Brochure

Appomattox Court House Appomattox Court House National Historical Park Virginia National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior 4 1 5 3 2 6 7 8 ALL IMAGES—NPS UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED The Surrender Site … Then and Now Today the National Park Serv­ice in­­vites you to walk the country lanes where these events took place. In the park’s quiet, still places, imagine the activity of those days in April 1865. Use the map and guide on the reverse as you tour the park. Vignettes on this side of the brochure tell some of the stories of Appomattox Court House and its place in our nation’s history. Yesterday and Today Ulysses S. Grant (far left) and Robert E. Lee (near left) skillfully led their troops against each other in the last year of the Civil War. Grant knew how to exploit an opponent’s weaknesses. Lee, known for an aggressive style, excelled at assessing the enemy’s capabilities. BOTH LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Here on April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered his men to Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all United States forces. Other Confederate armies remained in the field, but Lee’s surrender signaled the end of the Southern states’ at­tempt to create a separate nation. Three days later the men of the Army of Northern Virginia marched before the Union Army. They turned over their flags, stacked their weapons, and began the journey back to their homes. Grant and Lee 1 2 4 5 6 Compare the picture of the village today (above) with the picture at left taken in 1889. Both show the village from the west, though the older one is farther away. The numbers are on the same buildings in both pictures. The building at the far left in the older photograph is the Union Academy Dwelling House, which no longer exists. 1 Tavern Kitchen The McLeans End of the War During the war Wil­ mer McLean and his family left their home in Manassas, Virginia, for business purposes. A sugar speculator, he bought the property at Appomattox Court House in the fall of 1862 to be near the railroad. Lee used the parlor of their home (left) when he surrendered to Grant. Be­gin your tour at the park visitor center in the reconstructed courthouse, which includes an information desk, museum, and auditorium where a film is shown. Park programs illustrate the impact of the Civil War on daily life in the village of Appomattox Court House. Accessibility We strive to make facilities, services, and programs accessible to all; call or check the park website. The Paroles NPS / KEITH ROCCO Appomattox Court House National Historical Park is 92 miles west of Richmond and 18 miles east of Lynchburg, on VA 24. It is three miles northeast of the town of Appomattox. You’ll find accommodations, restaurants, and stores located there. © RON RITTENHOUSE COLLECTION The Park Black Contributions Black Americans served in both armies. Grant’s armies had seven Black regiments, about 5,000 United States Colored Troops, including Cpl. John Peck (above), who LIBRARY OF CONGRESS The Village Appomattox Court House developed from the small settlement of Clover Hill, a stop along the RichmondLynchburg Stage Road. Clover Hill’s few houses clustered around a tavern. When the county of Appomattox formed in 1845, Clover Hill became the county seat and was renamed Appomattox Court House. Its courthouse, built in 1846, spurred the construction of participated in the Battle of Appomattox Court House. In Lee’s army, enslaved and free men worked as cooks, musicians, teamsters, and personal servants. Thirtynine received paroles. homes, stores, and lawyers’ offices. Among the many structures that survive from the 1800s are the Clover Hill Tavern (left, in 1865), Meeks Store, Woodson Law Office, Peers House, Mariah Wright House, and Kelley House. Surrender Terms When Grant and Lee sat down in the parlor of Wilmer McLean’s home, Grant asked only that the Confederates pledge not to take up arms against the United States. Grant allowed Confederate offi­cers to keep their sidearms and any man who owned a horse to take it home with him. The generous terms of surrender began the process of reunification. Lt. Col. Charles Marshall of Lee’s staff and Lt. Col. Ely S. Parker of Grant’s prepared the official surrender documents. Both men appear at the far left in the painting of the surren­der (above). Capt. Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abra­ham Lincoln and a jun­ior member of Grant’s military team, stands direct­ly be­hind his general. The County The rural, agricultural county had 8,900 residents (54 percent Black, most of them enslaved) at the time of the Civil War. Appomattox Court House, the county’s only town, boasted a population of under 150. served the needs of farmers and plantation owners. Yet people needed a place to conduct legal affairs, buy the few items they did not grow or make, and meet with their neighbors. Appomattox Court House filled these needs. The few trades— blacksmith, cooper, wheelwright, mill­er, and sawyer—mostly Some lawyers opened offices around the courthouse, and merchants opened Printing presses (far right) set up in the Clov­er Hill Tavern quickly produced passes, or paroles, required of Confederates en route to their homes. Printers worked in relays to print 30,000 blank parole forms by April 11. Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, Army of Northern Virginia cavalry com- two of the county’s dozen stores here. The Meeks Store doubled as post office. Francis Meeks’s son Lafayette served in the Confederate army, died of typhoid, and was buried here (left). The village and county both prospered in the 1850s. The war changed all of this. 2 Clover Hill Tavern 3 Woodson Law Office 4 Meeks Store 5 Courthouse 6 McLean House 7 Kitchen 8 Slaves’ Quarters Lee’s surrender did not immediately end the Confed­erate States of America; other armies were still in the field. Not until the surrenders of Joseph E. Johnston’s army in North Carolina on April 26, Richard Taylor’s army in Ala­bama on May 4, and Ed­mund Kirby Smith’s army in Texas on June 2 did the Confederacy cease to exist. The terms set at Ap­pomat­tox Court House by Lee and Grant governed the surrenders of all other Confederate armies. mander and neph­ew of Gen. Robert E. Lee, carried the parole shown above. More Information Appomattox Court House National Historical Park PO Box 218 Appomattox, VA 24522 www.nps.gov/apco Appomattox Court House is one of over 430 areas in the National Park System. To learn more, visit www.nps.gov. IGPO:2024—427-086/84117 Last updated 2025 Appomattox Court House Creating a Park The war ended, and the soldiers returned home, but Appomattox Court House was changed. In many ways, the village declined. Neither side rushed in to erect monuments as they did on many other Civil War battlefields. Appomattox Court House became a backwater, while Appomat­tox Station, just to the west, prospered as the result of its position on the railroad. In the late 1880s, Union veterans formed the Appomattox Land Company. They hoped to develop the area, but their plans never left the drawing board. In 1892 the courthouse burned (right), and the county seat moved to Appo­ mattox, formerly Ap­pomattox Station. In early 1893, a Niagara Falls, New York, company dismantled the McLean House with the hope of taking it to Wash­­ington, DC, as a war museum. They never moved the piles of bricks and lumber, which, exposed to the elements, eventually disappeared. The little village was either going up in smoke or crumbling into dust. events of April 1865 endured. The War Department administered the area until its transfer to the National Park Service in 1933. Congress authorized it as a national monument in 1940. In 1930 Congress passed a bill that provided for building a monument at old courthouse site. The monument was never built, but the idea of commemorating the AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MUSEUM A few spots associated with the events of the surrender lie outside the village. The project resumed at the end of World War II. In 1954 the area was re­designated Appo­ mattox Court House National Historical Park. To­­day the village looks much as it did in April 1865. Carolina marks the farthest advance of its troops that April day. Lee’s headquarters site is northeast of the village. It is a twominute walk from a small parking lot on VA 24. A small Confederate cemetery, just west of the village, holds the graves of one Federal and 18 Confederate soldiers killed on April 8 and 9. Grant’s headquarters site is southwest of the village. Nearby, a monument erected by the state of North A hiking trail south of the highway connects Lee’s headquarters site to the North Carolina Monument. 10 Office 11 Tavern Smokehouse 12 Tavern Dining Room 13 Tavern Bar 14 Carriage House 15 Mule Stable 16 Clover Hill Tavern Stable 17 Robertson & Glover Store 18 Original Jail 19 W. Rosser Tenant House 20 W. Rosser Wheelwright Shop 21 W. Rosser Blacksmith Shop 22 W. Rosser Corn Crib 23 W. Rosser Barn 24 Peers Stable 25 Isbell Law Office 26 Inge House 27 Peers Cabin/Slave Quarters 28 Moffitt House 29 Union Academy Hall 30 J. Rosser Blacksmith Shop 31 Wright Stable Touring the Village Begin at the visitor center, where you’ll find exhibits, a film, seasonal talks, maps, and restrooms. The map below depicts the historic village much as it looked in April 1865. Existing structures have white labels; those no longer standing are pale gray with black numbers (key at far right). All the sites are within easy walking distance, but you must walk on gravel and grass surfaces. Most buildings are over 150 years old and require steps for entry. Wheelchairs are available at the visitor center. The Nation­al Park Service handbook covers many aspects of Lee’s retreat and surrender and the history of the village. Find it and other publications at the park bookstore. Federal laws protect all natural and cultural features in the park. Using remotely piloted aircraft like drones is prohibited. For firearms regulations check the park website. Firearms are prohibited in the visitor center, McLean House, Clover Hill Tavern, and bookstore. McLean House On April 9, 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the parlor of this house. Lee’s aide Lt. Col. Charles Marshall chose this site. The house, built in 1848, survived under several owners until 1893, when speculators dismantled it in a failed money-making venture. Reconstructed. In the 1940s, using the speculators’ plans and specifications and archeological evidence, the National Park Service rebuilt the house on its 1848 foundation. Meeks Store Constructed in 1852, this building housed a general store and post office operated by Francis Meeks at the time of the surrender. Original. Woodson Law Office John Woodson bought this office in 1856 and practiced law here until he joined the Confederate Army and died of disease in 1864. Original. Clover Hill Tavern Built in 1819 and the oldest village structure, this is where the Federals printed the parole passes for Confederate soldiers. Associated structures include the kitchen, quarters for enslaved people, and guesthouse (now a bookstore). In 1865 the tavern included an attached dining wing and a small de­ tached bar. Original. Appomattox County Courthouse The original county courthouse, built in 1846, burned in 1892. None of the events of the surrender took place here. Reconstructed in 1964. Appomattox County Jail Completed by 1867, this “new” county jail replaced the first jail, which burned in December 1864. Kelley House Residents may have watched Lee’s Confederates lay down their arms on April 12, 1865, from the porch of this house. Original. Mariah Wright House This frame house, built in the mid-1820s, is one of the older buildings in the village. The stone and brick chimneys are typical of this region. Not open to the public. Original. Isbell House Two brothers built this house in 1850. One of them, Thomas Bo­cock, was a US Congressman. He later served as speaker of the Confederate Congress. Not open to the public. Original. Peers House George Peers, clerk of Appomattox County court for 40 years, lived in this frame house built in the early 1850s. Not open to the public. Original. Stacking of Arms On the morning of April 12, 1865, about 5,000 Federal troops lined the RichmondLynchburg Stage Road from just east of the Peers House to a point near the McLean House to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee’s infantry stacked their wea­pons, flags, and other accoutrements before the Federals in a formal ceremony that Brig. Gen. Joshua L. Cham­ ber­lain dubbed “Honor an­swering honor.” Key to numbered buildings (no longer standing) 1 Union Academy Dwelling House 2 Woodson Law Office (1865) 3 Raine Tavern (empty in 1865) 4 McLean Smokehouse 5 McLean Stable 6 Pryor Wright House 7 Meeks Storehouse (1865) 8 Office 9 Office NPS / CHRIS CASADY