Appomattox Court House
National Historical Park
About the Park
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park preserves site where Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.
Key activities:
-
The Visitor Center has a film and exhibits.
-
The McLean House is open by brief, guided tours that run throughout the day.
-
Many other buildings of the village are open for self-guided visiting - these include Clover Hill Tavern, The Appomattox Prison, the Kelley and Robinson House, the Storehouse, and the McLean Kitchen and Enslaved People's Quarters.
-
Beyond the village, there is a driving tour available of sites of interest throughout the park - most of which are in the form of placards.
Appomattox Court House NHP NPS Site
Discussion Topics
-
Grant and Lee had been fighting for years, but when it was time for Lee's surrender, Grant treated Lee civilly and respectfully. Grant said that he felt like "anything other than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who fought so valiantly" even though he disagreed with the cause he was fighting for. How do you feel after you've defeated someone in a game or a disagreement? What can we learn from Grant's example?
-
Grant recognized that, although they had been enemies, the soldiers of the Confederate army would now be fellow citizens, and treated them as such. Do you feel as if you have any "enemies" or others you feel differently from? How can we, like Grant, remember to treat them as fellow citizens?
-
Slavery didn't end on the day Lee surrendered, but this moment would mark the beginning of the end of era of centuries of slavery in the United States. How do you imagine the enslaved people at Appomattox felt upon seeing Lee surrendering his army?
Maps
