The 150th anniversary of the Civil War battle at Appomattox will be honored Thursday morning with the unveiling of the newest sculpture at the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial.
Steve Beachy with the veterans memorial says the Civil War sculpture has two soldiers walking away from a fence, one from the Confederate army going south and one from the Union headed north.
The memorial program is Thursday morning at 11:30 at Veterans Park.
Click below for comments from Steve Beachy of the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial, visiting with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia:
News release from the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial:
On Thursday, April 9, the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial board of directors invites all military veterans, community partners and the public to its Civil War Memorial site dedication at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex.
The event will recognize the installation of two bronze statues crafted by local artist J. Payne Lara in the likeness of military men from the American Civil War – one Union Army soldier and one Confederate States Army soldier. The site’s theme depicts the final days of the war, showing soldiers as they may have looked after engaging in lengthy days of battle.
The memorial pays tribute to those veterans of both sides who endured incredibly harsh conditions, poor food, diseases, and horrendous battles large and small. Those who survived their time in uniform began the long trip home to face new realities, an uncertain future, and a Union restored.
Keynote Address:
“The Citizen Soldiers of the American Civil War” – T. Michael Parrish, Ph.D.
Parrish is the Linden G. Bowers Professor of American History at Baylor University where he teaches courses on Texas history, Civil War and Reconstruction, and U.S. history. Early in his career, he worked as a research archivist at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum. Parrish is author of Brothers in Gray: The Civil War Letters of the Pierson Family, among other books, and also serves as editor or co-editor for three Civil War book series. Parrish was named for his great grandfather, a second lieutenant in the 37th Alabama Infantry, Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra
Throughout the program, orchestra members will perform selections from the works of modern composers and film scores that capture the spirit of the American Civil War. These selections will be featured in BVSO’s season finale titled “Civil War Tribute” on April 26 at Rudder Theatre.
Other notable activities
Cannon shot
Posting of Colors
Reading of soldiers’ letters
History of Taps
Rifle salute
Taps
150th anniversary
The event will also commemorate the sesquicentennial anniversary of the surrender of the Confederate States Army under General Robert E. Lee to the Union Army under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865. This surrender triggered a series of surrenders across the south, signaling the end of the Civil War.
