Plate 97. Appomattox Station, Virginia
date: label: date made
content: 1865-04
name: label: maker
content: Gardner, Alexander
notes: label: Description
content: Text and photograph from <i>Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War</i>, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
label: Description
content: This station is on the railroad between Petersburg and Lynchburg; distant from the former place ninety-six miles, and from Appomattox Court-House, three miles. The place in itself is very insignificant, but received some notoriety from the fact that the last train conveying provisions to General Lee's army, during his retreat, was captured there by the United States forces. The train had arrived very early in the morning, (April 8, 1865,) and the supplies were being transferred to wagons and ambulances, by a detail of about four thousand men, many of them unarmed, when suddenly our cavalry charged upon them, having reached the spot by a by-road leading from the Red House. The rebel officers made strenuous efforts to force their men to resist the attack, but, after a few shots, they fled in confusion, and scattered through the adjoining woods. This was the last effort made by Lee to obtain food for his half-famished army, and with its failure, he evidently gave up all hope. Without halting a moment, the cavalry pushed on, driving the enemy (who had reached the depot about the same hour) in the direction of Appomattox Court-House, capturing many prisoners, twenty-five pieces of artillery, a hospital train, and a large park of wagons.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: related event
content: Civil War
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Photographic History
label: See more items in
content: Gardner's Sketchbook
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: See more items in
content: Photography
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1986.0711.0283.47
label: accession number
content: 1986.0711
label: catalog number
content: 1986.0711.0283.47
objectType: label: Object Name
content: albumen photograph
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 7 in x 9 in; 17.78 cm x 22.86 cm