This day in history
Monmouth College to ring bells to mark anniversary of end of Civil War
Monmouth College will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War on Thursday, April 9, with the ringing of the Wallace Hall carillon at 3:15 p.m.
The commemoration is part of a National Park Service observance titled “Bells across the Land: A Nation Remembers Appomattox.” On April 9, 1865, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant met Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to set the terms of surrender of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.
The bells will ring first at Appomattox Court House National Park at 3 p.m., following which churches, schools, public buildings and historic sites across the nation will join in the celebration by ringing bells precisely 15 minutes later for four minutes (each minute symbolic of a year of war).
“As you hear the bells, please pause for a moment to think about the arduous road that our society has traveled, the miles that we have yet to go, and, especially, the great promise that lies all along the way,” said Monmouth College president Clarence Wyatt.
Monmouth College has a rich Civil War heritage, remaining open throughout the war despite virtually its entire male student body having enlisted in the Union forces. The college furnished from its board of trustees, faculty and student body one brigadier general, four majors, 17 captains, 13 lieutenants, one quartermaster, two adjutants and three chaplains. It also furnished 48 non-commissioned officers. Of the 232 Monmouth men who served, 12 died in battle, 14 died in hospital and 26 were wounded.
The commemoration is part of a National Park Service observance titled “Bells across the Land: A Nation Remembers Appomattox.” On April 9, 1865, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant met Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to set the terms of surrender of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.
The bells will ring first at Appomattox Court House National Park at 3 p.m., following which churches, schools, public buildings and historic sites across the nation will join in the celebration by ringing bells precisely 15 minutes later for four minutes (each minute symbolic of a year of war).
“As you hear the bells, please pause for a moment to think about the arduous road that our society has traveled, the miles that we have yet to go, and, especially, the great promise that lies all along the way,” said Monmouth College president Clarence Wyatt.
Monmouth College has a rich Civil War heritage, remaining open throughout the war despite virtually its entire male student body having enlisted in the Union forces. The college furnished from its board of trustees, faculty and student body one brigadier general, four majors, 17 captains, 13 lieutenants, one quartermaster, two adjutants and three chaplains. It also furnished 48 non-commissioned officers. Of the 232 Monmouth men who served, 12 died in battle, 14 died in hospital and 26 were wounded.
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