A Place Called Appomattox: Community at the Crossroads of History (Civil War America) - Softcover

Marvel, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1469628392 ISBN 13: 9781469628394

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 2016

Synopsis

Although Appomattox Court House is one of the most symbolically charged places in America, it was an ordinary tobacco-growing village both before and after an accident of fate brought the armies of Lee and Grant together there. It is that Appomattox--the typical small Confederate town--that William Marvel portrays in this deeply researched, compelling study. He tells the story of the Civil War from the perspective of one of the conflict's most famous sites.

The village sprang into existence just as Texas became a state and reached its peak not long before Lee and Grant met there. The postwar decline of the village mirrored that of the rural South as a whole, and Appomattox served as the focal point for Lost Cause myth-making.

Marvel draws on original documents, diaries, and letters composed as the war unfolded to produce a clear and credible portrait of everyday life in this town and the galvanizing events of April 1865. He also scrutinizes Appomattox the national symbol, exposing many of the cherished myths surrounding the surrender there. In particular, he challenges the fable that enemies who had battled each other for four years suddenly laid down their arms and welcomed each other as brothers.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

The story of the Civil War told through the history of one of the conflict's most famous sites -- the village of Appomattox Court House, Va. William Marvel draws on original documents, diaries, and letters to produce a clear and credible portrait of everyday life in this town and the galvanizing events of April 1865. He also scrutinizes Appomattox the national symbol, exposing many of the cherished myths surrounding the surrender there.

About the Author:

William Marvel's many books include Lincoln's Autocrat, Andersonville: The Last Depot, Lincoln's Darkest Year, and Tarnished Victory.

About this edition

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1469628392
• ISBN 13: 9781469628394
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416