Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

I've been visiting national parks with some intention for about 6 years now. I'm nearly halfway done nationally, but I only had one left to the many in Virginia, so this weekend I decided to make dash down to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park.

On top of being the last in Virginia for me, it's also the last of the Civil War sites around here. Fitting enough since it marks if not the actual end, the event most poignantly signifying The End of the American Civil War. And this is one excellent commemoration.

The park is especially good because of the history of the town after Lee surrendere to Grant. The village was slowly being abandoned even it in 1865 since the railroad passed south of there, and pople started settling closer to the station 3 miles away. That meant that the area around the courthouse was easy to acquire. The few homes have been rebuilt, and it's now SO easy to picture how those last days transpired.

I arrived just in time to hear a ranger, in character as a Confederate Lieutenant from that era, tell the story. He spoke of how they'd been fleeing Richmond and Petersburg and were trying to first make it to that very railroad station to get the rations waiting there. They would then turn south to join other armies in North Carolina. But that chance never came.

Federal cavalry raced ahead and seized the shipment, and all roads south were blocked. The Confederates last hope was to break through the cavalry in front of them. To their dismay, they soon heard and saw many thousands of troops coming at them from that direction. They were utterly pinned.

Much was made of Grant's civilized terms he granted Lee, including passes for each man to take as he surrendered, guaranteeing him safe passage home. But where was home? Perhaps 1000 miles away, and after years of camaraderie and living with the army, the tension faced by the men faced with the End of the war was palpable. I wonder how many never made it, or never readjusted.

Visitor's Ratings (out of 5)
Significance: 5 -- a site of the end, and new beginnings, and grave uncertainties.
Beauty: 2 -- rolling hills of Virginia
Fun: 2 -- not designed for that, but many period houses to explore, and you can walk the actual steps of the Confederate surrender, and walk into the room where the terms of surrender were signed.
Overall: 4 -- well worth the trip if you're visiting Richmond (see battlefield parks there and in Petersburg first) or living anywhere in the region.

Accessibility: an hour off any major path -- I-81, I-64, I-295
Logistics/signs: 5 -- excellent movie, awesome portrayal by the ranger, lots of helpful signs, good visitor's center -- some real care went into it.
Time required: Seeing the major sites would take a few hours.
Time to visit: fall/spring as it's mostly outdoors.
Kid friendliness: medium/low -- some walking, lots of look-but-don't-touch, and a complicated story.