Discovering Appomattox Court House: A Road Trip to Civil War History

Dear Henry,

Before Fish and I left Virginia, we stopped by Appomattox Court House. Let me tell you all about it.

The story of Appomattox Court House begins with the US Civil War.

The US Civil War was an internal conflict between the Northern (Union) and the Southern (Confederate) states. There have been problems brewing between the Northern and Southern states since the Revolutionary War, particularly surrounding the issue of slavery and the economic benefit it offered the South.  

The conflict kicked off with President Abraham Lincoln's election in December 1860. Eleven southern states, starting with South Carolina, seceded from the United States, and then in April 1861, the South Carolina militia attacked and seized the federally owned Fort Sumter, near Charleston.

From 1861 to 1865, more than 2.75 million Americans fought, and more than 600,000 died. It is, in my opinion, the darkest period in United States history, and I still can't believe it happened. 

The end of the war began on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the McLean House in the small Virginia village called Appomattox Court House. Yes, I was confused too. When I first arrived, I thought the town was named Appomattox and the surrender took place in the courthouse. The full name of the village is Appomattox Court House, and the surrender took place in Wilmer McLean's private residence.

The fall of the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, followed by General Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House, were the catalysts that ended the war. The final battle of the US Civil War took place at Palmito Ranch, Texas, on May 12-13, 1865.

The American Battlefield Trust has done a great job preserving Appomattox Court House and the surrounding battlefield. There are paths through the fields, with interpretive signs that let you walk through the site with some perspective on where specific incidents in the battle took place. The village is also fantastic. The McLean house has been transformed into a museum, with a complete timeline of the US Civil War, short films detailing the specifics, and many artifacts, both Union and Confederate. The village itself is open for touring and is an excellent resource for Antebellum daily life. There is also a gift shop, where we picked up (of course) another shot glass.  

The park is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm, and best of all, admission is FREE!

xoxo a.d. elliott

PS: You can check out my YouTube video of the adventure here:https://youtu.be/iSJ-V50ib-k

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Springdale, Arkansas 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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