Battle of Appomattox Court House

The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last and most consequential battles of the American Civil War. It was the final push of Confederate general in chief Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia before they surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac. After abandoning Richmond following the siege of Petersburg, Lee retreated west hoping to join Confederate forces in North Carolina, but Union forces under Philip Sheridan cut off his retreat; Lee launched a last-ditch attack to break through, then surrendered.