How to Research the Battle of Appomattox

The battle of Appomattox was fought April 9, 1865, in Appomattox, Virginia. This decisive Union victory was the final battle for Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army before surrendering to Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. The following steps will aid in your search for information about this Civil War battle.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Search history websites to understand the significance of this battle. The remaining Confederate armies yielded as well when they heard of Lee's surrender. This ended the Civil War, which had caused more than 600,000 casualties.
2. Look for information about an overview of this battle. Lee moved General Gordon's II Corps to form a line west of the Appomattox Court House at 2 a.m. April 9. Lee decided to put part of his infantry against Major General Philip Sheridan's men, believing he had outmarched most of Grant's infantry.
3. Read up on how Lee was determined to make a final attempt to escape the closing Union forces and reach his supplies at Lynchburg. Major General John B. Gordon's II Corps advanced through the Union cavalry and proceeded to the west. Brigadier General Ranald S. Mackenzie's and Colonel Samuel B.M. Young's cavalry brigades combined to slow the advance of the exhausted Confederates but most of Major General Fitzhugh "Fitz" Lee's cavalry escaped west toward Lynchburg.
4. Examine how the arrival of Union infantry completely stopped the Confederate advance. Grant had positioned more cavalry in front of Lee and force-marched almost three complete infantry corps to Appomattox Station during the night. Most of the Army of the James under General Edward Ord now blocked Lee's western escape route, surrounding Lee's army on three sides.