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Special Feature: Scene of the surrender of the Confederate Army under Gen. Robert E. Lee to the Federal Army under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

APPOMATTOX NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD SITE, located about 80 miles by road west of Petersburg and Richmond, was established in 1930 and contains at present 1 acre of ground on which stands a monument commemorating the termination of the War Between the States by the surrender of General Lee's army to that of General Grant on April 9, 1865.

In the vicinity of Old Appomattox Courthouse one may see today the earthworks thrown up by the Confederate rear guard, the sites of the headquarters of Lee and Grant, the positions of the rival armies, and other historic landmarks. Within the village itself are the spots on which stood the old courthouse and the residence of Wilmer McLean, while the ante-bellum tavern and several other interesting buildings are still standing much as they were on the day when this secluded Virginia hamlet was stirred by an event which altered the course of American history.

The village of Appomattox Courthouse, now known as Old Appomattox Courthouse, at the time of Lee's surrender was the county seat of Appomattox County. After the burning of the courthouse in 1892, the county seat was moved to Appomattox Station, 3 miles south on the railroad from Richmond to Lynchburg, and is now the thriving town of Appomattox Courthouse. The old courthouse, never more than a small village, today contains merely a dozen or so ante-bellum buildings.

The surrender of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse on Sunday, April 9, 1865, was the culmination of a series of disasters which had befallen it since the opening of the spring campaign. A considerable body of its troops had been overwhelmed at Five Forks on April 1, 1865, forcing Lee to abandon Petersburg and Richmond which he had gallantly defended since June 1864. Retreating westward, he concentrated his forces at Amelia Courthouse and planned to move thence to Danville, utilizing the Richmond and Danville Railroad. From that point he hoped to form a junction with Johnston's army in North Carolina.

Supplies which Lee had ordered to be sent ahead to Amelia failed to reach him and his troops lost a day in endeavoring to collect food and forage. The delay proved fatal. A portion of the Federal Army in hot pursuit from Petersburg was able to reach and block the direct road to Danville, obliging Lee to press on toward that city by a roundabout route via Deatonsville, Farmville, and Appomattox Courthouse.

The retreat of the famished and outnumbered Confederates from Amelia to Appomattox was one of the most pathetic episodes in American history. Sheridan's cavalry hung on their left flank, dashing in upon their wagon trains at every opportunity, while the rear guard was hard pressed by Federal infantry. Many of Lee's men, utterly exhausted by fatigue and hunger, dropped out of the line of march, while others threw away their muskets, unable to carry them longer. At Sailors Creek, on April 6, Ewell's corps and a part of Anderson's were surrounded, and after gallant fighting most of these troops were forced to surrender. But the remainder of Lee's army, outnumbered five to one, struggled on toward Danville. The head of the column reached Appomattox Courthouse on the evening of April 8. Then orders were issued for the resumption of the march at 1 a. m., April 9.

The utmost haste was imperative. During the 8th, Grant's infantry frequently skirmished with the Confederate rear guard but was unable to provoke a general engagement. That evening Sheridan's cavalry reached the railroad at Appomattox Station, drove back a body of Confederates in position there, and charged toward Appomattox Courthouse until halted by a Confederate line of battle.

Confronted by Federal cavalry across their route of retreat and pressed in the rear by columns of hostile infantry, the situation of Lee's army now had become extremely critical. But although several of his general officers were advising him to surrender, Lee determined to make one more desperate effort. At daybreak on April 9 Gordon's corps of about 1,600 men was formed in line of battle about a half mile west of Appomattox Courthouse on the Lynchburg road. Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry, some 2,400 men, formed on their right. Despite their terrible sufferings and discouragements, all of these troops charged bravely. Impossible as it seemed against such odds, they drove back the opposing cavalry and for a time seemed to have cleared a passage for the remainder of the army. But in their moment of exultation the Confederates discerned masses of blue infantry formed in battle array behind the mounted troops. General Ord, with two Union corps, had brought his troops by forced marches squarely across the line of the Confederate advance. Threatened by overwhelming forces in both front and rear, Lee had no alternative but surrender.

Early that afternoon the Confederate commander met Grant at the home of Wilmer McLean in Appomattox Courthouse and surrendered the wasted remnant of the Army of Northern Virginia which remained under his command. Grant's terms were most magnanimous; the Confederate soldiers were paroled and issued rations by the Federal Army, while those belonging to the cavalry and artillery were permitted to keep their personal horses. Lee's capitulation speedily resulted in the collapse of the Southern Confederacy.

Last Modified: Thurs, Nov 23 2000 10:00:00 pm PDT
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