About Appomattox Court House

Location of the Coleman House during the Battle of Appomattox Court House

Get started by learning the history of Appomattox Court House, including the village and its residents, the Civil War battle, and the significance of the Confederate Army's surrender to the town, African Americans and the nation.

Warm-up
This map shows where structures stood, who owned the properties, where Union and Confederate soldiers lined up, and where various key places stood relative to each other. Can you find these features on the map?

• The Coleman House (where Hannah Reynolds was enslaved, and Margaret Abbitt was employed, lived and worked)
• Union and Confederate lines
• The road to Appomattox Court House
• The location of the Coleman House relative to the village

Learn More
Each of these articles gives a perspective on the Civil War era at Appomattox Court House. Use your reading comprehension skills to answer the questions.

Learn about the history of the village at Growth and Decline of Appomattox Court House.

• When and why was Appomattox Court House established?

• How many African Americans lived in Appomattox Court House in 1860 and 1870? What percentage of the total population was African American?

Read about the Battle of Appomattox Court House.

• When did the Battle at Appomattox Court House take place?
• Name the two armies who fought at the battle. Each had a general in charge. What were the two generals’ names?
• Each army had separate goals for being in the Appomattox region and for fighting this particular battle. List a few of their goals.
• How do historians know what they know about the Battle of Appomattox and the aftermath? Note the sources of information mentioned in the article.

Find out what happened at the Surrender Meeting and why it was so important.

• Why did General Lee surrender?
• What terms of surrender did General Lee and General Grant agree to?

Emancipation at Appomattox shows what freedom looked like in one place.

• What does “emancipation from slavery” mean?
• What does it mean to be “invisible in the historical record?”
• What were some of the reactions to the end of the Civil War and emancipation of African Americans?