Official Web Site

A relatively “new” county by Virginia standards, Appomattox County lays claim to one of the most important events in American history. But long before Generals Lee and Grant met to bring closure to the Civil War, the area now known as Appomattox was home to several related tribes of Native Americans and eventually became part of Chief Powhatan's immense land holdings.

One of the tribes in the area, the "Appamatuck," lived farther east along the James River near the present City of Hopewell. Encountered by Captain John Smith, the Appamatuck people were shown on Smith’s map of 1612. Also, their name “Appamatuck” was applied to the major tributary entering the James near their settlements. Eventually, “Appamatuck” evolved into “Appomattox,” and the river flowing eastward from Flood’s Mountain in present-day Appomattox County to the James at Hopewell is called the Appomattox River.

On May 1, 1845, Buckingham, Prince Edward, Charlotte, and Campbell Counties each surrendered portions of their territory for a new county named Appomattox in honor of the river springing from the heart of the territory.

The village of Clover Hill, located in the center of the new county along the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road, was renamed Appomattox Court House and became the seat of government. Clover Hill was originally settled around 1815 with the construction of the Clover Hill Tavern, across from which the brick courthouse building for the new county was built.

In April of 1865, Appomattox Court House played a pivotal role in the history of the United States. Four long years of war had torn the nation apart, killed thousands of men, wounded thousands of others, scorched the landscape, and forever changed life in the South, if not the entire country. Virginia was especially devastated, since the Old Dominion had served as the primary battleground of the war in each side's attempt to capture the capital city of the other; but on April 9, Palm Sunday, a large part of the hostilities ended when General Robert E. Lee, Commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, accepted the generous terms of surrender offered by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, General-in-Chief of all United States forces, in the parlor of a home owned by Wilbur McLean. Though fighting raged on elsewhere for several more weeks, General Lee’s surrender effectively ended the Southern States’ attempt to create a separate nation, and made Appomattox a symbol of peace and unity.

This project is a table of contents for all projects relating to this County of Virginia. Please feel free to add profiles of anyone who was born, lived or died in this county.