Commemorations of various key moments in the U.S. Civil War, which ended 150 years ago, have come and gone, but this month will present occasions for several more. Although Robert E. Lee surrendered to U.S. Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, various battles, skirmishes and subsequent surrenders continued through May of that year and beyond.
May 1 marks the 150th anniversary of an event widely credited as the first “Memorial Day” – although that claim is also made for events at various other locales on other dates. On May 26, 1966, for instance, President Johnson signed a proclamation declaring Waterloo, N.Y., as the birthplace of Memorial Day, but a recent study also discredits that claim.
On May 1, 1865, a crowd of nearly 10,000, primarily black freedmen, in Charleston, S.C., gathered to prepare and mark a proper burial ground for Union prisoners of war who died while imprisoned at a racecourse there and were buried in unmarked graves.
As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day this May 25, we can reflect on the legacy of the Civil War and the freedoms gained at great cost.
Here are our selections from our publishers to learn more about this history:
