In the final days of the American Civil War, two military commanders from opposing sides would meet at the Wilmer McLean House in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, to negotiate the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. What would happen that day would not only impact the ending of the conflict but would also have a dramatic effect in the months after on how the nation would reconcile with those who had chosen to make war on the United States. This is the story of how Ulysses S. Grant both ended the war and spared his former foe, Robert E. Lee, from facing trial for treason.   
 
Dr. Ian Patrick Hunt serves as the Chief of Acquisitions and Special Projects at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a position he has held since 2016.  He began his career at the ALPLM in January 2006 as an intern conducting research on the Museum’s 2006 temporary exhibit on the lives of the First Ladies entitled “Mrs. President: From Martha to Laura.”  Over the last two decades, Ian has held different positions as a historian with both the Library and Museum as well as its Foundation, researching the collections and their relationships to the Lincoln family and Illinois history in general.  
 
Dr. Hunt has written frequently on the Civil War, slavery, Lincoln, and the Secession crisis and has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as well as giving television and radio interviews both locally and nationally.  He coauthored Lincoln: The Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation in 100 Objects, which was released in September 2025 and was awarded the 2025 Book of the Year prize by both the Lincoln Group of New York and the New York Civil War Roundtable. His upcoming book on the Secession crisis, tentatively titled Sectional Larceny, is being published by the University of Illinois Press and is expected to be released in 2026.  He received his PhD from Southern Illinois University and, in addition, holds a master’s certificate in Museum Science from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. He has consulted on numerous television, movie, and book projects, which places him in a unique position to understand the ever-changing landscape in the world of Lincolniana.  To register, please call 1-800-613-3163. Limited seating is available.