Aurthouse one word is building like the one behind me and it is situated in the village of appomattox courthouse. Courthouse two words is a village. Appomattox courthouse the village is famous because it is where general lee surrendered to ulysses s. Grant on april 19 1965, bringing about the end to the macon civil war. The American Civil War. This town has a lot of history to its size. Aday we would like to talk little bit about why appomattox courthouse is so famous. We would like to talk about some Untold Stories. The courthouse is the village complete with the tavern, stores, lawyers offices, and homes. The town was not more than 140 people in 1865. Its an unlikely place for two large military forces to meet. General lees Northern Army of virginia and general grants multiple army force of about 63,000 men. All told about 95,000 soldiers within a six mile radius of fear. Unlikely because its not where either army wanted to be, but its where they ended up as fate would have it for general lee, his army was practically surrounded hereby general grants forces. Sundaymorning of palm 1865, general around 1 30 p. M. In the afternoon would meet general grant over at the mclean house, one of the nicer uppermiddleclass homes here in the village. That would be in the parlor of that home to discuss and agree on terms of the surrendered of the army of Northern Virginia, effectively bringing about the end of the war. That is certainly a crucial story, nationally significant, and no doubt the reason that this has been designated a National Historic site. However, there are plenty of Untold Stories about appomattox. For over 150 years, many people have referred to appomattox as the place where our nation reunited. For stints of history, we struggle with that idea students of history, we struggle with that idea. If that were true, the 150 years that followed the American Civil War dont make a whole lot of sense. During the 100 anniversary of the ending of the civil war in 1965, a tremendous celebration took place here marking the occasion. Meanwhile, the schools in appomattox county and many across the state were still not even integrated. Appomattox was still five years away from integration in 1970. So why isnt it the place where our nation reunited . Part of the story starts with a large fields behind me. People dontot of realize about appomattox courthouse is that there were two battles fought here. General lees decision was not arbitrary to surrender. He was brought to that decision because the military realities literally that surrounded him. In the field behind me on the morning of april 90, the battle of appomattox courthouse was fought. Roughly 9000 confederates engaged a large federal force that eventually was put over 20,000 federal soldiers on the field to high me. During this battle that raged on in the morning of april 9, there was one known civilian casualty of appomattox courthouse. It was a woman named Hannah Reynolds. , like 52 of all human beings that lived in appomattox county at the time, she was enslaved. She was enslaved by dr. Single coleman. She lived in a home one mile to the west of where i am standing in the epicenter of the battlefield of the morning of the ninth. She was very unfortunate to be hit by confederate artillery shell that morning. She was attended to by surgeons from the eighth main infantry unit. She was able to survive another three days. Thatied on april 12, wednesday. April 12 is very important in the history of appomattox because it was on this very road that im standing on on april 12 that confederate infantry stacked their arms and ammunition all along this road. In fact come you could say that the individual confederate soldier actually surrendered on this road, not in the parlor of the mclean house as general lee did. Hannah reynolds dying on april mortally wounded as an enslaved woman, and away she died and emancipated woman three days later. Thats a powerful notion that really struck this park and its visitors in 2015 during the 150th anniversary and given us cause to explore the story and others like it more deeply. Exactly what did happen in this village and throughout the south and the country in the weeks in the months that followed the surrendered. . It always seems to be a good idea to ask the question, so what . General lee surrendered to grant in april 1965. The army of Northern Virginia with fight no more. What about the enslaved population of appomattox and the rest of virginia . What was their future. What was the future of former slaveholders and lower and middle class whites that did not own slaves, but could still be deeply affected by whats about to happen . We will head down to the other village of appomattox courthouse and we are going to visit the kelly house that could also be known as the Robinson House and explore a story right here in the village that shed some light also on the National Significance of what happened after the surrender. Here on the eastern edge of the village of appomattox courthouse, we find a contrasting building. Behind me is a home that was known as the kelly house at the time of the surrender. Unlike the mclean house, and uppermiddleclass home with 3300 square feet, perfect for the surrender meeting for lee and grant, the kelly house far more represents what most people around appomattox county and southside virginia would have lived in in the mid1860s. It is down here that we find an excellent example of an untold story. We talked about what happened to Hannah Reynolds immediately after the war. Unfortunately she passed away from wounds received during the final battles. Down here at the kelly house on the eastern end of the village, we find an excellent example of what happened next after the surrender. Kelly house was actually completed in 1855. The kelly family was a large one. There were five sons in this family and all five fought in the war in the army of Northern Virginia. In fact, at least one or maybe two were here for the surrender in their own hometown on april 9 and the stacking of arms on april 12, 1865. In the years that followed the war, eventually this house would be purchased by a man named john robertson. We dont know a great deal about John Robertsons early life, but this is a good example of what you meant to patient looks like in the weeks, months, and years that follow the surrender hereinafter maddox. Here in appomattox. Two of the most tangible examples of emancipation on the landscape would be the developing of a friedman school, the legalization of black education very much so tenable evidence. The second would be the ability of black citizens of appomattox county to be able to form their own churches. In many of these cases, these were people that were members of ironically integrated churches, at least physically integrated. The congregations were separated within, but it was the larger white churches where many of the black residents actually attended. As a result of the surrender, they got permission to leave those churches and create their own church. Church to beh crated here in appomattox county was galilee baptist church. One of the founding members of that church was john robinson. He was the first treasurer and trustee of the church. Initially our understanding is in the months that followed the surrender, the congregation would form and what was known as an arbor church, simply meeting outside under the trees. Congregation had been able to form an f money and resources to actually build a large church that exists about a mile to the west of the courthouse. In 1960, aars later new church would be built on the s. Me ground that is the church still there more than 100 years later. John robinson is not only a homeowner and cofounder of a church, but hes also a businessman. He is a shoe cobbler and apparently a pretty good one because he ran a business here for more than 50 years. John robinson didnt pass away until 1933, but after raising of a large family, a successful business, and some of the Robinson Family members are buried in the backyard of the kelley Robinson House. So right here in the Little Village of appomattox county, we can see the so what of the surrender. It unfolds right here before our very eyes. We have only had to look a more deeply to see these Untold Stories. Are cities tour staff recently traveled to lynchburg, virginia to learn about its rich history. Learn more about lynchburg and other stops on a tour at cspan. Org cities tour. You are watching American History tv all weekend, every weekend on cspan3. Lectures in history, Molly Worthen teaches a class about history and the intellectual underpinnings of protestant fundamentalism and 20th century america. The 1925 scopes monkey trial, which pitted the teaching of evolution versus creationism in Public Schools and gained national attention. Later, she delves into the origins and growth of pentecostalism, which drives for a personal connection with the divine and includes such aspects as faith healing and speaking in tongues. Her class is a little over