We decided to do some exploring today, so we drove into Appomattox and walked around. We stopped in at a local crafts shop and browsed and then walked over to the Visitor Information center, where we picked up a walking tour guide and a brochure about the national park. It was a bit rainy, so we put off the walking tour and drove to the Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park to check things out, planning to visit tomorrow, when the weather is supposed to be better.
The park is only two miles from our RV park. We ended up staying longer than we had planned. We watched two orientation films and looked over some exhibits. We each got a "parole," which we saw printed on a hand press. These paroles vouched for the Confederate soldiers who had them that they were not deserters and entitled them to rations and transportation provided by the government.
Then we went to the Living History performance, which we thoroughly enjoyed. William Hubbard was an actual Confederate soldier, portrayed by an actor who stayed completely in character and told us about his experiences and his view of what had happened.
Here's a description from the park's website:
Actors/historians/interpreters portray people who were actually in Appomattox Court House in 1865. You may meet a man who lives nearby but has served in Lee's army and was paroled "this April past." You may also meet a Federal soldier from the 188th Pennsylvania Infantry who has been assigned to Appomattox as a provost guard (military police). All Living History characters wear authentic period costume and converse in the manner of their day.
We'll go back tomorrow to see more.
Our internet connection has not been terribly reliable. Part of the time I've used the Parkview wi-fi. The upshot is that the Says You program we were trying to listen to kept having to be rebuffered or stopping entirely. Darn!
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