News Release
Liberty Rifles
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Contact: Brian Miller, 434-694-8904
Appomattox, Va.— Appomattox Court House National Historical Park will commemorate the 160th anniversary of the victory of Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant, which forced the surrender of General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Special anniversary programs and activities will take place April 7-13, 2025.The weeklong commemoration will include guided walks and talks, living history programs, family activities, firing demonstrations, and new trail dedications. The event will kick off on April 7 at 1 p.m. with presentations about the Battles of Sailor’s Creek and the Battles of Cumberland County.
The park will dedicate two new hiking trails during the anniversary week. The dedication of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) Approach Trail will take place at 11 a.m. on April 9. This trail traces the advance of USCT and other Federal units towards the Confederate battle line near the current North Carolina Monument. The park will dedicate the Coleman House Trail on April 10 at 2 p.m. The Coleman Trail marks Federal and Confederate battle lines, taking hikers to the epicenter of the Appomattox Court House Battlefield. Guided tours of each trail will take place immediately after the dedications.
An evening program and concert will take place on April 11 at 6 p.m. at Galilee Baptist Church (4248 Old Courthouse Rd, Appomattox, VA). In 1867, freed people of Appomattox County founded the church, the first for an African American congregation in the area.
Programs on April 12 include first-person presentations by Generals Grant and Lee, small arms and artillery firing demonstrations, horse programs, a re-creation of the Stacking of Arms and more. An evening program will feature a performance by Grammy Award-winning musician Dom Flemons who will examine the African origins of the banjo and sing songs of celebration and freedom. The evening will conclude at dusk with a luminary event to honor the nearly 4,600 enslaved African Americans of Appomattox County.
See the full program schedule on the park’s event page (https://go.nps.gov/Appomattox160). All programs subject to change.
—NPS—
About Appomattox Court House National Historical Park: On April 9, 1865, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia in the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia signaled the end of the nation's largest war. The stories of Appomattox Court House go far beyond the final significant battles of this nation's Civil War. Learn more at www.nps.gov/apco.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: March 7, 2025