The Ninth of April marks the sesquicentennial of the day on which General Robert E. Lee surrendered his 26,000 men, the remnant of the once invincible Army of Northern Virginia, to General Ulysses S. Grant of the United States Army in the parlour of the McLean House at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.
It occurred four years (minus only three days) from the moment that the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter in the harbour of Charleston, South Carolina, and marked the effective end of the bloodiest conflict in the Western Hemisphere since the Spanish conquest of Mexico three centuries earlier.
During that time, close to 700,000 men clad in blue, and grey, and butternut, were killed or died of their wounds as the United States tore itself apart.
To commemorate that seminal period in American History, Confederate Major General Isaac Ridgeway Trimble and a lady of the period will appear before us to tell the story of what happened and why. They will be portrayed by Alan and Jeannie Walden.
Lee Surrenders to Grant at Appomattox
Mr Walden is the well-known broadcaster who, for almost two decades, was principal news anchor and commentator for WBAL Radio. He also is a much-traveled and respected historian, lecturer, public speaker, and historic interpreter.
Mr Walden serves as President of the Baltimore Council of the Navy League of the United States, Chairman-Emeritus of the Friends of Fort McHenry, Honorary Colonel of the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment of the Maryland National Guard, and as a member of the board of Historic Ships in Baltimore.
Mrs Walden was the first female director at NBC, is an accomplished professional actress and historic interpreter and has, for many years, appeared in period dress to participate in the Memorial Day ceremony at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium where her husband is the perennial Master of Ceremony.
All are invited to join us at 7:00 PM on Thursday, 9 April, for what promises to be a very informative and enjoyable evening.
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