Appomattox, Virginia Campaign of the Civil War
The Appomattox Campaign, a pivotal series of Civil War battles fought in the heart of Virginia from March 29 to April 9, 1865, culminated in the momentous surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s formidable Army of Northern Virginia to the Union Army forces, led by the astute Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively bringing an end to the devastating war.
The Prelude to Appomattox: A Winter of Hardship
Following Sheridan’s daring expedition to Petersburg, General Robert E. Lee’s army found itself in a precarious position. Outnumbered and severely weakened by a grueling winter of trench warfare spanning approximately 40 miles, the Confederate soldiers were plagued by numerous battles, rampant disease, gnawing hunger, and widespread desertion. In stark contrast, General Grant’s well-equipped and amply supplied army was steadily growing in strength, poised to deliver the final blow.
However, Lee’s concerns extended far beyond the Confederate capital, encompassing the ominous Federal actions unfolding elsewhere in the South. By February 1865, two formidable Federal armies, one under the command of Major General William T. Sherman and the other under Major General John M. Schofield, were relentlessly advancing through the Carolinas. If left unchecked, these armies threatened to sever Virginia from the rest of the South, and should they join forces with Grant at Petersburg, Lee’s men would face an overwhelming force of four armies instead of two.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Lee penned a desperate letter to the Confederate Secretary of War on February 8, 1865, forebodingly stating:
"You must not be surprised if calamity befalls us."
By the time he penned this somber letter, Lee was acutely aware that he would have to abandon the Petersburg lines, the only question remaining was when. The combination of muddy roads and the poor condition of the horses forced the Confederates to remain entrenched throughout March, further depleting their already dwindling resources.
As the final campaign for Richmond commenced, three of the four railroads leading into Petersburg had already been severed, leaving the South Side Railroad as the sole means of rail transportation into Confederate lines. Once this vital artery was cut, the Army of Northern Virginia would have no choice but to evacuate the capital, signaling the imminent collapse of the Confederacy.
Grant Takes the Initiative: The Beginning of the End
In the meantime, General Grant seized the initiative and began issuing orders that would seal the fate of the Confederacy. On March 29, 1865, the Union Army launched a relentless offensive that stretched and eventually broke the Confederate defenses southwest of Petersburg, effectively severing their supply lines to both Petersburg and the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
On April 1, 1865, a staggering 21,000 Federal troops decisively crushed the 11,000-man Confederate force under Major General George Pickett at a critical road junction known locally as Five Forks. Emboldened by this victory, Grant followed up with an all-out offensive against Confederate lines on April 2, resulting in the decisive Third Battle of Petersburg.
With his supply lines severed and his army on the brink of collapse, General Lee had no choice but to order the evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg on the night of April 2-3. Adhering to previously determined routes, Confederate columns emerged from the trenches they had occupied for ten long months. Their immediate objective was to reach Amelia Courthouse, where forces from Richmond and Petersburg would converge and receive desperately needed rations sent from Richmond. Once his army was reassembled, Lee planned to march down the line of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, hoping to link up with General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee coming from North Carolina. Together, the two Confederate armies could establish a defensive line near the Roanoke River and potentially launch an offensive against Sherman.
Amelia Courthouse: A Turning Point
The march from Richmond and Petersburg commenced with a glimmer of hope, as many of the Confederates, including Lee himself, seemed invigorated by being back in the field. However, after the first day’s march, the harsh realities of weariness and hunger began to take their toll. When Lee reached Amelia Court House on April 4, he was dismayed to discover that the rations for his men had not arrived. Despite the urgent need for a rapid march, the famished men of the Army of Northern Virginia desperately needed supplies. While awaiting the arrival of troops from Richmond, delayed by flood conditions, Lee made the fateful decision to halt the march and send wagons into the countryside to gather provisions. Unfortunately, local farmers had little to spare, and the wagons returned practically empty, further exacerbating the dire situation.
The immediate consequence of this delay at Amelia was a lost day of marching, which allowed the pursuing Federals ample time to catch up. In retrospect, Amelia proved to be the campaign’s decisive turning point, marking the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.
The Retreat Westward: A Desperate Gamble
Leaving Amelia Court House on April 5, the columns of Lee’s army had traveled only a few miles before encountering Union cavalry and infantry squarely positioned across their line of march through Jetersville and onward toward Danville and Johnston’s Army.
Rather than risk a direct attack on the entrenched Federal position, Lee made a strategic decision to change his plan. He would march his army west, circumventing the Federals, and attempt to resupply his troops at Farmville along the route of the South Side Railroad. The retreat of the Army of Northern Virginia was conducted under constant Federal pressure, and Lee hoped that he could use the rain-swollen Appomattox River as a natural barrier between his army and the pursuing Union troops. Recognizing the essential nature of the "High Bridge" near Farmville, Grant dispatched a bridge-burning crew with the intention of beating Lee’s army to the crossing. On April 6, Confederate Cavalry under Generals Fitzhugh Lee and Thomas Rosser intercepted the Federal raiding party and, in a fierce and decisive battle, destroyed or captured nearly the entire party. The short but intense fight for High Bridge resulted in the last two combat deaths of general officers during the war.
The Union cavalry then launched an attack on the Confederate wagon train at Painesville, destroying numerous wagons and further crippling the Confederate army’s ability to sustain itself. Because Lee had ordered night marches in an attempt to regain the lost day, his men were utterly exhausted and hungry, and soon began falling out of the column or breaking ranks in a desperate search for food. Mules and horses, also starving, collapsed under their heavy loads, adding to the chaos and disarray.
As the retreating columns became increasingly ragged, gaps began to appear in the line of march. At Sayler’s Creek, a few miles east of Farmville, the Union cavalry exploited one of these gaps to effectively block two Confederate corps, under the command of Lieutenant Generals Richard Anderson and Richard Ewell, until the much larger Union VI Corps arrived to crush them.
Observing the devastating scene from a nearby hill, Lee exclaimed in disbelief:
"My God! Has the army been dissolved?"
In a single, catastrophic stroke, nearly 8,000 men and eight generals were lost, either killed, captured, or wounded. The remnants of the once-proud Army of Northern Virginia arrived in Farmville on April 7, where rations awaited them. However, the Union forces followed so closely that the Confederate cavalry had to make a desperate stand in the town’s streets to allow their fellow troops to escape, and most Confederates never received the desperately needed rations.
Appomattox Station: The Final Stand
Blocked once again by Grant’s relentless army, Lee once more swung west, hoping that he could be supplied farther down the railroad line and then turn south. Lee turned west onto the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road north of Farmville and followed Union troops. Unbeknownst to Lee, however, the Federal cavalry and the V, XXIV, and XXV Corps were also moving along shorter roads south of the Appomattox River to cut him off. While in Farmville on April 7, Grant sent a letter to Lee requesting the surrender of his army. In the vicinity of Cumberland Church, Lee received the letter and read it. He then handed it to one of his most trusted corps commanders, Lieutenant General James Longstreet, who tersely replied, "Not yet."
As Lee continued his westward march, he was acutely aware of his army’s desperate situation. If he could reach Appomattox Station before the Federal troops, he could receive rations sent from Lynchburg and then make his way to Danville via Campbell Court House in Rustburg and Pittsylvania County. If not, he would have no choice but to surrender.
On the afternoon of April 8, the Confederate columns halted a mile northeast of Appomattox Court House. That night, the distant sound of artillery fire from Appomattox Station and the ominous red glow of Union campfires to the west signaled that the end was near. The Federal cavalry and the Army of the James, marching on shorter roads, had effectively blocked the way south and west. Lee consulted with his generals and determined that one more attempt should be made to reach the railroad and escape.
At dawn on April 9, General John B. Gordon’s Corps launched an attack against the Union cavalry blocking the stage road. After an initial success, Gordon sent a message to Lee around 8:30 a.m., stating:
"… my command has been fought to a frazzle, and unless Longstreet can unite in the movement or prevent these forces from coming upon my rear, I cannot go forward."
Upon receiving this disheartening message, Lee replied with a sense of resignation:
"There is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths."
The Surrender at Appomattox Court House
General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Grant on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, marking the end of the Appomattox Campaign and signaling the beginning of the end of the Civil War.