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{{WikiProject Military history|class=C|B1=n|B2=y|B3=y|B4=y|B5=y|US=y|ACW=y}}
{{WikiProject United States|importance=Mid|ACW=y|USMIL=Yes}}
{{WikiProject Virginia|importance=High}}
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{{On this day|date1=2006-04-09|oldid1=47663145|date2=2007-04-09|oldid2=121346472|date3=2008-04-09|oldid3=204538388|date4=2010-04-09|oldid4=354917225|date5=2011-04-09|oldid5=423099712|date6=2016-04-09|oldid6=714380211}}
{{DYK talk|10 February|2005|entry=...that the '''[[Battle of Appomattox Courthouse|Battle of Appomattox Court House]]''' signalled the end of the [[American Civil War]]?}}
==Grammar==
This article has some serious run-on sentences. We need commas, STAT! I don't have time to do it now; hopefully, someone else can get to it first.
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: You need to balance human interest material with the content and formatting requirements of an encyclopedia. If the material about the other generals is primarily personal in nature, such as their thoughts and reactions, I think it would be better placed into their biography articles than here. [[User:Hlj|Hal Jespersen]] 20:00, 23 November 2006 (UTC)
*The transition between the battle and the surrender isn't well developed. Here are a list of sources that discuss it:
:*{{cite web |title=The Campaign to Appomattox |url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/civil_war_series/6/sec5.htm |website=NPS |accessdate=2019-04-01}}
:*{{cite web |title= The Gentleman's Agreement That Ended the Civil War |url=hhttps://www.whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/artifacts/the-gentlemans-agreement-that-ended-the-civil-war/ |website=SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY |accessdate=2019-04-01 | last = Rubenstein | first = Harry}}
[[Special:Contributions/65.196.107.215|65.196.107.215]] ([[User talk:65.196.107.215|talk]]) 21:59, 15 April 2019 (UTC)
== The Last Battle ==
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Before this paragraph is restored to the article, we will need to have some citations from secondary sources to back up this claim. We also can do without the POV opinions on the characters of Chamberlain and the other Civil War generals mentioned. [[User:Hlj|Hal Jespersen]] 21:05, 6 December 2006 (UTC)
I support the argument that the 'salute' giving by the V corps never happened. Chamberlain's ''Passing of the Armies'' does tend to create some myths, as do many of the memoirs generated in the 1880s by numerous generals on both sides. Recent books support this. Just off the top of my head I can't remember sources, but I believe a good place to start looking is in the book ''Lee's Last Retreat.''
[[User:Trfasulo|Thomas R. Fasulo]] ([[User talk:Trfasulo|talk]]) 00:47, 9 April 2016 (UTC)
:Anyone who has read J.B. Gordon's memoirs will know that he was a fantasist. They read like a bedtime story of romantc chivalry. [[User:Valetude|Valetude]] ([[User talk:Valetude|talk]]) 10:53, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
== ever-expanding article ==
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The general guideline we used for information boxes is to list the uppermost commander on each side. We sometimes list key subordinate commanders if they have some particularly noted role, such as command in an isolated part of the battle, or if a famous one is killed, such as Jackson at Chancellorsville. In the case of this minor battle, George Meade played almost no personal role. (He is not even mentioned in the main text of the article, other than an unlinked reference to his last name in the aftermath section.) [[User:Hlj|Hal Jespersen]] ([[User talk:Hlj|talk]]) 23:25, 25 November 2009 (UTC)
: Still, he was the commander of the Army of the Potomac, therefore it wouldn't matter what little he did.Red Wiki 18:00, 13 December 2009 (UTC) <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Valkyrie Red|Valkyrie Red]] ([[User talk:Valkyrie Red|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Valkyrie Red|contribs]]) </span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
One could make that claim for any of the subordinate commanders, but as I said above, our guideline to list only the uppermost commander on each side unless a subordinate had some unique contribution (and we don't do that very often, either). [[User:Hlj|Hal Jespersen]] ([[User talk:Hlj|talk]]) 22:16, 13 December 2009 (UTC)
== Traditional end to the Civil War? ==
Am I the only American who remembers thinking of this as the end of the Civil War all through school - even in high school? If this is commonly taught, should it be noted, even if wrong, since it is a common point to this battle?
I suppose that - even if it would be mentioned - we would also need sources which called it that, as well as reasons. I have none of the former, but of the latter, I think that it would be fair to say that:
1. Lee's army was the most important, and any extra was just mopping up. Sort of like the soldiers who kept fighting after [[V-J Day]], though that, of course, is an extreme example;
2. Lee's Army was seen as even more significant because he was the head of all Confederate Armies - it was unlikely that anyone would keep fighting for many more weeks once he surrendered;
3. The main goal all along had been Richmond (though it fell on April 3, the ANV were the official defenders); and, though not quite as important,
4. Lincoln didn't live to see the others - if others are like me, that could be a reason. It's a little less sad to read about Lincoln's death if I consider that he lived to see the end - even if it wasn't officially "the end."[[Special:Contributions/209.244.187.155|209.244.187.155]] ([[User talk:209.244.187.155|talk]]) 09:42, 4 August 2010 (UTC)
: If you have some citations from reputable secondary sources that say the Civil War ended on this day, you are welcome to work them into the current Aftermath section, which is more oriented toward the reality than stories remembered from school. I (and many historians outside of Virginia) would take issue with your third point about Richmond being the main goal. Many modern historians believe that the war was substantially won in the Western theater. Even in just the Eastern theater, the main goal of Lincoln and Grant was Lee's army, not the city of Richmond. Your fourth reason is rather sentimental and not encyclopedic. Certainly your second reason is correct, although, once again, you should present secondary source citations to make that case. [[User:Hlj|Hal Jespersen]] ([[User talk:Hlj|talk]]) 16:54, 4 August 2010 (UTC)
::April 12, 1865: Surrender of city of Mobile, AL and forces therein. April 14, 1865: U.S. Flag raised over Fort Sumter. April 18, 1865: Sherman-Johnston memorandum signed. April 26, 1865: Surrender of forces under command of General Joseph E. Johnston. May 4, 1865: Surrender of Confederate forces in Alabama and Mississippi under General Richard Taylor. May 10, 1865: Capture of CSA President Jefferson Davis; US President Andrew Johnson declares armed resistance at an end. May 11, 1865: Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson surrenders remnants of his forces in Arkansas. May 12, 1865: Battle of Palmito Ranch; last battle of any size but minor skirmishes continued for at least a few more weeks in isolated locations. May 23-24, 1865: Grand Reviews of Union Armies - except for VI Corps a few weeks later. May 26, 1865: Surrender of Army of Trans-Mississippi Army - though not formally accepted by E. Kirby Smith until June 2. May 29, 1865: President Johnson's amnesty proclamation. June 3, 1865: CSA naval forces on the Red River surrender. June 23, 1865: Last surrender by a Confederate General, Stand Watie, in Indian Territory. June 28, 1865: Last day of operations by Confederate raider, C.S.S. Alabama. April 2, 1866: President Johnson declares the insurrection at an end - except in Texas which did not get its government organized until later and President Johnson issued a separate proclamation for it on August 20, 1866. All can be verified in Long, E.B. ''The Civil War Day by Day'' and undoubtedly in a variety of other sources.
::The end was certainly in sight on April 9, 1865, and most people probably felt both then and now that little more fighting should or would take place and it was only a matter of a short time before the war was wrapped up and the states were fully restored to the union. I do not think of the 1866 dates as the end, although an argument could be made for them as the true dates for the end of the war, so I include them in the interest of giving a full list of end dates (except for the minor fights and skirmishes). I think some date in June (May at the earliest), 1865 is technically more accurate for the end of the war and the Appomattox surrender date could only be used as an end date with some small qualification. Consider that even if Lee kept his forces from turning into guerillas, as he did, he might not have been able to stop the other forces in the field from carrying on in some fashion that would have kept many fighters and a considerable number of small groups fighting unconventionally for months or years. Previous actions by Mosby and Morgan and even (perhaps even more so) by bandits like Anderson and Quantrill certainly show that it would not have been a novel concept to carry on in that fashion - and some CSA leaders at least had considered this as an option. I think it better to have cleared these sizable groups off the fields before considering the war to have been at an end. Even if only a minimal amount of skirmishing and a minor battle or two was fought after Appomattox it could not be the end with the number of men in the field still under arms and the number of small actions that still took place - in my opinion. The Eichers put forth a date in 1869 but I can't buy that one at all no matter what their publications and reputations are and the overall value and diligence of their work. I did not go back to look it up but I think their rationale is based on the last of the U.S. Volunteers being mustered out of the army or the last of the brevets being handed out or some such rationale. [[User:Donner60|Donner60]] ([[User talk:Donner60|talk]]) 08:46, 15 October 2010 (UTC)
:::Nobody ever seems to mention the most obvious date for marking the war's end. That is May 5th, when the Confederacy dissolved itself. Any fighting after that date must logically be classified as postwar hostilities. [[User:Valetude|Valetude]] ([[User talk:Valetude|talk]]) 14:44, 5 June 2018 (UTC)
==HELP==
Does anyone know where this is? I keep looking it up but all I get is history on this place. I need it for my English paper. thanks![[User:Mira My.|Mira]] ([[User talk:Mira My.|talk]]) 05:15, 30 October 2010 (UTC)
:Well, let's see. There's a link to the coordinates at the top of the article, a link to the coordinates in the infobox, and the intro says "Lee's final stand was at [[Appomattox Court House]], where he launched an attack to break through the Union force to his front…" What part of the location isn't clear with that? —'''[[User:C.Fred|C.Fred]]''' ([[User_talk:C.Fred|talk]]) 05:18, 30 October 2010 (UTC)
== Map ==
A map of the battle would be a helpful addition. [[User:Dan653|Dan653]] ([[User talk:Dan653|talk]]) 12:31, 13 March 2012 (UTC)
== Confederate Casualties, Salmon citation ==
An IP editor has been changing the Confederate casualty figures (killed and wounded) in the infobox from about 500 to 195 while leaving the source for the original figures, Salmon, ''Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide'' p. 492 as the citation. Here is the URL/link for the source which clearly states "about 500." http://books.google.com/books?id=f_B3ToTmp1oC&pg=PA492&lpg=PA492&dq#v=onepage&q&f=false If this is in error and there is a better, reliable source that justifies a change, it should be cited. If the change is meant to refer only to the number killed, it would still need a different citation because that number (195) is not given in Salmon on page 492. Note, too, that Salmon refers to "casualties" with respect to the figures for both armies, so presumably that is the figure he believes is correct for killed and wounded for both sides, not killed for one and killed and wounded for the other. [[User:Donner60|Donner60]] ([[User talk:Donner60|talk]]) 12:08, 14 August 2012 (UTC)
== Oct. 2013 Vandalism (?) ==
The word "fias" appeared in the first paragraph, and I can find no meaning for it. It does not look like a misspelling to me. In addition there was a sentence fragment in the first paragraph of the "Background" section, which read "Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee waited for an opportunity to leave the Petry turned Lee's flank at the Battle of Five Forks." I removed this. I hope some historian who knows this battle can correct these changes. [[User:Nwbeeson|Nick Beeson]] ([[User talk:Nwbeeson|talk]]) 13:56, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
== 'Courthouse' is a single word ==
I'm not going to fix this because (insert whatever you'd like to believe here), but 'courthouse' is a single word. Writing it as 'court house' is an elementary-school mistake. I'll add that the article text is inconsistent, sometimes getting it correctly as one word, mostly splitting it in two. [[Special:Contributions/99.66.150.5|99.66.150.5]] ([[User talk:99.66.150.5|talk]]) 15:31, 29 July 2016 (UTC)
:I know this comment is a couple years old, but just for clarification for future editors, Appomattox Court House in this context is the full proper name of a village, not a reference to a judicial building. The village included the judicial building/county seat, but the surrender took place in a private home, as the article explains. It appears the only existing reference to a judicial building, as of this writing, is in a photo caption, where it is spelled as one word. -[[User:EightYearBreak|EightYearBreak]] ([[User talk:EightYearBreak|talk]]) 16:32, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
== Union 'Strength' is Absurdly Bloated ==
The overwhelming majority of sources written in the past century has confirmed that there were only about 60,000 Union Soldiers present at Appomattox Court House at the time of the battle and surrender. 150,000 men is an absurd inflation, which is to be expected from a German book written more than a century ago that someone for some reason felt was a reliable source (Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon, (1618–1905). Stern.) [[User:Sukurabu|Sukurabu]] ([[User talk:Sukurabu|talk]]) 13:02, 8 June 2019 (UTC)
:Updated with strength values from the American Battlefield Trust. [[User:Mojoworker|Mojoworker]] ([[User talk:Mojoworker|talk]]) 07:18, 12 July 2019 (UTC)
== Infobox: Confederate strength: 26,000, Confederate surrendered: 26-28,000 ==
Shum mishtake shurely! [[User:Boscaswell|<span style="color: green">Boscaswell</span>]] [[User talk:Boscaswell|<span style="color: maroon">talk</span>]] 22:37, 4 January 2020 (UTC)
== "[[:Appomatox coart house surrender]]" listed at [[Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion|Redirects for discussion]] ==
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The redirect <span class="plainlinks">[//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Appomatox_coart_house_surrender&redirect=no Appomatox coart house surrender]</span> has been listed at [[Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion|redirects for discussion]] to determine whether its use and function meets the [[Wikipedia:Redirect|redirect guidelines]]. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at '''{{slink|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 April 23#Appomatox coart house surrender}}''' until a consensus is reached. <!-- Template:RFDNote --> [[User:Mdewman6|Mdewman6]] ([[User talk:Mdewman6|talk]]) 07:28, 23 April 2024 (UTC)
== "[[:Battle of appommatox courthouse]]" listed at [[Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion|Redirects for discussion]] ==
[[File:Information.svg|30px]]
The redirect <span class="plainlinks">[//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_appommatox_courthouse&redirect=no Battle of appommatox courthouse]</span> has been listed at [[Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion|redirects for discussion]] to determine whether its use and function meets the [[Wikipedia:Redirect|redirect guidelines]]. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at '''{{slink|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 April 23#Battle of appommatox courthouse}}''' until a consensus is reached. <!-- Template:RFDNote --> [[User:Mdewman6|Mdewman6]] ([[User talk:Mdewman6|talk]]) 20:17, 23 April 2024 (UTC)
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