Lee planned to launch an attack at first daylight to drive the Federals off the ridge to his front and open the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road. He would align his forces at the western end of the Court House village along Tibbs Lane and in the field shown below.
Fitzhugh Lee and his three cavalry divisions would be on the Confederate right with about 2,400 men. Gordon’s Second Corps with about 7,000 men were across and perpendicular to the Stage Road. As shown by the arrows, in the map below, the right side of his line was to move like a swinging gate capturing the Union forwardly placed pickets (black dots on the map), Lord’s two guns, and sweeping Brigadier General Charles Smith’s Brigade off the ridge.
The North Carolina Monument walking trail is located on the ridge. In the first picture we are looking northeast across the NC Monument parking lot toward the Confederate Cemetery and Lord’s Battery.
Image taken from 37.3752724, -78.8061222.
Here in the second picture, we are looking straight east with the Reine monument toward the right the slope here falls off just beyond the monument where the Sears Lane is located.
Looking to the southeast where the ground falls off to the right of and beyond the monument
The Confederate line began to move forward around 7:00 AM but the cavalry on the right side of the field on horseback moved much faster than Gordon’s Second Corps could on foot. As a result, both of Robert’s North Carolina Cavalry regiments, the 4th and 7th, from WHL (Rooney) Lee’s division were able to push back the pickets from the 1st ME and capture both of Lord’s guns at 7:50 AM, shown in the map below.
Interpretation of Lord’s guns on the battlefield.
Looking down the barrel of the gun toward the advancing Confederates.
Smith’s brigade (1st ME, 1st NY Mounted Rifles, 6th and 13th OH) were armed with 7-shot Spencer carbines and 16-shot Henry repeating rifles, enabling them to fight like a much larger force than their numbers might indicate. Despite this they could not hold the ridge and began to fall back.
Major General Crook sent Mackenzie’s brigade-sized division (1st PA, 1st DC, 1st MD) forward as reinforcements to a second ridge just behind Smith where Wright Lane joined the Stage Road. However, they were unable to hook up with Smith and they too were scattered by Rooney Lee’s Cavalry, shown in the map below.
The second ridge can be seen in the distance at the high ground where the tree line is located. Image taken from 37.3749441, -78.8072782.
You can get an impression of the swale/ravine in the road by looking at the area on the right where the field joins the road.
Mackenzie’s action is interpreted on a sign on the Coleman House Walking Trail.
Crook then moved his third and final brigade forward under Colonel Samuel Young on the west side of the Stage Road where they ran into Rooney Lee’s 7th and 14th VA. Here the Confederates captured their third gun this time from Lieutenant Egbert Olcott’s Battery M, 1st US Artillery. The color bearer of the 14th VA was shot down by a soldier from the 4th PA who captured the battle flag (the last battle flag taken during Lee’s retreat from Petersburg). As the Confederate calvary were pushing back Crook’s Brigade, Confederate infantry had swung their gate across the battlefield from north to south across the Stage Road and Gordon sent word back to Lee that the road was open
Cox and Nash’s Brigades to the far right of the map below were the western end of Gordon’s gate. Cox faced west while the rest of the units faced south like Nash. Not shown on the maps are two of Devin’s Brigades (Colonel Charles Fitzhugh and Colonel Peter Stagg) who were just arriving to the south on a ridge along the LaGrand Road. They were quickly followed by Devin’s 3rd Brigade under Brigadier General Alfred Gibbs with instructions to hold the ridge. As Devin surveyed the field at this critical moment and looked behind him, he now knew why, as far as he could see the hills behind him were filled with soldiers from the Army of the James. Federal infantry was now beginning to arrive on the battlefield. The cavalry had held on long enough. The 1st Division of Major General John Gibbons XXIV Corps commanded by Brigadier General Robert Foster broke through the woods onto the battlefield. They were led by Colonel Thomas Osborn’s Brigade, shown on the map below. The 66th OH, 199th PA and 39th IL attacked Cox’s Brigade but were driven back and took shelter in a ravine. They were joined by Colonel George Dandy’s 67th OH and 10th CT. The 11th ME deviated to the north side of the road and suffered heavy casualties when they came under converging fire from Confederate cavalry and artillery while attempting to rejoin their unit. Osborn and the 11th ME are interpreted on the two signs below on the Coleman House Walking Trail.
Foster’s final brigade under Colonel Harrison Fairchild made their way forward to the ravine and they awaited the arrival of Brigadier General John Turner’s Independent Division.
Turner started to deploy on a ridge about half a mile behind Foster along with Woodward’s and Doubleday’s Brigades of US Colored Troops (USCTs). General Fitzhugh Lee seeing that the Stage Road was blocked determined that he was not going to surrender his cavalry and ordered his men to move around the Union left flank and escape toward Lynchburg.
At this point Devin’s cavalry withdrew as the infantry formed a battle line. Turner moved his brigades forward on Foster’s right. Gibbon advanced his force forward and was now perpendicular to the Stage Road supported by artillery from Lieutenant Charles Muhlenberg’s Battery A, 5th US Artillery and Captain Samuel Elder’s Battery B, 1st US Artillery, shown in the map below. This was the position of the Army of the James between 10 and 11 AM at the time of the truce flag. Elder’s guns are thought to have fired the last shot on this side of the field.
To the south Griffin’s V Corps which had been following Ord moved onto the LeGrand Road on the south side of Plum Run. Gordon seeing that the Federals had now blocked the route south to Campbell Court House withdrew his men back past the village, into the valley and to the high ground across the river where he joined a second battleline that General Edward Alexander had formed with Mahone’s, Wilcox’s and Field’s Divisions.
On the other side of the battlefield skirmishers from Colonel George Scott’s Brigade from the II Corps were advancing on Longstreet, shown on the map below. The rest of Brigadier General Nelson Miles’ Division were followed by the divisions of Brigadier Joel Barlow Barlow and Brigadier General Regis de Trobriand.
Lee was now blocked on three sides (East, West and South). His only open route was to the north which would take him further away from Johnston’s army in North Carolina. Lee had no choice but to surrender. Multiple white flags of truce were sent out between 10 and 11 AM. As the V Corps advanced Private William Montgomery of the 155th PA was severely wounded by an artillery shell. He would die 18 days later in a hospital in Farmville and is thought to be the last enlisted man to die in the battle. Union Lieutenant Hiram Clark of the 185th NY was the last Federal officer killed in the battle.
As truce flags went out across the battlefield they did not initially reach LeGrand Road on the south side of Plum Run. Near the intersection of LeGrand Road and Prince Edward Court House Road Martin Gary’s Cavalry supported by the 7th SC infantry and Talcott’s Engineers Artillery Battery confronted Custer and Devin’s Divisions. Eventually a truce flags did make it through to Custer who said he would accept no conditions but unconditional surrender. Not long after Custer did ride through the lines where he met with Longstreet and learned that Lee and Grant were currently meeting.
Lee had ridden out to New Hope Church, the direction he expected Grant to be coming from. Confederate Sergeant Tucker headed out with a white flag toward the II Corps line, where he met one of Humphrey’s staff officers, Charles Whittier. Whittier had a letter from Grant to Lee outlining the terms for surrender. General Lee dictated a letter to Colonel Charles Marshall that he would like to schedule a meeting to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee then rode back to Sweeney’s apple orchard to await a response from Grant.
Lee’s message was forwarded to General Meade, who was on this section of the field. He agreed to a one hour suspension of hostilities and for the message to be forwarded to Sheridan’s section of the line on the other side of the battlefield. Although Grant and Meade had both spent the previous evening at Clifton, when they left in the morning they separated at New Store.
Here Grant’s party turned south, and crossed the Appomattox River at Cutbank Ford. They then continued on to Walker’s Church and turned west toward Appomattox to find Sheridan. Lieutenant Charles Pease from Meade’s staff rode off to catch Grant’s party. Four miles west of Walker’s Church, just before noon, he caught them. Grant quickly replied to Lee that he received his dispatch at 11:50 AM and was headed toward the front on the Farmville and Lynchburg Road and requested that Lee pick a place for the meeting. General Orville Babcock rode ahead with the message for Lee and found him lying under an apple tree alongside the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road at 1:00 PM. Lee with Colonel Marshall and Private Johns, as well as Babcock and his orderly Captain William Dunn headed toward Appomattox Court House. As the approached the village Marshall and Johns rode ahead to choose a suitable house. They came across Wilmer McLean and after declining to use McLean’s first suggestion, a run down dwelling, instead the meeting would take place in McLean’s home. There they waited in McLean’s parlor for Grant to arrive.
At 1:30 PM with a large group of officers after a long 18-mile ride he rode up to the front porch. Along the route he had forded the Appomattox River and was understandably dirty in contrast to Lee, anticipating the surrender, who had donned his full dress uniform on awakening that morning.
After some initial introductions and small talk Grant wrote out his terms, shown below.
Lee then reminded Grant that Confederate soldiers, unlike their Union counterparts, owned their own horses, and that it would be helpful for the men to keep them for use on their farms. Grant agreed to this stipulation and Lee agreed to the terms, shown below.
Lee left around 3:00 PM and returned back to his camp and issued General Order #9.
After four long years the war in Virginia had finally come to an end.
Next- The Battle of Appomattox Court House- The Sad Story of Captain Charles Minnigerode Jr.