July 9, 2008: Appomattox Court House, Virginia, the site of the end the Civil War, or at least the beginning of the end, as scattered Confederate armies surrendered over the next few months.
Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant 150 years ago today. I have been to the site, and the National Park Service’s video is well-produced. It’s a lot of history to take in.
I have been wondering why the sesquicentennial of the Civil War did not get as much notice or attention as I thought it would or should. The round-number anniversary of an event that defined this nation seems to have been dismissed as the day before yesterday’s news in the social-media era. The recession may have played a role, cutting back state support of events for example, but aside from a story here and there (and the New York Times‘ blog), nothing really grabbed the public consciousness like Ken Burns’ miniseries did.
I have a theory about why. We haven’t taken time to commemorate the Civil War because we are engaged in a Cold Civil War of our own. Usually this is referred to as the “culture war,” but I think Cold Civil War better encapsulates what’s going on. It’s a phrase you probably haven’t heard, but it has been brought up on both sides of the aisle, from National Review to the Huffington Post.