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The End of the Civil War

In May of 1865 the Federal Government conducted a Grand Review of the Armies in Washington. With the Civil War nearly over the military parade was intended to honor the veterans of the war but also lift the spirits of the country in the wake of the death of President Abraham Lincoln. The one hundred and fifty thousand Union troops that paraded through the nation’s capital were actually just a fraction of the Union armies. In 1865, by the war’s end, more than a million Americans had fought for the Union alone making the Grand Army of the Republic the largest veteran army in the world.

The United States Capital building is the backdrop for living historians in Union blue as they march up Pennsylvania Avenue commemorating the Grand Review of the Armies in Washington DC 2015

Living historians march up Pennsylvania Avenue commemorating the Grand Review in 2015

The month of April 1865 is arguably the most important month in the history of the United States of America. That month the nation would endure the assassination of the President and face the terrible prospect of the conflict devolving into a guerrilla war. The nation was on a dangerous precipice and miraculously it would be the soldiers themselves that would decide how the war would end.

In May of 2015 reenactors from around the country gathered in Washington DC again to commemorate the Grand Review and the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. Click the link below to see images and read the story about how the Civil War ended and where we are today at the conclusion of the Sesquicentennial.

The End of the Civil War

2 Comments Post a comment
  1. roger mcclanahan #

    i;ve enjoyed the pinhole projectimmensely but thislatest post arrived just as the country is riveted by the shooting of nine innocent people in s.c. and renewed discussing of the appropriateness of the confederate battle flag in the state capital. the renewed ttention you have provided to the Civil war is something we are all very grateful for

    On Mon, Jun 22, 2015 at 1:03 PM, Civil War 150 Pinhole Project wrote:

    > civilwar150pinholeproject posted: “In May of 1865 the Federal > Government conducted a Grand Review of the Armies in Washington. With the > Civil War nearly over the military parade was intended to honor the > veterans of the war but also lift the spirits of the country in the wake of > the death “

    June 22, 2015
    • Thanks so much for following the work. Yes to many the subject of the Civil War seems distant but its legacy haunts us to this day as events of late show.
      Thank you again for your interest in the pinhole project…

      June 22, 2015

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