Although the armies had not passed through Appomattox County prior to the spring of 1865, the war deeply impacted the lives of the people of Appomattox Court House long before any musketry and cannon fire shattered the stillness of the quiet village. In 1861, Appomattox County raised four companies of soldiers to swell the ranks of the Confederate army. 18-year-old Lafayette Meeks, whose family owned the Meeks Store, enlisted in the 2nd Virginia Cavalry in May of 1861, just days after Virginia declared its secession from the Union. Less than six months later, Meeks contracted typhoid fever and passed away. When Lafayette’s body was brought back to Appomattox Court House, his father Francis and mother Mariah buried him in this field near the family’s store, which also served as their home. The family continued to operate the store throughout the war, and Francis and Mariah were present when the war that claimed their son’s life came to their doorstep in the spring of 1865.The individuals present during the fighting and surrender proceedings at Appomattox Court House experienced the events which occurred there from a variety of perspectives. The surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia left the Meeks family and the white residents of the village to grapple with an anguished sense of loss and uncertainty about the future. Free and enslaved African American residents of the village simultaneously understood that emancipation and Lee’s surrender offered a promise of hope for a better future. Confederate soldiers suffered the humiliation of defeat but remained determined to maintain their dignity in the hour of disaster. Federal soldiers reveled in their moment of triumph at Appomattox Court House, satisfied that their efforts had preserved the Union and furthered the process of emancipation. Each of these perspectives forms an integral piece of the Appomattox story.
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
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* appomattox court house national historical park
* appomattox court house
* civil war
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
