News Release

Commemoration of the 159th Anniversary of Surrender and Freedom Day- April 8-14, 2024

Bring the family to take part in an interactive recreation of the April 1865 stacking of arms ceremony on Saturday, April 13 at 4:30 p.m.. All ages are welcome to participate.

NPS/BMiller

News Release Date: March 6, 2024

Contact: Brian Miller, 434-352-8987 x 227

Appomattox, Va— Appomattox Court House National Historical Park will commemorate the 159th anniversary of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant and Freedom Day (April 9) with special anniversary programs and activities from April 8-14, 2024.

The weeklong commemoration will include guided walks and talks, living history programs and demonstrations, family activities, firing demonstrations, and more. The event kicks off on Monday, April 8 at 10:00 a.m. with a special presentation on astronomical events during the Civil War by Liberty University Professor Dr. Daniel Schmidt.

A special evening program and concert on Friday, April 12 at 6:00 p.m. at Galilee Baptist Church will highlight African American legacies of Appomattox.

The weekend of April 13 and 14 will feature full days of family friendly programming including firing demonstrations, living history presentations by Federal and Confederate camps, and children’s activity tables.

Saturday morning begins with an unveiling of a new highway marker honoring the legacy of the United States Colored Troops at Appomattox at 9:30 a.m. Saturday evening concludes with a commemorative first-person living history event beginning at 6:00 p.m. Witness the events of the final 48 hours presented by Generals Grant and Lee themselves, examine the realization of emancipation and Freedom Day with Abraham Reynolds, a formally enslaved man and husband of the only civilian killed at the Battle of Appomattox Court House, and learn about the first steps of formal education for African Americans with Appomattox Court House’s Freedmen’s School teacher Charles McMahon. The evening will conclude at dusk with a luminary event to honor the nearly 4,600 enslaved African Americans of Appomattox County.

See the full program schedule here. All programs subject to change.

—NPS— 
About Appomattox Court House National Historical Park: On April 9, 1865, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia in the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia signaled the end of the nation's largest war. The stories of Appomattox Court House go far beyond the final significant battles of this nation's Civil War. Learn more at www.nps.gov/apco. 

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's more than 420 national park units and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.