Appomattox Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Concerning the Surrender at Appomattox

The United States observes Appomattox Day annually on April 9. It signifies the conclusion of the four-year Civil War. General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and the Union army on April 9, 1985. After the Confederate forces suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Sailor’s Creek on April 7, Grant requested that Lee surrender. Grant declared that Lee was solely responsible for any “further effusion of blood.” Lee declined, as he believed he could still evade Grant, but inquired about the possibility of a peace agreement. The lieutenant general responded that a peace agreement was out of the question, but that he would contemplate a military surrender. On April 9, after realising that his army was surrounded, General Lee requested to discuss terms of surrender. At the McLean House, both parties signed the surrender agreement.

The background of Appomattox Day

On the morning of April 9 in Appomattox, General Lee was unable to realise the war had ended. He had stationed the remaining Confederate cavalry, 8,000 men from Major General John B. Gordon’s Second Corps, and Lee’s nephew Fitzhugh Lee west of Appomattox Court House for battle. Lee anticipated that there would be only a handful of Union cavalrymen in front of him, whom he would be able to easily fight off and locate rations and supplies. From there, he would turn south to resume the fight in North Carolina.

However, Grant prevented Lee from turning south for a week straight. He obstructed Lee’s movement and attempted to encircle Lee’s soldiers. Grant’s forces ultimately surpassed Lee’s at Appomattox. General Lee was in the midst of the battle, while his headquarters were located to the east of the village, near the centre of his army. Gordon’s Second Corps and the Cavalry were preparing for battle west of the village. The First and Third Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, under Longstreet’s command, were patrolling the rear in the east.

Lee was aware that additional Union forces were approaching from the east and possibly the south. He hoped to relocate his forces before Union reinforcements arrived. Unfortunately, this did not transpire. Thousands of Union infantry, including United States Colored Troops, marched all night long and descended upon Lee and his troops. By 8:00 a.m., General Gordon’s troops had retreated to the village, Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry had fled to the west, and Lee had conceded that the conflict was over. The Army of Northern Virginia capitulated after being defeated in the concluding battle of the Virginian war. Beginning 11 days prior, the Battle of Lewis’ Farm was followed by the Battle of Appomattox Court House.

Since the 19th century, authorities have made more concerted efforts to preserve the Appomattox Court House’s history for public viewing. On approximately 1,700 acres, the Appomattox Court House National Historic Park was established in 1940. The park contains Lee’s headquarters, a portion of the battlefield, the courthouse, and the reconstructed McLean House. (though missing a lot of its original furniture).

The American Battlefield Trust has preserved additional acres, including land used by Griffin during his counterattack and land where George Armstrong Custer’s cavalry division halted Brig. Gen. Martin Gary’s Confederate cavalry advance down the LeGrand road.

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5 Facts Concerning the Surrender at Appomattox

Lee and Grant signed official copies of the surrender terms drafted by Grant’s military secretary, Lt. Col. Ely S. Parker (a Seneca Indian chief).

Brigadier General Chamberlain ordered his troops to render a respectful salute to the defeated Confederate soldiers.

After the surrender, souvenir-hungry soldiers stole or destroyed numerous historical artifacts, including Confederate dollars, McLean House furnishings, and regimental banners.

Son of Robert E. Lee, Maj. Gen. William Henry Fitzhugh Lee commanded a cavalry division under the command of his cousin Fitzhugh.

According to historical accounts, the surrender meeting took place between 1 and 3 p.m.

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