Strand hosting ‘Appomattox’ performance

Published 7:22 pm Friday, June 28, 2019

: Gen. Robert E. Lee, left, played by Curt Fields, and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, played by Thomas Jessee, will be at The Strand Theater Wednesday for “Appomattox: The Last 48 Hours.” (Submitted Photo)

Gen. Robert E. Lee will be making an appearance in Vicksburg for the first time in history Wednesday.

The Strand Theater will host Lee and his counterpart U.S. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in a presentation of “Appomattox: The Last 48 Hours,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

“This is a unique opportunity historically since Lee was never in Vicksburg,” Baer House Inn owner Patricia Rickroad said.

The Baer House Inn, along with the Strand Theatre, are co-sponsoring the two-man, one-act live presentation, which features an examination of the written communications between Lee and Grant from April 7-9, 1865.

“It literally is the last 48 hours leading up to, and including, the surrender,” Rickroad said of the performance.

Theatre goers will also learn what was happening in both armies during this exchange, and what both men were thinking at the end of the Civil War, all while the performance is presented with awareness and reverence for the soldiers of both armies.

Rickroad said Curt Fields, who is a native of Tennessee, has been portraying Grant for a number of years and is an authority on the figure. He has even been invited to West Point to give a historical presentation on the general, and has served as one of the historians on the American Queen.

“He is just phenomenal,” Rickroad said.

While she is not as familiar with Thomas Jessee, who is from Florida and portrays Lee, Rickroad said the two men travel together, often performing the re-enactment.

“They have been invited two or three years in a row to actually re-enact the surrender at Appomattox,” Rickroad said, adding the pair have also performed for a filming of the event that is set to air on one of the History channels.

“These guys have studied these historical characters from the past, and they know them inside and out,” Rickroad said. “This is a top quality show. You will be getting the best.”

The performance will last about an hour and is suitable for children, she said.

Tickets are $15 and are available at the Highway 61 Coffee House, 1101 Washington St., online at strandvicksburg.com, and at the door.

The Strand Theater is located at 717 Clay St.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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