What if you could be that proverbial fly on the wall for a single Civil War event?

Pete Longstreet

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If you were that fly on the wall, what single Civil War event would you want to witness? It could be anything, battles, Lee on horse riding by, Pickett's Charge...

For me, I would want to be in the McLean House on April 9th 1865. I would like to see and hear Grant and Lee discuss the terms of surrender. What they said, how they responded, body language, expressions and emotions. How the two men shook hands, their eye contact, etc.
 
Now that's a hard one to just narrow down to one event. .It would almost have to be a "Lee incident." Though I would like to witness some of the things Forrest or Jackson did.
It is very hard. When I start to think about one event specifically, I almost get overwhelmed because there are so many. But Appomattox was always high on the list for me.
 
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Since I’ve only recently returned from Gettysburg, I’d have to answer something from there…but even then there are a number of options. Probably if I could plan myself on Little around Top and just take it all in from every direction.

For a non action moment to be there, I’d love to be a fly on the wall for the discussions between Lee and Longstreet before the battle commenced.
 
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I would choose to be a fly on the stonewall, witnessing the failed charges up Mayre’s Heights in Fredericksburg. This is my favorite battle and I imagine it was a nightmarish scene.

@Pete Longstreet Appomattox is a great choice. I was looking through my son’s Mort Kuntsler CW artbooks some days back, and his piece on the surrender is very moving. A dignified Lee, an always stoic Grant, and the utter dejection of the Confederates upon learning of their defeat. What a powerful scene this must have been.
 
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I would choose to be a fly on the stonewall, witnessing the failed charges up Mayre’s Heights in Fredericksburg. This is my favorite battle and I imagine it was a nightmarish scene.

@Pete Longstreet Appomattox is a great choice. I was looking through my son’s Mort Kuntsler CW artbooks some days back, and his piece on the surrender is very moving. A dignified Lee, an always stoic Grant, and the utter dejection of the Confederates upon learning of their defeat. What a powerful scene this must have been.
Powerful indeed.
 
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