Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, portrayed by University of Memphis Professor Curt Fields, rides to McLean House at Appomattox, Va., April 9, to receive the surrender of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the 150th anniversary of the real historical surre...

A U.S. Army color guard from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) prepares to present colors April 9 as part of an opening ceremony for the 150th anniversary of Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to U...

Men role playing Confederate soldiers march down a road April 9 at Appomattox, Va., after receiving their paroles to return peacefully to their homes and not take up arms against the United States. These men joined thousands of attendees, Civil War r...

Men role playing a Confederate officer and soldier stand by the side of the road April 9 at Appomattox, Va., after receiving their paroles to return peacefully to their homes and not take up arms against the United States. These men joined thousands ...

Men role playing a Confederate officer and soldier stand by the side of the road April 9 at Appomattox, Va., after receiving their paroles to return peacefully to their homes and not take up arms against the United States. These men joined thousands ...

APPOMATTOX, Va. -- Just over 150 years ago, on April 9, 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in south central Virginia.

The National Park Service held a five-day program of remembrance centered on the theme of the birth of a truly "United" States of America. On April 9, the 150th anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant, a major program of speeches was held at Appomattox by Civil War scholar Dr. James. I. Robertson Jr.

The "fog" of war was heavy as I approached Appomattox the morning of April 9; the smell of black powder filled the air from Confederate artillery firing off the last rounds of the war. Tens of thousands of Americans journeyed to this hallowed ground to see where a unified America rose forth to step upon the stage of world history in the 20th and 21st centuries.

A color guard and firing detail from the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)--a unit that served at Appomattox in 1865--provided a fitting modern military opening to the ceremony and were met by the gazes and cameras of hundreds in the crowd. The event also featured a reenactment of the surrender, complete with troop camps in the surrounding fields, period uniforms worn by hundreds of Civil War "Soldiers" and even mounted cavalry and working Civil War-era artillery.

Following the ceremony, Grant, portrayed by University of Memphis Professor Curt Fields, rode slowly on horseback to the courthouse while dozens of attendees crowded and vied to capture an image of the bearded figure in blue.

I have had the fortune of participating in both the 100th (in 1965) and 125th (in 1990) anniversary programs at Appomattox. As a historian and student of the Civil War, this particular circle of life event is now complete. Having participated in the 100th and the 125th anniversaries at Appomattox, it was an honor and privilege to participate in the 150th.