Appomattox Court House

We set off on our summer trip to the West on June 28th,  Our first campsite was at Lynchburg Thousand
Trails. We've stayed at this park several times in past years.  It is a fairly nice park which has a lake and a nice swimming pool.  We noted on this visit that many of the sites are out of service due to "electric problems".  Anyhow the two day stay was uneventful.  With temperatures in the 90s we were thankful for air conditioning

We paid a visit to the nearby Appomattox National Historic Park.  As one who is fascinated by history, the park is a highly educational experience.  We arrived just in time for a ranger presentation on the events leading up to Lee's surrender. The ranger was very well versed on the skirmishes and the force disposition which resulted in Lee's army being trapped. I high recommend listening to the ranger talk before touring the structures.  The ranger  presentation provides vivid and relevent context to what would otherwise be just a collection of period structures and furniture.

The park grounds basically encompass the very small historic county seat village.  The buildings are all but one the original structures from the 1860s.  The park is very well maintained and one can really imagine a small rural Virginia village with it's farm fields and animals. 

View of the stage road leading West toward Appomattox

 

Interestingly, the surrender which took place on Palm Sunday, was not at the courthouse building.   Rather Lee's staff sought out the private home of  Wilmer McLean. The McLean's parlor room (in the painting above) was used for the surrender.

We were told that the furniture in the parlor is mostly the original ones.

The other rooms in the house were equally well preserved, as well as the slaves' quarters.

Formal dining room

Kitchen

Slave quarters

This picturesque grave of Lafayette Meeks is in the middle of a nearby field.  Mr Meeks died of typhoid fever and was the owner of the town's general store.

  

Town general store

The town's tavern was used for printing the parole passes issued to the confederate soldiers to guarantee their safe passage on the their post-surrender trip to their homes.

Tavern

Tavern circa 1860

At the tavern, there was one docent in period costume playing the role of a villager.  He stayed in character while conversing about events and politics as if it were still the 1860s. Fun!

Parole printing

Finally, this marker is in the town of Appomattox.  It is the site of the Union attack on the railroad station in the town.  None other than famed General George Armstrong Custer lead a cavalry attack capturing Lee's supply train and sealing his army's only escape route.  Appomattox is well worth a day's visit.