Feature: 150 years on final act of American civil war commemorated in England

They travelled thousands of kilometers from across the world to mark the 150th anniversary of the final act of the American civil war.

The venue though wasn't Washington DC or a state capital in the Deep South, but Liverpool, more than 6,000 kilometers from the eastern seaboard of the States.

The Northern English port city was the unlikely location where the very last warship of the defeated Confederates surrendered.

The Shenandoah, proudly flying its Confederate ensign flag arrived in the River Mersey on November 6, 1865, seven months after General Lee's surrender which finally brought an end to the conflict between the warring southern and Northern States.

Today in Liverpool combatants from both sides who lost their lives were remembered in a solemn service on the banks of the River Mersey.

A service of remembrance was held at the river front, with wreaths and flowers laid on the water, watched by ancestors from both sides of the war.

Captain James Iredell Waddell and his crew aboard the Glasgow-built Shenandoah continued attacking shipping, unaware the war had ended months earlier.

It was only when a passing British merchant ship showed Waddell newspaper reports that he was finally convinced his side has lost.

He set off on an amazing voyages, thousands of kilometers in distance, sailing to to Liverpool.

Ian Dewer, president of the 290 Association, who organised today's commemoration said: "Captain Waddell feared that if he sailed into an American port, he and his crew faced arrest and hanging. So he set off on this incredible journey, virtually circumnavigating the globe to reach Liverpool.

"As most of his crew of 26 were from England, Scotland and Wales, it made sense to come to a friendly port like Liverpool.

"Lowering the Confederate flag on the deck of the Shenandoah, right here in the Mersey, is recognised as the very final act of the American Civil War. That is why we have called this event the 'last flag down'."

Among the many dozens who made the journey from the US were newly weds David and Lunelle McAllister, from Tampa, Florida. They decided to celebrate their honeymoon in Liverpool so they could attend the Shenandoah event.

Proudly the wearing confederate uniforms at today's commemoration were Gary Lee Hall, 64, and Byron Brady, 61, both from North Carolina, both members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Brady commented: "This is my first visit to England. It is amazing to consider that the very final act of a war, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, took place here in Liverpool, just a few steps were I standing right now."

After Waddell and his crew surrender in Liverpool to the British Royal Navy they were all set free. It was reported at the time they all marched in their grey Confederate uniforms, to Liverpool Town Hall to hand themselves over to the city mayor."

There is no office or a memorial in Liverpool to mark the part played in the city to mark the end of one of the world's best known wars. Endit