Civil War Trust’s Save Appomattox Campaign Honors Fateful Site

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based energy executive Duke Ligon currently serves as owner of Mekusukey Oil Company, LLC, and as independent director and board chairman of Blueknight Energy Partners, L.P. He is also a well-known philanthropist, supporting organizations focused on education, the arts, and the nation’s rich cultural history. Among other board positions, Duke Ligon is a member of the board of directors of the nonprofit Civil War Trust, based in Washington, D.C.

The Civil War Trust is the premier organization concerned with the maintenance, preservation, and promotion of the entire range of Civil War battlefield sites. Among its recent efforts is the Save Appomattox campaign, designed to raise $386,500 to acquire three tracts of land, totaling 74 acres, around Appomattox Court House in Virginia. 

On April 9, 1865, Union general Joshua Chamberlain led his troops over this piece of land in the early hours. There, they encountered the last remaining Confederate forces on the field of battle in Virginia, and witnessed General Robert E. Lee raising the white flag of surrender that ended the war.

In the days leading up to his surrender, Lee had see thousands of his troops killed, wounded, or taken prisoner in one blow at Sailor’s Creek. With General Ulysses Grant closing steadily in, Lee hoped to reach Appomattox Station, where he expected fresh rations and a chance to escape. But the Union campfires throughout the area soon showed him the hopelessness of his situation. Lee would surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House.

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