RE: What's your favorite "History is Stranger than Fiction" moment from world history?
February 6, 2016 at 12:24 pm
On July 21 , 1861, the first major battle of the American Civil war began with the battle of Bull Run, in Manassas, Virginia.
Confederate General, P.T Beauregard, commandeered a farm house from a Manassas local to use a his headquarters. The next day the owners of the farmhouse left and narrowly escaped a Union shell landing in their kitchen. On their return, they found their house damaged and over-run with Confederate casualties so they decided to flee the war and move to quieter surroundings.
On April 9, 1865, a Confederate general rode in to the small town of Appotomax Court House, and asked the first person he could find to assist him in locating a suitable building to host General Robert E Lee's surrender to General Ulysses S Grant. After rejecting the first house offered, the person helping the General volunteered their own house. After the surrender had been signed, Union officers ransacked the house and took virtually all they could carry as souvenirs of that historic day.
The name of the person who's property hosted the first major battle of the civil war and who's house was commandeered by Confederate forces? Mr Wilmer McLean.
The name of the person who's house hosted the signing of the Confederate surrender and was ransacked by Union officers? The very same Mr Wilmer McLean.
Confederate General, P.T Beauregard, commandeered a farm house from a Manassas local to use a his headquarters. The next day the owners of the farmhouse left and narrowly escaped a Union shell landing in their kitchen. On their return, they found their house damaged and over-run with Confederate casualties so they decided to flee the war and move to quieter surroundings.
On April 9, 1865, a Confederate general rode in to the small town of Appotomax Court House, and asked the first person he could find to assist him in locating a suitable building to host General Robert E Lee's surrender to General Ulysses S Grant. After rejecting the first house offered, the person helping the General volunteered their own house. After the surrender had been signed, Union officers ransacked the house and took virtually all they could carry as souvenirs of that historic day.
The name of the person who's property hosted the first major battle of the civil war and who's house was commandeered by Confederate forces? Mr Wilmer McLean.
The name of the person who's house hosted the signing of the Confederate surrender and was ransacked by Union officers? The very same Mr Wilmer McLean.
