Two antique wooden chairs with table used by Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
When, on April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant met in the parlor of Appomattox Court House resident Wilmer McLean’s home to discuss the terms of Confederate surrender, they used the chairs—and sat at the table—shown here. After Grant, who used the chair on the right, offered his terms, which Lee accepted, the generals departed. Noting the significance of the event, several Union officers took pieces of McLean’s furniture as souvenirs, including these chairs. Major General Philip Sheridan took the table, which he later presented to the wife of Major General George Armstrong Custer. By 1915, each of the items had been donated to the Smithsonian Institution, where they are reunited today.
Related topics: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant
