If you think that the Civil War ended when Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, well, then, you would be WRONG. Most likely, you had the same education the rest of us did, one that conveniently picked that event and declared it to be the end of the War Between the States. Well, it wasn't.

Taking a break this morning from sampling the fruit of the vine, the BasketCases drove from Charlottesville to Appomattox Court House. It was a beautiful drive through rolling countryside, though once we were south of the sophisticated university town, we picked up some small clues of a cultural shift. For example, Confederate battle flags flying in front yards and lawn sculptures that bore a striking resemblance to rusting automobiles, and movie theatres that were still playing "Deliverance." (Okay, we lied about that last one.)

But Appomattox Court House National Historical Park was well worth the trip. Whenever visiting historical sites, we always learn something new, but we did not expect to learn something as basic as the fact that the Civil War did not formally end at Appomattox. In fact, what we learned from Ranger Chris was that Lee's surrender was not the surrender of the Confederacy, but only of his Army of Northern Virginia; the war continued to be fought by other Confederate armies for more than a month. This was such a shock to us that we immediately headed for some more tasting rooms!

While we did not run into any Maryland players at any wineries, we did run into several coaches and players at the hotel. The BasketCases are happy to report that the team arrived safely, they've practiced, and are planning an early night in preparation for their 12:30 PM tip-off tomorrow. If you're coming on the bus tomorrow with the Rebounders, we'll see you then!! If not, catch all the action on RSN.