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Appomattox Court House National Park

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RoBoNC
RoBoNC
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Appomattox Court House National Park

  • December 14, 2007
  • Rated 3 of 5 by RoBoNC from Indianapolis, Indiana
Appomattox Court House National Park

Located almost directly in the middle of the state, Appomattox is a small town with a population slightly less than 2000. What this town may lack in size, it makes up for it when it secured its place in history on April 9, 1865. Appomattox Courthouse can sometimes be misleading. Many people think that it is one building, but it is actually a village that was separate from the town of Appomattox. The Battle of Appomattox Courthouse, while not the most fierce or bloodiest of the Civil War battles, it nonetheless became one of the most famous for what it accomplished.

After the Battle of Petersburg, the Confederacy was now on the run and being pursued by the Union Army. The Confederacy had just abandoned Richmond and the White House was now safely back in the Union’s grasp. Many wonder why the Confederacy fled to Appomattox. In Appomattox, a supply train awaited the Confederate troops and General Lee hoping to make it there would then head south to meet up with General Johnston to combine forces. However, that would never happen and history would be rewritten in this small town in rural Virginia.

The site of the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse is now a National Historic Site which receives more visitors than the city has residents. The Courthouse is now used as the Visitors Center for the park and is where you pay your entrance fee ($4 a person) and receive your map of the grounds. While at the Courthouse, be sure to browse the many different exhibits and artifacts recovered from the battle. There is also a 70 seat theater where two different 15 minute movies are shown called “The Documentary” and “Soldiers Diaries.”

The grounds consist of many different buildings which make up the village of Appomattox Courthouse. Directly across from the courthouse is a market where villagers came to buy food and all their household goods. There are other buildings, such as a 19th century garage which still houses a carriage and one of the buildings has been converted into a gift shop.

There is one building that trumps all the other ones to include the Courthouse itself. The McLean House was the actual site of the surrender between General Lee and General Grant. The McLean’s were asked by General Lee’s aide if they would host the surrender between the two generals. When he agreed, that particular house became one of the most famous in the nation. The house is open to the public to walk through and admire the different rooms to include the room where the surrender took place. Upstairs, the evidence of how plain a life the McLeans lived is very much evident.

The next day of the surrender on April 10, General Lee gave his farewell address and on April 12, 27,805 Confederate troops laid down their arms. Whether the McLeans or citizens of Appomattox realized what place they would hold in history is unknown, but it is a national treasure to us.

From journal Civil War Virginia - From Victory to Defeat

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