Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
The reconstructed McLean House, courthouse village, roads, fields, and military camps interpret the April 1865 surrender and the uncertain transition from war.
Artwork inspired by Lewis Miller
Appomattox gains meaning when the April 1865 surrender is understood as a process rather than a single meeting. Letters, negotiated terms, parole printing, stacked arms, hungry troops, civilians, and military camps show how capitulation worked on the ground, while campaigns continuing elsewhere complicate the notion that the war simply ended at the McLean House.
Begin with the surrender timeline, then walk from the reconstructed McLean House through the courthouse village to Clover Hill Tavern, the slave quarters, and the surrender grounds. That route connects paperwork and military ceremony to a community where homes, commerce, and slavery predated the armies. It also tests comforting reunion narratives against a harder truth: peace did not by itself secure equal citizenship.
- Date
- April 9, 1865
- Setting
- Preserved courthouse village
- Allow
- 2–4 hours
Quick guide
- Begin
- Visitor center surrender timeline
- Walk
- Village to surrender grounds
Make the visit count
- Follow the paperwork
- Terms and paroles shaped what happened next.
- Name what continued
- Other armies remained in the field after April 9.
- Read the village
- Homes, commerce, and slavery predated the armies.
- Question reconciliation
- Peace did not secure equal citizenship.
Good to know
Several historic buildings have narrow stairs or intermittent opening. Outdoor paths and summer heat make the compact-looking village a longer visit than expected.
Notice these
- McLean House
- Clover Hill Tavern
- Surrender grounds