The chairs of Grant and Lee

One of the most touching parts of the exhibit were these 2 chairs - the actual chairs sat in by Gens. Grant and Lee at the Appomatox courthouse to officially signal the end of the Civil War. My brother Bry, somewhat of a history buff told us the story. Apparently the 2 Generals had served together in the Mexican American War almost 20 years earlier and spent most of the time getting acquainted and catching up on memories from that. It was Gen. Lee who had to bring up the business at hand, and when he offered up his sword (a traditional sign of surrender) Gen. Grant would not take it and allowed him to keep it as a sign of honor. Isn't it amazing that these two great men could have spent so much time on opposite sides of a brutal and war and then come together like old friends passing time in chairs on a porch. Perhaps without the Civil War, they could have been the greatest of friends.