The Battle of Appomattox Station wayside marker is on the north side of the former railroad station in Appomattox, Virginia, which now serves as the Appomattox Visitors Information Center. It is a short distance away on the same side of the building from the Battle of Appomattox Station K159 Virginia historical marker.
From the marker:
Battle of Appomattox Station
Final Blow
Lee’s Retreat
You are standing near the site of Appomattox Station Depot on the South Side Railroad. Here, on the afternoon of April 8, 1865, Union cavalrymen under Gen. George A. Custer dealt the Army of Northern Virginia a final blow. First, they captured trains loaded with supplies for Confederates, then they attacked and captured Gen. R. Lindsay Walker’s wagons and artillery in bivouac half a mile to the north.
When word of this disaster reached Gen. Robert E. Lee at his headquarters a few miles northeast, he knew the end was near. He and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had exchanged letters on the subject of surrender, and Lee had suggested a meeting between the lines the next day. With Union horsemen now blocking his escape route, Lee’s only hope lay in punching through them with a combined force of infantry and cavalry, and he scheduled a breakout attack for dawn. If it failed, or if he found Federal infantry in front of him as well, the he would have no choice but to surrender.
From the caption to the photos in the center:
Gen. George A. Custer
Gen. B. Lindsay Walker
From the caption to the photos n the right:
Appomattox Station in 1865 (above) – Collection of Bob Zeller
and in 1900 (below, left of bank) – Courtesy of C.P. and M.S. Stuntz
The marker faces away from the parking lot on the north side of the building
Location
The marker is on the north side of the Appomattox Visitors Information Center, which is in the restored train station at the corner of Main and Church Streets.