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62-647: It is one of Washington's largest parks and protects an important sub-watershed of the Anacostia River . The park is a popular place for picnics, nature walks, indoor ice skating, mountain bike riding, gardening, environmental education, music, skating, sports, and ranger-led Civil War programs. The park was purchased by the National Capital Park and Planning Commission (predecessor of the National Capital Planning Commission) authorized by

124-559: A cease-fire was enacted, and Grant received Lee's request to discuss surrender terms. Dressed in his ceremonial uniform (according to himself, "I may be taken prisoner today. I must look my best."), Lee waited for Grant to arrive. Grant, whose headache had ended when he received Lee's note, arrived at the McLean house in a mud-spattered uniform—a government-issue sack coat with trousers tucked into muddy boots, no sidearms, and with only his tarnished shoulder straps showing his rank. Over one shoulder

186-509: A demonstration to within three miles of Lynchburg , giving the appearance of being the vanguard of a much larger force. Despite this new threat, Lee apparently decided to try for Lynchburg anyway. While the Union Army was closing in on Lee, all that lay between Lee and Lynchburg was Union cavalry. Lee hoped to break through the cavalry before infantry arrived. He sent a note to Grant saying that he did not wish to surrender his army just yet but

248-591: A four-year period, beginning with the Battle of Fort Sumter Centennial issue of 1961. The Battle of Shiloh commemorative stamp was issued in 1962, the Battle of Gettysburg in 1963, the Battle of the Wilderness in 1964, and the Appomattox Centennial commemorative stamp in 1965. The American Battlefield Trust and its battlefield land preservation partners have acquired and preserved 512 acres (2.07 km ) of

310-471: A last-ditch attack to break through the Union forces to his front, assuming the Union force consisted entirely of lightly armed cavalry. When he realized that the cavalry was now backed up by two corps of federal infantry, he had no choice but to surrender with his further avenue of retreat and escape now cut off. The signing of the surrender documents occurred in the parlor of the house owned by Wilmer McLean on

372-683: A pardon and appointing him to a federal position in New Orleans after Grant became president. Likewise, General John Brown Gordon cherished Chamberlain's simple act of saluting his surrendered army, calling Chamberlain "one of the knightliest soldiers of the Federal army." During the Civil War Centennial , the United States Post Office issued five postage stamps commemorating the 100th anniversaries of famous battles, as they occurred over

434-481: A result lost a day's worth of marching time. The army then headed west to Appomattox Station , where another supply train awaited him. Lee's army was now composed of the cavalry corps and two small infantry corps. En route to the station, on April 6 at Sailor's Creek , nearly one fourth of the retreating Confederate army was cut off by Sheridan's cavalry and elements of the II and VI Corps . Two Confederate divisions fought

496-659: A study that proposed that the Fort Drive be renamed the Fort Park System and the scenic drive concept be abandoned in favor of a Greenway trail connecting the forts. In 1968, the National Park Service (NPS) which had taken jurisdiction over the parks in 1933, issued a master plan for the parks that included the Fort Circle Trail. The Fort Circle Trail was originally envisioned as a 32 mile long network of trails around

558-574: A suitable location for the occasion. Marshall scrutinized Appomattox Court House, a small village of roughly twenty buildings that served as a waystation for travelers on the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road. Marshall rejected the first house he saw as too dilapidated, instead settling on the 1848 brick home of Wilmer McLean . McLean had lived near Manassas Junction during the First Battle of Bull Run and had retired to Appomattox to escape

620-417: A thousand deaths." Many of Lee's officers, including Longstreet, agreed that surrendering the army was the only option left. The only notable officer opposed to surrender was Longstreet's chief of artillery, Brig. Gen. Edward Porter Alexander , who predicted that if Lee surrendered then "every other Confederate army will follow suit". Lee decided to request a suspension of fighting while he sought to learn

682-467: A very happy effect among the men and do much toward reconciling the country. The terms of the surrender were recorded in a document handwritten by Grant's adjutant, Ely S. Parker , a Native American of the Seneca tribe , and completed around 4 p.m., April 9. Lee, upon discovering Parker to be a Seneca, remarked "It is good to have one real American here." Parker replied, "Sir, we are all Americans." As Lee left

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744-567: Is the primary trail in the park, but there are various side spur trails throughout the parks, totaling about 10 miles (16 km). The Fort Circle is a 7 mile trail that runs north from the Anacostia Community Museum through the six adjacent Fort Circle Parks (Fort Ricketts Park, Fort Stanton Park, Fort Davis Park, Fort Dupont Park, Fort Chaplin Park and Fort Mahan Park) and several smaller sections of parkland that belong to NPS as part of

806-654: The Appomattox Station . Now both of the Federal forces, the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James , were converging on Appomattox. With his supplies at Appomattox destroyed, Lee now looked west to the railway at Lynchburg , where more supplies awaited him. However, on the morning of April 8 a battalion of the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry was detached from Stoneman's Raid into North Carolina and southwestern Virginia and had made

868-688: The James River in June 1864. The armies under the command of Lieutenant General and General in Chief Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) laid siege to Petersburg , south of Richmond, intending to cut the two cities' supply lines and force the Confederates to evacuate. In the spring of 1865, Confederate States Army Gen. Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), waited for an opportunity to leave the Petersburg lines, aware that

930-793: The Ku Klux Klan , also surrendered, reading his farewell address on May 9, 1865, at Gainesville, Alabama . General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department on June 2, 1865, in Galveston, Texas . Also on May 26, 1865, the Camp Napoleon Council of Native American tribes, including a number that had sided with the Confederacy, met in Oklahoma and decided to have commissioners offer peace with

992-703: The Army of the James, arrived with the XXIV Corps around 4:00 a.m. while the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac was close behind. Sheridan deployed his three divisions of cavalry along a low ridge to the southwest of Appomattox Court House. At dawn on April 9, 1865, the Confederate Second Corps under Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon attacked Sheridan's cavalry and quickly forced back the first line under Brevet Brig. Gen. Charles H. Smith. The next line, held by Brig. Gens. Ranald S. Mackenzie and George Crook , slowed

1054-573: The Capper-Cramton Act provided along with the other circle parks in the 1930s and '40s. Fort Dupont Park is adjacent to a series of other national and DC parks. Commonly people refer to all of them together as Fort Dupont. These are the adjacent parks: Fort Dupont has a 40-year history of offering a summer concert series. Many famous musicians and bands in the Washington, D.C., area have played this venue. The unpaved Fort Circle Hiker-Biker Trail

1116-563: The Confederate advance. Gordon's troops charged through the Union lines and took the ridge, but as they reached the crest, they saw the entire Union XXIV Corps in line of battle with the Union V Corps to their right. Lee's cavalry saw these Union forces and immediately withdrew and rode off towards Lynchburg. Ord's troops began advancing against Gordon's corps while the Union II Corps began moving against Lt. Gen. James Longstreet 's corps to

1178-468: The Confederate army, and then he and Lee sat on the McLean home's porch and met with visitors such as Longstreet and George Pickett before the two men left for their capitals. On April 10, Lee gave his farewell address to his army. The same day a six-man commission gathered to discuss a formal ceremony of surrender, even though no Confederate officer wished to go through with such an event. Brigadier General ( brevet Major General) Joshua L. Chamberlain

1240-468: The Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia , after the nine-and-a-half-month Siege of Petersburg and Richmond, retreated west, hoping to join his army with Confederate forces, the Army of Tennessee in North Carolina . Union infantry and cavalry forces under General Philip Sheridan pursued and cut off the Confederates' retreat at the central Virginia village of Appomattox Court House . Lee launched

1302-658: The Fort Circle Parks, and ends at the north end of Marvin Gaye Park at Hunt Place NE. On the north end it connects to the Marvin Gaye Trail. The 1902 McMillan Plan envisioned connecting the circle forts with a road called Fort Circle Drive. The New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps completed a section of the Fort Circle Drive at Fort Dupont, south toward Good Hope Road. Another section was completed near Fort Reno by

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1364-661: The Fort Circle Trails in the Fort Dupont area in 1967 as part of its 1968 budget. The first 3,000 feet (910 m) of trail, from Pennsylvania Ave to Ridge Road, was opened on November 10, 1968. The complete east of the river section, from the Fort Rickets area to north of Fort Mahan was dedicated as a national recreation trail, along with the Fort DeRussy section, by Interior Secretary Rogers C. B. Morton in 1971. At that point

1426-907: The Fort Circle but only three sections of the trail were built and two of them are no longer labeled as such. The first section was a four mile section of the C&;O Canal towpath from the Foundry Tunnel to Chain Bridge built in 1967 that was to connect Fort Marcy in Virginia with Battery Kemble Park in DC. The second section was a short section in Rock Creek Park along the north side of Military Road – and past Fort DeRussy – that opened in 1968. The Park service first sought funding for 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (7.2 km) of

1488-644: The Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and

1550-479: The Richmond and Lynchburg road. I am at this writing about four miles West of Walker's Church and will push forward to the front for the purpose of meeting you. Notice sent to me on this road where you wish the interview to take place. Grant's response was remarkable in that it let the defeated Lee choose the place of his surrender. Lee received the reply within an hour and dispatched an aide, Charles Marshall , to find

1612-513: The Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, did recall there was a salute and he cherished Chamberlain's act of saluting his surrendered army, calling Chamberlain "one of the knightliest soldiers of the Federal army." Gordon stated that Chamberlain "called his troops into line, and as my men marched in front of them, the veterans in blue gave a soldierly salute to the vanquished heroes." This statement by Gordon contradicts Marvel's perception of

1674-462: The United States. Cherokee Chief and General Stand Watie , in command of 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles , surrendered the last sizeable organized Confederate force on June 23, 1865, in Choctaw County, Oklahoma . There were several more small battles after Lee's surrender. The Battle of Palmito Ranch , east of Brownsville, Texas , on May 12–13, 1865, is commonly regarded as the final land battle of

1736-517: The VI Corps along the creek. The Confederates attacked but were driven back, and soon after the Union cavalry cut through the right of the Confederate lines. Most of the 7,700 Confederates were captured or surrendered, including Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell and eight other general officers. The delay prevented Lee from reaching the Appomattox station until late afternoon on April 8, allowing Sheridan to reach

1798-606: The Works Progress Administration. Military Drive through Rock Creek - considered a part of the Fort Circle Drive at the time - was completed in the 1950s. No further progress on the Drive was completed, wand by 1962 the idea was abandoned due to changes in the urban environment, right-of-way limitations and traffic on the cross streets. In 1965, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) released

1860-470: The afternoon of April 9. On April 12, a formal ceremony of parade and the stacking of arms led by Confederate Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon to Union Brig. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain marked the disbandment of the Army of Northern Virginia with the parole of its nearly 28,000 remaining officers and men, free to return home without their major weapons but enabling men to take their horses and officers to retain their sidearms (swords and pistols), and effectively ending

1922-463: The armies.” At 8:00 a.m., Lee rode out to meet Grant, accompanied by three of his aides. Grant received Lee's first letter on the morning of April 9 as he was traveling to meet Sheridan. Grant recalled his migraine seemed to disappear when he read Lee's letter, and he handed it to his assistant Rawlins to read aloud before composing his reply: General, Your note of this date is but this moment, 11:50 A.M. rec'd., in consequence of my having passed from

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1984-786: The city which were fired for several hours. The line of cannon salutes running round and round the other always proceeding in the same direction, so that it went round and round the circuit 20 to 30 miles". Anacostia River Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.151 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 388703427 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:31:00 GMT Battle of Appomattox Court House The Battle of Appomattox Court House , fought in Appomattox County, Virginia , on

2046-422: The embodiment of manhood: men whom neither toils and sufferings, nor the fact of death, nor disaster, nor hopelessness could bend from their resolve; standing before us now, thin, worn, and famished, but erect, and with eyes looking level into ours, waking memories that bound us together as no other bond;—was not such manhood to be welcomed back into a Union so tested and assured? Instructions had been given; and when

2108-442: The event. At the surrender ceremonies, about 28,000 Confederate soldiers passed by and stacked their arms. General Longstreet's account was 28,356 officers and men were “surrendered and paroled”. The Appomattox Roster lists approximately 26,300 men who surrendered. This reference does not include the 7,700 who were captured at Sailor's Creek three days earlier, who were treated as prisoners of war. While General George Meade (who

2170-403: The head of each division column comes opposite our group, our bugle sounds the signal and instantly our whole line from right to left, regiment by regiment in succession, gives the soldier's salutation, from the "order arms" to the old "carry"—the marching salute. Gordon at the head of the column, riding with heavy spirit and downcast face, catches the sound of shifting arms, looks up, and, taking

2232-438: The house and rode away, Grant's men began cheering in celebration, but Grant immediately ordered them to stop. "I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped", he said. "The Confederates were now our countrymen, and we did not want to exult over their downfall", he said. Custer and other Union officers purchased from McLean the furnishings of the room Lee and Grant met in as souvenirs, emptying it of furniture. Grant soon visited

2294-453: The laws in force where they may reside. The terms were as generous as Lee could hope for; his men would not be imprisoned or prosecuted for treason. Officers were allowed to keep their sidearms, horses, and personal baggage. In addition to his terms, Grant also allowed the defeated men to take home their horses and mules to carry out the spring planting, and provided Lee with a supply of food rations for his starving army; Lee said it would have

2356-451: The meaning, wheels superbly, making with himself and his horse one uplifted figure, with profound salutation as he drops the point of his sword to the boot toe; then facing to his own command, gives word for his successive brigades to pass us with the same position of the manual,—honor answering honor. On our part not a sound of trumpet more, nor roll of drum; not a cheer, nor word nor whisper of vain-glorying, nor motion of man standing again at

2418-711: The morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last, and ultimately one of the most consequential, battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia before they surrendered to the Union Army of the Potomac under the Commanding General of the United States Army , Ulysses S. Grant . Lee, having abandoned

2480-452: The northeast. Colonel Charles Venable of Lee's staff rode in at this time and asked for an assessment, and Gordon gave him a reply he knew Lee did not want to hear: "Tell General Lee I have fought my corps to a frazzle, and I fear I can do nothing unless I am heavily supported by Longstreet's corps." Upon hearing it Lee finally stated the inevitable: "Then there is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant, and I would rather die

2542-708: The order, but an awed stillness rather, and breath-holding, as if it were the passing of the dead! Chamberlain's account has been questioned by historian William Marvel, who claims that "few promoted their own legends more actively and successfully than he did". Marvel points out that Chamberlain in fact did not command the federal surrender detail (but only one of the brigades in General Joseph J. Bartlett 's division) and that he did not mention any "salute" in his contemporary letters, but only in his memoirs written many decades later when most other eyewitnesses had already died. Confederate General John Brown Gordon , in command of

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2604-436: The position was untenable, but Union troops made the first move. On April 1, 1865, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan 's cavalry turned Lee's flank at the Battle of Five Forks . The next day Grant's army achieved a decisive breakthrough , effectively ending the Petersburg siege. With supply railroad lines cut, Lee's men abandoned the trenches they had held for ten months and evacuated on the night of April 2–3. Lee's first objective

2666-458: The responsibility assumed, and of the criticisms that would follow, as the sequel proved, nothing of that kind could move me in the least. The act could be defended, if needful, by the suggestion that such a salute was not to the cause for which the flag of the Confederacy stood, but to its going down before the flag of the Union. My main reason, however, was one for which I sought no authority nor asked forgiveness. Before us in proud humiliation stood

2728-452: The same terms he had before: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate. One copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against

2790-601: The station ahead of the Southerners that evening, where he captured Lee's supplies and obstructed his path. Following the minor battles of Cumberland Church and High Bridge , on April 7, General Grant sent a note to Lee suggesting that it was time to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia. In a return note, Lee refused the request, but asked Grant what terms he had in mind. On April 8, Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. and Brevet Maj. Gen. George Armstrong Custer captured and burned three supply trains waiting for Lee's army at

2852-514: The strength of the Confederacy was gone, and decided to lay down their own arms. General Joseph E. Johnston 's army in North Carolina, the most threatening of the remaining Confederate armies, surrendered to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman at Bennett Place in Durham, North Carolina , on April 26, 1865. The 89,270 Confederate troops who laid down their weapons (the largest surrender of the war) marked

2914-429: The terms of surrender Grant was proposing to offer. A white linen dish towel was used as a Confederate flag of truce and was carried by Capt. R. M. Sims, one of Longstreet's staff officers, into the lines of General Custer, who was part of Sheridan's command. After a truce was arranged, Custer was escorted through the lines to meet Longstreet. According to Longstreet, Custer said, “in the name of General Sheridan, I demand

2976-480: The topography was too difficult (requiring bridges, switchbacks and tunnels) and because it would result in a loss of wildness. A 2010 report by the NCPC, NPS and DC called for a similar greenway connection between the forts. None of those plan been implemented. The park has three picnic areas that are able to reserved for group use. Otherwise, the picnic tables are available through a first come first use basis. Fort Dupont

3038-415: The trail had already been descoped to 23 miles. The 1968 Fort Circle Parks Master Plan was approved in 1974, but there was no further work on the project. In 2004, NPS updated its management plan for the parks and chose to replace the completed trail with a guided walking route between them. The bicycle trail was dropped because it would too significantly change the narrow trails that it went through, because

3100-404: The unconditional surrender of this army.” Longstreet replied that he was not in command of the army, but if he were he would not deal with messages from Sheridan. Custer responded that it would be a pity to have more blood upon the field, to which Longstreet suggested that the truce be respected, and then added “General Lee has gone to meet General Grant, and it is for them to determine the future of

3162-672: The virtual end of the conflict. General Richard Taylor surrendered his army, the Departments of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana, at Citronelle, Alabama , on May 4, 1865. President Jefferson Davis met with his Confederate Cabinet for the last time on May 5, 1865 in Washington, Georgia , and officially dissolved the Confederate government. Davis and his wife Varina , along with their escort, were captured by Union forces on May 10 at Irwinville, Georgia . Upon hearing about Lee's surrender, General Nathan Bedford Forrest , future leader of

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3224-623: The war (ironically a Confederate victory which was followed soon after by the surrender of the Confederate forces). Commander James Iredell Waddell in command of the CSS ; Shenandoah , a commerce raider of the Confederate States Navy , was the last to surrender when he lowered the Confederate flag in Liverpool and surrendered his vessel to the British government on November 6, 1865 (Waddell

3286-628: The war in Virginia. This event signaled the end of the four-year-long war. It triggered a series of subsequent surrenders across the South, in North Carolina , Alabama and finally Shreveport, Louisiana , for the Trans-Mississippi Theater in the West by June. The final campaign for Richmond, Virginia , the capital of the Confederate States , began when the Union Army of the Potomac crossed

3348-487: The war. (The coincidence has been written of that farmer McLean, who relocated to avoid war after one of the Civil War's first battles happened on his land, would come to have the war's end negotiated in his sitting room.) With gunshots still being heard on Gordon's front and Union skirmishers still advancing on Longstreet's front, Lee received a message from Grant. After several hours of correspondence between Grant and Lee,

3410-465: Was a carrying case for his binoculars. It was the first time the two men had seen each other face-to-face in almost two decades. Suddenly overcome with sadness, Grant found it hard to get to the point of the meeting, and instead the two generals briefly discussed their only previous encounter, during the Mexican–American War . Lee brought the attention back to the issue at hand, and Grant offered

3472-468: Was an artillery installation defending the eastern approaches of Washington. During the war the following pieces were at the fort: Fort Dupont never fired guns in hostile action; however, after the surrender of Confederate forces at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, according to John Longyear, "the Chain of forts around the city and the batteries of field artillery between, made a ring of cannons around

3534-471: Was an earthwork fort built in 1861 as part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington , completed in spring 1862, and in use till 1865 when it was abandoned. The land was owned by Micheal Canton prior to the war and returned to him afterward. The fort was a hexagon with 100-foot-long (30 m) sides; inside was a flag pole, deep well, officer quarters, and barracks, while outside was a guard house. The fort

3596-498: Was halfway around the world in the Pacific when he learned the war had ended). Lee never forgot Grant's magnanimity during the surrender, and for the rest of his life would not tolerate an unkind word about Grant in his presence. Confederate General Longstreet spoke well of his old friend Grant, saying he was grateful to Grant for a cheerful greeting and providing him a cigar at Appomattox, as well as later efforts by Grant to get Longstreet

3658-477: Was not present at the meeting) reportedly shouted that "it's all over" upon hearing the surrender was signed, roughly 175,000 Confederates remained in the field, but were mostly starving and disillusioned. Many of these were scattered throughout the South in garrisons or guerrilla bands while the rest were concentrated in three major Confederate commands. Just as Porter Alexander had predicted, as news spread of Lee's surrender other Confederate commanders realized that

3720-477: Was the Union officer selected to lead the ceremony. In his memoirs entitled The Passing of the Armies , Chamberlain reflected on what he witnessed on April 12, 1865, as the Army of Northern Virginia marched in to surrender their arms and their colors: The momentous meaning of this occasion impressed me deeply. I resolved to mark it by some token of recognition, which could be no other than a salute of arms. Well aware of

3782-454: Was to reassemble and supply his men at Amelia Courthouse . His plan was to link up with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston 's Army of Tennessee in North Carolina and go on the offensive after establishing defenses on the Roanoke River in southwest Virginia. When the troops arrived at Amelia on April 4, however, they found no provisions. Lee sent wagons out to the surrounding country to forage, but as

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3844-450: Was willing to discuss how Grant's terms would affect the Confederacy. Grant, suffering from a throbbing headache, stated that "It looks as if Lee still means to fight." The Union infantry was close, but the only unit near enough to support Sheridan's cavalry was Maj. Gen. John Gibbon's XXIV Corps of the Army of the James . This corps traveled 30 miles (48 km) in 21 hours to reach the cavalry. Maj. Gen. Edward O. C. Ord , commander of

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