Appomattox Court House is a village in Virginia where General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, ending the American Civil War. Lee surrendered at the McLean home, which is now a protected national park. The surrender hastened the end of the war, but it officially ended two months later. Visitors can see the fully restored village and artifacts from the war.
Appomattox Court House is not a single building that houses a courthouse, but rather a reference to a small village that used to be the county seat of Appomattox County, Virginia. In the 19th century, it was common for county seats where the court (one word) was located to be called the courthouse (two words). The area is known for one of the most monumental moments in US history, where General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War. The battle that took place at Appomattox Court House was Lee’s last attempt to escape to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he had more supplies waiting.
Instead of surrendering in an actual courthouse, Lee actually surrendered at the McLean home on April 9, 1865. The home, along with the rest of the site, is now a protected national park in the United States, located in central Virginia. Lee arrived home about half an hour before Grant, and both sides negotiated terms of surrender.
Given the notoriety of the generals involved, many believe Lee’s surrender effectively ended the war between the states. This isn’t true, however. The war actually ended two months later in June when the last Confederate general surrendered, or signed a ceasefire agreement, in Oklahoma Territory. Despite the fact that some generals continued to fight after the events at Appomattox Court House, historians generally agree that the beginning of the end was when Lee surrendered.
At the very least, the surrender at Appomattox Court House allowed the Union to send troops and resources to other battlefronts. Thus, he hastened the end of the war from a practical point of view, though probably not a psychological one. Other generals may have surrendered, had communications been received providing news of Lee’s surrender, but many of the generals in other parts of the country had no idea what had transpired in Virginia.
Those wishing to visit Appomattox Court House today will find it fully restored to the condition it was in at the time of the Civil War. The area not only features the buildings but also other artifacts such as artillery and other weapons commonly used during warfare. The actual house where the surrender took place had once been dismantled, with plans to move it to Washington, DC. That never took place, and was eventually rebuilt on the original site.
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