The initial engagement on July 21, 1861 of what would become the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) took place on McLean's farm in Manassas, Virginia. Union Army artillery fired at McLean's house, which was being used as a headquarters for Confederate Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard, and a cannonball dropped through the kitchen fireplace.

McLean was a retired major in the Virginia militia, but at 47, he was too old to return to active duty at the outbreak of the Civil War. In the spring of 1863, he and his family moved about 120 miles south to Appomattox County, Virginia, near a dusty, crossroads community called Appomattox Court House.

On April 9, 1865, the war revisited McLean. Confederate General Robert E. Lee was about to surrender to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. He sent a messenger to Appomattox Court House to find a place to meet. On April 8, 1865, the messenger knocked on McLean's door and requested the use of his home, to which McLean reluctantly agreed. Lee surrendered to Grant in the parlor of McLean's house, effectively ending the Civil War. Later, McLean is supposed to have said "The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor."

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Top Piney Mountain Hotel Reviews

Hotel Weyanoke

10/10 Excellent

"Good food and service"

Microtel Inn & Suites By Wyndham Lynchburg

10/10 Excellent

"Breakfast was good, a few added varieties would make it better. Staff was very friendly. I had a late check, front door was locked, side service window was closed. There wasn’t a sign to tell me how to get in. I had to find a way to grab someone’s attention to let me in. To my surprise, I found the rooms very equally spacious – not too big and not too small. Very efficient. Its color schemes are good to the eye. I couldn’t ask for a better room. (Thumbs up) normally when I think of Microtel, I think of the tiny rooms that Microtel has. The room size surprised me. I would stay here and other locations again. "