Tide Turns Case 6

Relics of the Surrender

After some initial fighting on the morning of April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee began to accept that his army was trapped at Appomattox Court House. He soon began corresponding with U. S. General Ulysses S. Grant about potential surrender. As he wrote and received letters, Lee sat under an apple tree.

Around midday, Lee surrendered to Grant and the apple tree suddenly became a symbol of the general’s last moments in command. Soldiers pounced and broke away souvenirs, quickly decimated it down to the roots. For Confederates, these pieces were relics of their lost cause. For U. S. soldiers, they were symbols of the nation’s ultimate victory over secession. The legend of the tree became so widespread even fakes began to appear on the market. This piece, attached to its provenance letter, shows how apple tree relics became commodities and how difficult it is to prove their authenticity.

Gift of Elizabeth G. Howard, 1919

AC2011-200.124

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