Appomattox Court House

This is the Appomattox County Courthouse and nothing happened here!  No, this is not where General Lee surrendered his troops to General Grant!  Okay, now that I've muddied the waters here's the real story...

General Grant's army surrounded General Lee at Appomattox Court House, originally the village of Clover Hill.  It was a small settlement with a few houses around a tavern, a stop on the main Richmond-Lychburg Stage Road.  When the county of Appomattox was formed in 1845, Clover Hill was chosen as the county seat and renamed Appomattox Court House.  Thus my confusion...

Apple orchard

Site of Lee's headquarters with his Confederate Army.  Grant reached the railroad station before Lee so he couldn't get needed supplies.  Lee was surrounded, his men were starving, and he couldn't escape to Richmond.  He had no choice but to surrender.

Wilmer McLean Home

On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant in the parlor of this house.  Lee's aide Lt. Col. Charles Marshall chose the site.

Kitchen

Formal dining room

Hallway flooring

McLean (master) bedroom

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.  Officers were allowed to keep their side arms and any soldier who owned a horse was allowed to take it home with him.  The generous terms began the process of unification.  Lee asked only that his starving men be fed.

Marble-topped table used by General Lee.

General Grant's much smaller camp table.

Parlor mantle

Upstairs bedroom 

Children's bedroom

Children's room

Treadle sewing machine

Slave Quarters

Foundation

Kitchen

Kitchen window

Bedroom/living area

Appomattox Court House Buildings

Meeks Store, general store and post office.

Woodson Law Office, typical law office of the period.

Clover Hill Tavern, oldest village structure and where parole passes were printed for Confederate soldiers.

Tavern window

Printing presses were set up in the Clover Hill Tavern.  Printers worked in relays to print 30,000 blank forms.  By April 11, the paroles were ready for distribution to the Southern camps.  On the morning of April 12, 1865, about 5,000 Federal troops lined the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road to receive the the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.  In total silence Union soldiers stood at attention; Confederate soldiers responded with a salute - honor answering honor.  The weapons, flags, and accoutrements of Lee's infantry were stacked before the Federals in surrender.

Isbell House, neighbor of McLean family.

Confederate Cemetery

Did you know that General Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865 and Abraham Lincoln was assassinated a few days later on April 14th?  

This is also an interesting fact about Wilmer McLean; it is said that the Civil War began in his front yard and ended in his front parlor.  The First Battle of Bull Run took place on McLean's farm in Manassas, Virginia.  He left Manassas for business reasons and settled in Appomattox to continue his work as a sugar speculator.  Surrender terms were signed in his parlor.