Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865,
A Nation Reunited

Appomattox Court House, Virginia, is where Generals Lee and Grant signed the terms of surrender that effectively ended the civil war. This vicious and bloody war was nearing its end in the living room of Mr. Wilmer McLean.

It was one of those ironic twists of history that this was the same Wilmer McLean who once had a small farm near Manassas Junction in Northern Virginia. In June, 1861, the first major battle of the war raged across his land and now it was ending in his parlor, 144 miles from where it started.

Between July 21, 1861 and April 9, 1865 lie 620,000 dead young men, 410,000 wounded, 10,000 battles, and unimaginable hardship: hunger, cold, heat, sickness and brutality.

It all ended just 23 miles east of Lynchburg. Richmond and Petersburg fell on April 2, 1865 after nine months of trench warfare and Lee began his retreat west, hoping to reach Lynchburg and the Blue Ridge Mountains just beyond.

The retreat consisted of a series of nine running battles between April 3rd and April 9th, 1865, during which Union generals Grant and Sheridan displayed brilliant tactics, repeatedly capturing Lee's supplies and cutting off his escape routes.

The end came when Lee's Army of Northern Virginia found itself surrounded on three sides by V Corp, a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac. It was a choice of surrender or face certain annihilation. Lee wisely surrendered.

From the National Parks Service brochure on, we learn that the village was originally known as Clover Hill. It was just a small settlement with a few houses around the tavern (funny how population centers seem to spring up around the local watering hole).

In reality, it was a stopping off point on the main Richmond to Lynchburg Stage Road.

In 1845, the county of Appomattox was formed and Clover Hill chosen as the county seat and renamed as Appomaattox Court House. Many rural counties in the Southern States had county seats whose names were formed by adding "court house" to the name of the county, hence the village name became Appomattox Court House.

The following year an actual court house was built and the small village grew into a village and eventually a real town. More homes sprung up, stores set up shop, and where there are people, can the lawyers be far behind?

Photo right: The Visitor Center and Old Courthouse

Among the original structures still standing from the time of the 1865 surrender, are the Clover Hill Tavern, the Plunket-Meeks Store, the Woodson Law Office, the Jones Law Office and the Peers and Mariah Wright homes. The tavern was built by a Mr. John Raine in 1848 which became the celebrated McLean house.

Today Appomattox Court house is a National Historic Park covering 1,325 acres and consisting of original and reconstructed 19th century buildings. It includes the home of Wilmer McLean in which Lee and Grant met to draft and sign the terms of surrender.

Our tour of the our surrender site starts with a short walk from the parking area to the Visitor Center which was the Appomattox County Courthouse. Pay your entrance fees and start by soaking up the history presented in the centers slide programs, exhibits, map orientations and seasonal talks by park rangers.

From there, you can exit the visitor center, turn right and see the old Clover Hill Tavern's kitchen (which houses a bookstore), guesthouse, storehouse and slave quarters (where you will find restrooms). Unfortunately the original Clover Hill Tavern is no longer with us.

Exiting the visitor center and going straight ahead, you will encounter the original Woodson Law Office on the right and a few steps farther on is the reconstructed McLean House, kitchen and slave quarters on the left. It is open for self-guided tours and a ranger is present to answer questions.

Photo left:The Wilmer McLean house; where the surrender was signed.

Just behind the visitor center is the county jail and a bit further on is the Jones Law Office and the Bocock-Isbell House with it's kitchen, smokehouse and stable. In civil war era homes, kitchens were not usually located in the main house due to the threat of fire.

Photo right: The jail situated behind the Bocock-Isbell house.

The whole tour of the grounds should take between three and four hours.

Photo left: The old Woodson Law Office.

It is well worth the short drive from Lynchburg to visit the Appomattox Court House National Park. Drive east on route 460 to Appomattox, entering the town, take the second exit which is route 24 east and look for the brown sign at the exit. Take a left at the top of the ramp and the park is about 2.5 miles straight ahead on the left.

Hint: Don't rely on your GPS to get there. There is no street address for the park and GPS usually takes people to downtown Appomattox about 3 miles from the park.

On the way, stop at the LEE GRANT CIVIL WAR GIFT SHOP, a unique shop with an extensive offering of souvenirs as well as Civil War memorabilia; it's a must see for the Civil War Buff. Hours are 9am– 6pm daily and it is located on right side of Hwy 460 going east. Telephone for information at (434)352-5234.

It's also a good idea to stop at the Visitor Information Center on Main Street in the heart of town. It is built on the site of the old railroad station which was Lee's last hope in his flight from Petersburg. He had hoped to reach Appomattox Station where much needed supplies and rations were waiting for his troops.

Unfortunately, General George Custer beat him there and captured the supplies. It proved to be the last nail in the coffin for Lee's troops and the surrender became inevitable.

The original station burned to the ground in 1923 and was rebuilt on the same site the following year. Today the renovated station houses the Visitor Information Center and the Appomattox County Chamber of Commerce. Stop in and meet the friendly and always helpful hosts.

Photo above: The current Visitors Center and site of the old railroad station

One of the best and most interesting places in Appomattox to the cure the rumblings in the stomach is The Babcock House on Oakleigh Avenue just a short walk from the visitors center

This is an elegant bed and breakfast set in an 1884 Victorian home completely furnished with period antiques. For overnighters, it offers six rooms, all with private baths. Lunch is a wide variety of sandwiches, salads and daily specials, Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 to 1:30 pm with no reservation needed.

Reservations are required for dinner and a full selection of beef, seafood, chicken and pork dishes will please the most discerning palette.

Photo above: The Babcock House Restaurant and Bed and Breakfast

Rest assurred, there are many other wonderful dining establishments to choose from including home-cooked meals at Granny Bee's across from the visitors center. Chinese, Mexican and Italian fare is available in the Shoppes of Appomattox at the intersection of route 460 and route 24.

The park is open daily from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm but is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Years Day, Presidents Day and Martin Luther King Day. Admission fees are $4 per person with a $10 maximum per private passenger vehicle.

There is no charge for children 15 years old and under.

From Memorial Day until Labor Day the National Park offers a full schedule of daily programs, including Living History, Ranger Talks, and Audio-Visual programs. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to see where the civil war ended during your stay in Lynchburg.

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