OLD GLORY TO FLY OVER APPOMATTOX COURTHOUSE
Site of Civil War surrender latest stop on national “Journey of Remembrance”

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2008—On Monday, April 28 at 11 a.m. Old Glory will fly over the historic Appomattox Courthouse in Appomattox, Va. The public is invited to this historic tribute to our military men and women, as Old Glory continues its Journey of Remembrance from the USS Arizona Memorial to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. AMVETS and Local World War II veterans will be on hand for the event.

Appomattox Courthouse was the site of the final battle of the Civil War, where Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee officially surrendered his forces to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. The historic Battles of Appomattox Station and Appomattox Courthouse took place on April 8 and 9, 1865, and marked the last stand of Lee’s Northern Virginia Army.

The terms of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox on April 9 became the model for the further surrender of Confederate forces. The events at Appomattox helped to restore the Union, leading to the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, freeing the slaves and guaranteeing certain rights to all citizens of the United States.

AMVETS is working with the White House Commission on Remembrance to promote Old Glory’s Journey of Remembrance. The journey is a six-month tour of the United States counting down to the National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day, when Old Glory will fly over the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington.

“Each stop on this countdown is a way for Americans to remember exactly what our men and women in uniform have fought for throughout our history,” said AMVETS National Commander John P. “JP” Brown III. “AMVETS is proud to be working with the (White House) commission to make this possible, especially with our close ties to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.”

Old Glory’s journey began on Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7 when the flag flew over the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. Other historic sites on the journey include Fort McHenry in Maryland, Palo Alto Battlefield in Texas, Chalmette in Louisiana, Independence Hall in Pennsylvania, Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, and Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.  

Media Contact:

National
Publications Editor
Jay Agg
(301)-683-4035
jagg@amvets.org

Deputy Communications Director
Ryan Gallucci
(301)683-4073
rgallucci@amvets.org