Civil War’s Lessons Resound 150 Years Later

nytimes.com - ARLINGTON, Va. — The park ranger spoke eloquently of “the struggle over the meaning of this country,” a brass band in Civil War uniforms played “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Dixie,” and a student from China was thrilled to pose for a snapshot between Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Robert E. Lee, who had just formally accepted the terms of surrender.

Atop the highest hill in Arlington National Cemetery, about 100 people gathered on a chilly spring day to observe the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War — or, to be precise, the beginning of the end.