Bull Run, Virginia. Soldiers Graves on the Battlefield, c. 1861-69 (Library of Congress, [LC-DIG-cwpb-01528])

The Loss

"[W}e are a ruined people… I have lost … all the earnings of my life…. My house was sacked from the basement to the fourth floor time & again…. My dear … son … was killed while gallantly defending his native soil…."

- J.W. Waller, October 15, 1865

"... if these battlefields, surrounded by such memories as they are, were in Europe, they would be visited by more Americans than they now are."

-Guide to Fortifications and Batlefileds around Petersburg, 1866

Words to Live By

All of Robert E. Lee’s orders, telegraphs, letters, and reports were copied by his staff into bound books. Taken from the Army of Northern Virginia “order” book, this copy of General Order No. 9 is, perhaps, the earliest recorded copy of Lee’s dignified farewell to his army:

Head Quarters Army of No Va, 10 April 1865, General Order No 9 (Virginia Historical Society, Call number Mss12.1865.Apr10.5)

"After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.
I need not tell the brave survivors of so many hard fought battles who have remained steadfast to the last that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them.
But feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that would compensate for the loss that would have attended the continuance of the contest, I determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their Countrymen.
By the terms of the Agreement officers and men can return to their homes and remain there until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a Merciful God will extend to you his blessing and protection.
With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your country and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration for myself, I bid you all an affectionate farewell."

R. E. Lee Genl

Going Home

Parole, April 1865 (Virginia Historical Society, Call number Mss1.H3104a8)

Before leaving for home, Confederate soldiers received passes granting them safe passage through the lines. In return, they promised not to take up arms against the United States. Approximately 28,231 paroles were issued at Appomattox Court House. This one was given to Pvt. Maurice Evans, 4th Virginia Cavalry.

Outward Signs for an Invisible State

Mourning Brooch, c. 1860–70 (Valentine Richmond History Center)

“Hair is the most delicate and lasting of our materials, and survives us, like love. With a lock of hair we may almost look up to Heaven and almost say, I have a piece of thee here.” - Godey’s Lady’s Book, December 1850 In the nineteenth century, respectable Americans, or those who aspired to be so, observed formal periods of mourning after the death of a spouse or relative. In the South, where nearly one in five white men of military age perished in the war, death was omnipresent—and so became the ritual of mourning. Many women cut a lock of a relative’s hair before they left for war. If their loved one died, the hair could be made into a piece of memorial jewelry or, in this case, placed in a locket or brooch. Although this may be shocking or upsetting to modern sensibilities, these objects gave comfort to those the dead left behind.

Homeless and Penniless

Confederate Bond Certificate Sheet, 1862 (Virginia Historical Society, Call number VHS Folio.H6a.1862)

The physical devastation wrought by the war in Virginia was enormous: burned or plundered homes, untold losses in crops and farm animals, and neglected roads and ruined bridges. Slaves, the state’s single greatest source of wealth, were no longer property.

In November 1862, the executive committee of the thirty-year-old Virginia Historical Society (VHS) transferred their monetary assets from stocks yielding a 6–percent return to Confederate State Certificates that yielded 8 percent. The society ultimately invested $9,000 in the Confederate cause.

Evicted from its Richmond offices by the War Department, the VHS became another refugee of the war. Books, manuscripts, and artifacts were stored in various locations, including its members’ homes. Like many Virginians, the society lost much during the war–including all of its investments–and soon thereafter began the process of rebuilding.

"Aftermath" Video