Battle of Appomattox Courthouse: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

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Battle of Appomattox Courthouse

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	Topics Battle of Appomattox Courthouse Topic Home The Battle of Appomattox Courthouse was the final engagement of ConfederateConfederate States Army The Confederate States Army was formed in February 1861 to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been f... GeneralGeneral A General is an officer of high military rank.... Robert E. LeeFacts About Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee was a career U.S.... 's Army of Northern VirginiaArmy of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of... before it surrenderedSurrender (military) To surrender is when soldiers give up fighting and become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by thei... to the Union ArmyUnion Army The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War.... under Lt. Gen.Lieutenant General (United States) In three branches of the United States Army, United States Marine Corps and United States Air Force, a Lieutenant General ma... Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant was an American soldier and politician who was elected the 18th President of the United States .... near the end of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War The American Civil War was a sectional conflict in the United States of America between the federal government and 11 Sout... . Background On April 1, 1865, Maj. Gen.Major General Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries.... Philip SheridanPhilip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan was a career U.S.... 's cavalryCavalry Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback are commonly known as cavalry .... turned Lee's flank at the Battle of Five ForksBattle of Five Forks The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign of t... . The next day Grant's army achieved a decisive breakthrough, effectively ending the Siege of PetersburgSiege of Petersburg The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 15, 1864, to March 25... . Lee abandoned PetersburgPetersburg, Virginia Summary official_name = Petersburg, Virginia... and RichmondRichmond, Virginia Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States of America.... and headed west to Appomattox StationBattle of Appomattox Station The Battle of Appomattox Station was fought on the penultimate day of the Appomattox Campaign during the American Civil War.... , where a supply train awaited him. From there he hoped to move south to join with Gen. Joseph E. JohnstonJoseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S.... 's army in North CarolinaNorth Carolina North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern United States.... . On April 8, 1865, Union cavalry under Brig. Gen.Brigadier General Brigadier General is the lowest rank of general officer in some countries, usually ranking just above Colonel and just below... George Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.... captured and burned three supply trains waiting for Lee's army at the Battle of Appomattox StationBattle of Appomattox Station The Battle of Appomattox Station was fought on the penultimate day of the Appomattox Campaign during the American Civil War.... . Now both the Army of the PotomacArmy of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.... and the Army of the JamesArmy of the James Overview The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and ser... were converging on Appomattox. The road to Appomattox With his supplies at Appomattox destroyed, Lee now looked to the railway at LynchburgLynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA.... , where more supplies awaited him. While the Union ArmyUnion Army The Union Army refers to the United States Army during the American Civil War.... was closing in on Lee, all that lay between Lee and Lynchburg was Union cavalry. Lee hoped to break through the cavalry before infantry arrived. He sent a note to Grant saying that he did not wish to surrender his army just yet but was willing to discuss how Grant's terms would affect the Confederacy. Grant, with a throbbing headache, stated that "it looks as if Lee still means to fight." The Union infantry was close, but the only unit near enough to support Sheridan's cavalry was Maj. Gen. John GibbonJohn Gibbon John Gibbon was a career U.S. Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.... 's XXIV CorpsXXIV Corps (ACW) XXIV Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.... of the Army of the JamesArmy of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and ser... . This corps traveled 30 miles (50 km) in 21 hours to reach the cavalry. Maj. Gen. Edward O. C. OrdEdward Ord Edward Otho Cresap Ord was the designer of Fort Sam Houston, and a U.S.... , commander of the Army of the James, arrived with the XXIV Corps around 4:00 a.m. with the V CorpsV Corps (ACW) The V Corps was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.... close behind. Sheridan deployed three divisions of cavalry along a low ridge to the southwest of Appomattox Court House. The last battle At dawn on April 9, the Confederate Second CorpsSecond Corps, Army of Northern Virginia The Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was a military organization within the Confederate Army of Northern Virgin... under Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon attacked Sheridan's cavalry and quickly forced back the first line. The Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh LeeFitzhugh Lee Fitzhugh Lee, nephew of Robert E. Lee, was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, Governor of Virginia, di... moved around the Union flank. The next line, held by Brig. Gens. Ranald S. MackenzieRanald S. Mackenzie Ranald Slidell Mackenzie was called the most promising young officer in the entire Union army.... and George CrookGeorge Crook George Crook was a career U.S. Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the ... , fell back. Gordon's troops charged through the Union lines and took the ridge, but as they reached the crest they saw the entire Union XXIV Corps in line of battle with the Union V Corps to their right. Fitz Lee's cavalry saw these Union forces and immediately withdrew and rode off towards Lynchburg. Ord's troops began advancing against Gordon's corps while the Union II CorpsII Corps (ACW) There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.... began moving against Lt. Gen. James LongstreetJames Longstreet James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War, and later enjoyed a successful pos... 's corps to the northeast. Colonel Charles Venable of Lee's staff rode in at this time and asked for an assessment, and Gordon gave him a reply he knew Lee did not want to hear: "Tell General Lee I have fought my corps to a frazzle, and I fear I can do nothing unless I am heavily supported by Longstreet's corps." Upon hearing it Lee finally stated the inevitable: "Then there is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant and I would rather die a thousand deaths." Many of Lee's officers, including Longstreet, agreed that surrendering the army was the only option left. The only notable officer opposed to surrender was Longstreet's chief of artilleryArtillery Historically, *artillery* refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war.... , Brig. Gen. Edward Porter AlexanderEdward Porter Alexander Edward Porter Alexander was an engineer, an officer in the U.S.... , who predicted that if Lee surrendered then "every other [Confederate] army will follow suit". At 8:00 a.m., Lee rode out to meet Grant, accompanied by three of his aides. With gunshots still being heard on Gordon's front and Union skirmisherSkirmisher Skirmishers are infantry soldiers stationed ahead or alongside of a larger body of friendly troops.... s still advancing on Longstreet's front, Lee received a message from Grant. After several hours of correspondence between Grant and Lee, a cease-fire was enacted and Grant received Lee's request to discuss surrender terms. Lee's aide, Col. Charles MarshallCharles Marshall (Colonel) Overview Charles Marshall was a Confederate Army officer during the American Civil War.... , was sent to find a location for Grant and Lee to meet. Marshall selected the home of Wilmer McLeanWilmer McLean Wilmer McLean was a wholesale grocer from Virginia.... , coincidentally the same man who was forced to lend his home to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard at the First Battle of Bull RunFirst Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the First Battle of Manassas, took place on July 21 1861, and was the firs... , the first major battle of the war. The surrender Dressed in an immaculate uniform, Lee waited for Grant to arrive. Grant, whose headache had ended when he received Lee's note, arrived in a mud-spattered uniform—a government-issue flannel shirt with trousers tucked into muddy boots, no sidearms, and with only his tarnished shoulder straps showing his rank. Suddenly overcome with sadness, Grant found it hard to get to the point of the meeting and instead the two generals briefly discussed a previous encounter during the Mexican-American War. Lee brought the attention back to the issue at hand, and Grant offered the same generous terms he had before: In addition to his generous terms, Grant also allowed the defeated men to take home their horses and mules to carry out the spring planting and provided Lee with a supply of food rations for his starving army; Lee said it would have a very happy effect among the men and do much toward reconciling the country. As Lee left the house and rode away, Grant's men began cheering in celebration, but Grant ordered an immediate stop. "I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped," he said. "The Confederates were now our prisoners, and we did not want to exult over their downfall." The formal surrender of arms On April 10, Lee gave his farewell addressLee's Farewell Address General Robert E. Lee issued his Farewell Address to his Army of Northern Virginia on April 10, 1865, the day after he surre... to his army. The same day a six-man commission gathered to discuss a formal ceremony of surrender, even though no Confederate officer wished to go through with such an event. Brig. Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain was the Union officer selected to lead the ceremony, and later he would reflect on what he witnessed on April 12, 1865, and write a moving tribute: That day, 27,805 Confederate soldiers passed by and stacked their arms. Aftermath Roughly 175,000 Confederates remained in the field across the country. Just as Porter Alexander had predicted, it was only a matter of time before the other Confederate armies began to surrender. As news spread of Lee's surrender, other Confederate commanders realized that the Confederacy was all but dead, and decided to lay down their own arms. Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina, with which Lee had hoped to combine forces, surrendered to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman on April 26. Gen. Edmund Kirby SmithEdmund Kirby Smith Edmund Kirby Smith was a career U.S.... surrendered the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department in May and Brig. Gen. Stand WatieStand Watie Stand Watie was a leader of the Cherokee Nation and a brigadier general of the Confederate States Army during the American C... surrendered the last sizable organized Confederate force on June 23, 1865. There were several more small battles after the surrender, with the Battle of Palmito RanchBattle of Palmito Ranch The American Civil War Battle of Palmito Ranch was fought on May 12 – May 13, 1865, and in the kaleidoscope of events ... commonly known as the final military action of the Confederacy. Lee never forgot Grant's magnanimity during the surrender, and for the rest of his life would not tolerate an unkind word said about Grant in his presence. Likewise, General Gordon cherished Chamberlain's simple act of saluting his surrendered army, calling Chamberlain an example of the "purest of knights". Further reading Marvel, William, A Place Called Appomattox, University of North Carolina Press, 1999. Virginia April 10, 1865 r>