On April 16, 2015, Ron Wilson presented the fourth lecture in our six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2015).
Listen as Wilson describes with exquisite detail the final 90 minutes of the American Civil War as it happened on April 9, 1865, and the two great men that ended it.
A native of Ohio, Wilson retired from the National Parks Service in 2000 after 34 years of service. He served as Supervisory Park Ranger at Appomattox Court House for 25 years. Previous park service assignments include Gettysburg, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Johnstown Flood National Memorial and the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. Mr. Wilson co-authored the Appomattox Paroles April 9-15, 1865 and is a former president of the Lynchburg Virginia Civil War Round Table. He also worked with Civil War battlefield historian Chris Calkins to establish the Lee’s Retreat Driving Tour.
Mr. Wilson graduated from Miami University. During the Vietnam War he commanded a rifle platoon and served as headquarters commandant for the 1st Marine Regiment.
The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.
Click here to listen to all six parts of this series.