february 3, 1864, maryland becomes the north state to ratify the 13th amendment. >> the state of louisiana was the 16th state to ratify the 13th amendment. on february 17, 1865. however, prior to that time, the civil war was already shaping the kind of country our nation would become,

lee's surrender at appomattox. at 10:20, we visit the camp sumpter civil war prison. then we talk to historian leslie gordon. >>> american history tv was live this past spring from appomattox courthouse national historical park in virginia where a confederate general robert e. lee surrendered his army to ulysees grant. we'll hear from the two living historians at the park's events commemorating the surrender at appomattox. >> my name is robin snyder, i'm currently the acting superintendant at appomattox courthouse national historical park. it is my distinct honor on behalf of the national park service and the united states postal service to welcome each of you here today on this historic day in our nation's history. this courthouse village stands not just as the symbol of war's bu

appomattox. gettysburg. symbolize sites that the daring of america's character.ndependence hall and seneca falls. cape canaveral. such a place. afternoon 50 years ago so .uch of our turbulent history state of slavery and anguish of civil war. segregation and tyranny of jim crow. four little girls in birmingham and the dream of a preacher. all that history met on this bridge. it was not a clash of armies but wills. of the true to determine meaning of america. and because of men and women joseph flowers, amelia boynton, abernathy, ralph andrew young, fred shuttlesworth. dr. plant martin -- dr. martin jr.er king the idea of a just america and air america and inclusive merica and generous america, that idea ultimately triumphed. as is true across the landscape not erican history we can examine this moment in isolation. of aarch on selma was part broad are campaign that spanned generatio generations. leaders that day part of a long line of heroes. e gather here to celebrate them. we gather here to honor the courage of ordinary americans endure billy clubs gasthe chase

appomattox -- >> already wrong. [laughter] >> i am a 20th century guy. >> they had been worrying about it during the civil war. we did not know what abraham lincoln had in mind. whatever we had would have been better if he had been president. after appomattox, there are two years in which lincoln's successor, andrew johnson, is in charge. his idea of reconstruction is give it back to the confederates. you lost, good try, it's all over, we are putting the same powerful people back in charge. let's change slavery as little as possible. let's change any opportunity for black people as little as possible. that goes on for two years. >> is that it? >> no. then there's another decade, because people in the north who might have gone along with a more easy-going reconstruction, are outraged everything they just sacrificed for seems to be given away by andrew johnson. >> was there really everyone in the north, or those radical people? >> the republicans who had won in 1864 and are going to win again in 1868. the majority of

coming up at 8:00, it's the 150th a anniversary of the confederate surrender at appomattox courthouse. also a look at the andersonville prison in south carolina where confederate forces held more than 45,000 union soldiers. >>> this holiday weekend, american history tv on c-span 3 as three days of featured programmi programming beginning at 5:30 to mark the anniversary of president dwight eisenhower his granddaughters gather for a rare family discussion at gettysburg college to talk about his military and political career as well as his legacy and relevance for 21st century americans. then saturday afternoon at 1:00, 60 years agroa parks defied a city ordnance for blacks to leave their seats on a city bus to make room for white passengers. her stand helped instigate the montgomery bus boycott. we'll reflect on the boycott and see what role lawyers played in that protest and the civil rights movement. as we hear from fred gray, attorney for rosa parks and montgomery bus boycott demonstrators. then at 6:00, civil war author and historian william davis on the little-known aspects of the

lee's surrender at appomattox. we visit the anderson vil pri n prison. we talk to leslie gordon.he civil war at 8:00 eastern here on c-span 3. thursday on c-span, christmas at the white house. first lady michelle obama speaks to troops and their families in the east room. a tour of the white house holiday decorations and the annual national christmas tree lighting ceremony. christmas at the white house, christmas eve at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >>> this holiday weekend, american history tv on c-span 3 has three days of featured programming, beginning friday evening at 6:30 eastern to mark the 125th anniversary of

lee surrenders the last major confederate army to ulysses grant at american people m-- appomattox, virginiasands fought and died on both sides of the battle line. nearly 620,000 soldiers, including nearly 40,000 free and runaway slaves, died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease during the war, which to this day marks the largest total number of deaths in all american conflicts. maryland, a slave state, was a border state, but it's proximity to the capital city and opposing viewpoints attempting to sway public opinion, maryland played a major role in the american civil war and the contradiction of slavery in a nation founded on freedom. on february 3rd, 1864, maryland becomes the fourth state to ratify the 13th amendment. >> the state of louisiana was the 16th state to ratify the 13th amendment on february 17th, 1865. however, prior to that time, the civil war was already shaping the kind of nation our country would become, created by a declaration that affirmed all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life,

lee's surrender at appomattox. we visit the anderson vil pri n prison. we talk to leslie gordon. the civil war at 8:00 eastern here on c-span 3. thursday on c-span, christmas at the white house. first lady michelle obama speaks to troops and their families in the east room. a tour of the white house holiday decorations and the annual national christmas tree lighting ceremony. christmas at the white house, christmas eve at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >>> this holiday weekend, american history tv on c-span 3 has three days of featured programming, beginning friday evening at 6:30 eastern to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of president dwight david eisenhower, his granddaughters gather for a rare family discussion at gettysburg college to talk about his military and political career as well as his relevance for 21st century americans. then on saturday afternoon at 1:00, 60 years ago, rosa parks defied a city ordnance for blacks to leave their seats on a city bus to make room for white passengers. her stand helped instigate the bus boycott as we hear from the attorney for rosa pa

roberts and boggs, waon general in the confederate army, did not surrender until june, months after appomattox. my mother's family. brought to the confederacy. >> host: as the daughter of the confederacy what do you think of the efforts to get rid of one of the flags's symbols of the confederacy. >> guest: one of my elderly cousins, my mother's generation who is very much a diagonals southerner said it is about remembrance, not about respect. and i think there is truth to that. having some context around it makes all the sense in the world. on the grounds of the capital in south carolina, in some of the states, georgia, removing it makes a lot of sense, first of all listed and happen after the civil war but the 1950s with segregation and the rise of white supremacy. it makes a lot of sense to get rid of symbols that are offensive and actually frightening to some people but in places where they are just part of the landscape, put some sort of context to them and talk about what the confederacy was makes the great deal of sense. use it as a history lesson. we don't go anywhere near enough histor

family at breakfast to find his eldest son, robert, just returned from witnessing the surrender at appomattox. robert todd lincoln: general lee, stately, elegant. his uniform spotless. with a jeweled sword and shining spurs. and general grant, so shabby in a muddy blue uniform, borrowed from a private. abraham lincoln: [laughs] robert todd lincoln: it, it was great. oh and here is lee. tad lincoln: papa-day, let me see! can i see it? can i have it? mary todd lincoln: wait a moment, tad. abraham lincoln: now that is the face of a noble man. and brave. listen to me, robert. you must lay aside your uniform. return to college. read law for three years. and at the end of that time i hope that we will be able to tell whether you will make a lawyer or not. robert todd lincoln: yes, sir. and i will, sir. tom hanks: shortly before 11 am, lincoln sees secretary of war edwin stanton at the war department. abraham lincoln: mr. stanton! mrs. lincoln has invited general and mrs. grant to join us at the theater this evening. and general grant already hints that they will decline in favor of taking a train t

lee's surrender at appomattox. at 10:20 p.m., we visit the camp sumter military prison in andersonville, georgia, for a ceremony honoring union p.o.w.s who died there. later, at 12:35 a.m., we talk to historian leslie gordon. the civil warr the 8:00 p.m. eastern wednesday on c-span3. wednesday night, book tv in prime time features programs on the supreme court and its justices. at 8:00 p.m., melvin urovski on dissent and the supreme court, its role in the court's history and the nation's constitutional dialogue. at 9:00 p.m., eren carmen on notorious rbg, the life and times of ruth bader ginsburg. at 10:05 p.m., linda hirschman on sisters in law, how sandra day o'connor and ruth bader ginsburg went to the supreme court and changed the world. and at 11:00 p.m., justice stephen breyer on the court and the world, american law and the new global realities. that's at 8:00 p.m. eastern on book tv on c-span2. >>> this holiday weekend, book tv brings you three days of nonfiction books and authors. on friday, back-to-back a

lee's surrender at appomattox. at 10:20 p.m., we visit the camp sumter military prison in andersonville, georgia, for a ceremony honoring union p.o.w.s who died there. later, at 12:35 a.m., we talk to historian leslie gordon. the civil warr the 8:00 p.m. eastern wednesday on c-span3. wednesday night, book tv in prime time features programs on the supreme court and its justices. at 8:00 p.m., melvin urovski on dissent and the supreme court, its role in the court's history and the nation's constitutional dialogue. at 9:00 p.m., eren carmen on notorious rbg, the life and times of ruth bader ginsburg. at 10:05 p.m., linda hirschman on sisters in law, how sandra day o'connor and ruth bader ginsburg went to the supreme court and changed the world. and at 11:00 p.m., justice stephen breyer on the court and the world, american law and the new global realities. that's at 8:00 p.m. eastern on book tv on c-span2. >>> this holiday weekend, book tv brings you three days of nonfiction books and authors. on friday, back-to-back a

it's the 150th anniversary of the surrender at appomattox courthou courthouse. also, a look at anderson prison in south carolina. >> this holiday weekend, american history tv on cspan 3 has three days of featured programming beginning friday evening at 6:30 eastern to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of president eisenhower, his granddaughter, susan and mary eisenhower, gather for a rare family discussion at gettysburg college to talk about his military and political career as well as his legacy. and relevance for 21st century americans. then on saturday afternoon at 1:00, 60 years ago, rosa parks defied a city ordnance. her stand helped ins gait the montgomery bus boycott. we'll reflect and see what role lawyers played as we hear from fred gray, attorney for rosa parks and demonstrators. then at :00, civil war author and historian, williams davis, on the little known aspects of the lives and leadership of u les is s. grant and robert e. lee. and a 1965 progress report on nasa's project including the manned space program and the mariner four fly by of mar

months after appomattox, in april.o, he was, one but self of the clayburns also, yes, absolutely, my father's family of the confess was si. >> host: as a daughter of the confederacy, what do you think about the efforts to get rid of the -- one of the flags of, the symbols of the confederacy. >> guest: one of my elderly cousins, my mother's generation, which is very moisture a died in the wool southerner, said it's about remembrance, not about respect. and i think there's a lot of truth to that. i think having some context around the thing makes all the sense in the world, and in places where they are offensive as on the grounds of the capital in south carolina, or in the flags of some of the states, georgia, that is -- removing it makes a lot of sense. it is -- first of all, this didn't happen after the civil war. i happened in the 1950s. with segregation. the rise -- the re-rise of white supremacy. so, this is -- it makes a lot of sense to get rid of symbols that are offensive and actually frightening to some people.