Wilmer McLean
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Wilmer McLean, was an older gentleman from Virginia who had an unusual distinction during the American Civil War. It is said that the American Civil War started in Wilmer McLean's front yard and ended in his back parlor.
The First Battle of Bull Run, fought on July 21, 1861, took place on the McLean farm in Prince William County, Virginia. Wilmer McLean was a retired Major in the Virginia militia, but was too old to return to active duty at the outbreak of the Civil War. He decided to move in order to avoid the war. He and his family moved about 120 miles (200 km) south to Appomattox County, Virginia, near Appomattox Court House.
On April 9, 1865, the war came back to Wilmer McLean when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant in the parlor of McLean's house near Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War. The second home (used in the surrender) is now part of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Monument operated by the United States Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior.
McLean Farm
Appomattox Court House