Is it true that one man fired the first and the last shots of the American Civil War?

stuthehistoryguy

No, but Wilmer McLean owned the first battlefield of the war and the house where Robert E. Lee's surrender was negotiated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmer_McLean Dec 06 12, 11:51 PM

serpa

Trying to find out if Edmund Ruffin may have done this. Dec 07 12, 12:28 AM

shorthumbz

Edmund Ruffin was certainly an ardent confederate who predicted a civil war (his prediction was for the war in 1868) and was at Ft. Sumter in 1861. He committed suicide on June 17, 1865, about two months after the surrender. Whether the rifle shot that ended his life can be considered a shot of the civil war is a matter of debate. There were sporadic clashes throughout the South through the summer of 1865 as news of the surrender slowly spread. The last confederate ship did not surrender until November 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Ruffin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War Dec 07 12, 1:49 AM