March 2004

Far right: the McLean House, site of the meeting between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant where Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Grant...the beginning of the end of the Civil War.

Middle: the Appomattox Court House (which played no part in the surrender ceremonies.)

Left: Plunkett-Meeks Store, stables and behind in the far distance the Clover Hill Tavern, the first building to be erected (served the travelers on the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road.)

More photos: (click on the thumbnails to enlarge)

Above: Looking towards the hill where the Confederate Army was encamped; the McLean House where Lee and Grant met to discuss the surrender; another view of the McLean House from the side showing the outbuildings; the Clover Hill Tavern which became the printing center...printing the 30,000 parole forms to be used as passes by the Confederate soldiers to return home; another view of the Court House; the Peers House, the scene of the last firing of artillery by the Army of Northern Virginia on the morning of April 9, 1865; view down the Richmond-Lynchburg Road towards the Appomattox Court House which was lined with Federal Troops on April 12, 1865 to receive the surrender of the Confederate Army and the stacking of their arms. In passing, both the Federal and Confederate troops saluted each other as a mark of honor.

Interiors of the McLean House showing the parlor where Lee and Grant met (see the photo in the parlor depicting the meeting), the kitchen, and the dining room.

More buildings below that just give ideas of the area and type of building of that period.

We had heard from many people that this was a "not to be missed" historic site, and we were not disappointed. Not only does one get a sense of "place and time" here about the events that happened during that fateful April, but you can step back in time to see how people lived in the mid-1800's. During the summer months, they have interpreters, but off-season you are on your own with a few park rangers here and there to answer your questions. A museum and bookstore are part of the recreated village, but there are no facilities for food. It takes several hours to see everything, but all is within a short, pleasant walk.

(RVers...there is what appeared to be a nice, small, campground just to the right on route 24, just as you have turned off route 460 heading to Appomattox Court House Village....it is open and appeared to have several larger RVs in it.)