The Battle of Appomattox
One of the last battles fought in the Civil War, the battle of Appomattox Courthouse occurred on the morning of April 9th, 1865. Even though the battle itself only lasted a day, it was the result of a previous, ongoing confrontation, the battle of Petersburg, which had been going on since March of 1864. The battle was fought at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, the official surrender terms were finalized in the Mclean house in Appomattox.
The battle of Appomattox was fought between Ulysses. S Grant’s Union army and Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army. Grant had been pursuing Lee’s army since the Battle of Petersburg, and when the Confederate Army reached Appomattox, Grant suggested a surrender. Lee did not take Grant up on his offer, saying that “"I do not think the emergency has arisen to call for the surrender of this army.” Grant did agree to a meeting with Lee—both wanted to discuss how they could arrange a peaceful outcome and avoid any more bloodshed.
Both Lee and Grant shared the common goal of wanting no more destruction—Lee wanted to preserve the south while Grant wanted to preserve the union as a whole. While they both pursued a peaceful outcome, neither general was willing to give up the fight.
When & Where
Generals & Their Goals
Lee told his soldiers that he was refusing to accept the surrender request and planned to send some men to fight Philip Henry Sheridan (another Union general) and his cavalry, while sending the rest of his men down to Lynchburg. Lee’s pride in his army was so strong that he claimed he would rather “die a thousand deaths than surrender to Ulysses S. Grant.”
