The Serendipity of Raven And Wilmer McLean

 Wilmer and His Raven

Wilmer McLean

I am a history nerd.

I was fascinated by Ken Burn’s epic documentary series "The Civil War". I was profoundly moved by the overwhelming sense of loss and horror of this great struggle. There was one sequence in the film that affected me, it was the story of Wilmer McLean. 

McLean's House in Manassas Virginia, the site of the Battles of Bull Run

He was a grocer from Virginia who was too old to join the army. His house near Manassas, Virginia, was involved in the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861, one of the first major battles of the war. After the Second Battle of Bull Run one year later, he moved to Appomattox, Virginia, to escape the war. Instead, the war followed him. In 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in McLean's house in Appomattox. His houses were, therefore, involved in one of the first battles and one of the last encounters of the American Civil War.

McLean's house in Appomattox, Virginia. 

The word "Fate" has often been used to describe the story of Wilmer McLean. Fate is also used to describe the outcome of war.

Raven symbolism is very different as you travel across time and cultures. In Europe the crow and raven are a sign of death (mainly because of the violence of humans), in Native America, he is a trickster and a transformational being. In ancient Greece and Rome, the crow and raven were believed to be the symbols of Apollo, the God of Divination and Healing. In the Far East ravens represent divine intervention in earthly, human affairs. So, the Raven (and crow) are omens of both good and bad.

In my etching, Raven is both an omen of war and peace. Ravens are very rare in the southern United States so seeing a Raven was an unusual event and could easily be an omen. In my story, Raven starts as a troublemaker and ends as a peacemaker. I also wanted to present the bird towering over the two generals.

"MCLEAN’S RAVEN" 5 x 7 inches Intaglio 2010

My Narration:

The Civil War needed to be fought and Raven wanted a front-row seat.

On July 21, 1861, Wilmer McLean noticed a Raven perched atop his roof, a rare sight in near Manassas, Virginia.  Later that day The Battle of Bull Run broke out on his property. Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard needed a building to serve as headquarters and commandeered Wilmer McLean's home. During the Battle an artillery shell hit the house but miraculously, didn’t explode.

A year later Wilmer saw the Raven appear again and again a battle raged on the McLean property; This Second Battle of Bull Run was even more violent than the first. Wilmer sold his house and moved 100 miles to Appomattox. He and his family lived quietly until the Raven returned.

In 1865 Raven watched as Grant was chasing down Lee’s exhausted army. Lee decided to surrender and signaled the Union army of his intentions. Grant sent an aid to look for an appropriate home to sign the surrender. The Raven flew over the aid's head, knocking off his hat, and settled on the roof of a house in Appomattox, owned by Wilmer McLean!!  The aid decided that the house would be a perfect place to end the war. On April 9, 1865, General Lee officially surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War. The site for his surrender: the parlor of Wilmer McLean's new home. The American Civil War was finally over, and the Raven was never seen again.

McLean famously remarked: "The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor!!"