who could boast that the civil war started and ended at his house
McLean proved to be the alpha and omega of the Civil War, and as Ken Burnsâs Civil War documentary noted, he could rightfully claim, âThe war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor.â.
Poor Wilmer McLean could not escape the Civil War. The conflictâs first major battle damaged one of his homes, and in an incredible historical coincidence, the house to which he had moved his family for safety was ransacked after hosting Confederate General Robert E. Leeâs surrender 150 years ago.