Battle of Appomattox Station The Battle of Appomattox Station was fought April 8 , 1865 , during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War . Maj . Gen . George Armstrong Custer ' s Union cavalry , en route to Appomattox Station , clashed with the reserve artillery of the Confederate Third Corps , Army of Northern Virginia , under Colonel Lindsay Walker . The Union army was ordered to take control of the four supply trains that awaited General Robert E . Lee ' s Army of Northern Virginia . The trains carried medical supplies , ammunition , and food vital to the under - equipped Confederate army . The Confederate soldiers were vastly outnumbered , and fought to repulse the Union attack . Many of the Confederates were artillerymen and engineers who were acting as infantry , and had little hand to hand battle experience . The Union army was far better trained and much better organized , all of which led to the Confederate defeat . The Confederates failed to hold the oncoming Army of the Potomac back , and as a result , Custer ' s division captured a supply train and twenty - five guns , driving off and scattering the Confederate defenders . This unique action pitted artillery without infantry support against cavalry . Custer then proceeded to burn three of the captured trains . Background . In late 1864 , Gen . William T . Sherman ' s army began a march with an unknown destination , laying waste to about 20 % of the farms in Georgia in his " March to the Sea " . Lee ' s army , thinned by desertion and casualties , was now much smaller than Grant ' s . Union forces won a decisive victory at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1 , 1865 , forcing Lee to evacuate Petersburg and Richmond . The Confederate capital fell to the Union XXV Corps , composed of black troops . On the afternoon of April 8 , 1865 , four supply trains awaited Lee ' s army at Appomattox Station . The news reached Federal Maj . Gen . George A . Custer and he then pushed his division forward with the 2nd New York Cavalry in the lead . The trains were loaded with supplies — clothes , blankets , equipment , ordnance , medical supplies , and food . After moving along the wagon road beside the railroad , Custer ' s men approached Appomattox Station from the southeast . The Station consisted of only a few houses with a squad of Confederate cavalry guarding the trains . The Confederates then surrendered to the large Union force . Just as the Union army was preparing to leave in the trains , artillery shells began to fall on their forces . These shells were fired by Confederate Brig . Gen . Rueben Lindsay Walker ' s Reserve Artillery , which had advanced to the head of Lee ' s column in order not to impede the movement of the Army of Northern Virginia . With Walker was an approximate force of 100 cannons , 200 baggage wagons , and the army hospital wagons . These forces were unprepared and were not expecting to meet any Union resistance . A fourth train , which had just arrived , started back for Lynchburg in such a rush that it broke some of the couplings and left most of its cars behind . Walker drew his men into a semicircle and was supported by the only troops in the area , Talcott ' s Engineers ( acting as infantry ) , Brig . Gen . Martin Gary ' s Cavalry Brigade , and 75 to 100 artillerymen also acting as infantry . Encounters developed as Federal skirmishers pushed northeast from the Station . The Confederates were hampered by the surprise of the attack , lack of organization , and no central command , which resulted in mass confusion . Custer ' s men were not sure what lay ahead and were ordered by him to charge , but the advance became disjointed probes and pushes through the unfriendly terrain toward the opposing force . Preparations for battle . Lee directed Maj . Gen . John Brown Gordon to set up a line to the south of Appomattox Court House and Lt . Gen . James Longstreet to the north of the Confederate bivouac . Gordon was expected to capture Appomattox Station and capture the supplies that had been lost the day before and create a gap in Union lines for the Army of Northern Virginia to break through . Longstreet , providing rear guard cover for the remaining Army of Northern Virginia , would advance in support after Gordon had created the hole in the Union line . With Maj . Gen . Fitzhugh Lee ' s cavalry on his right , Gordon ' s men lined up at 2 : 00 a . m . , waiting to attack Maj . Gen . Philip Sheridan ' s Union cavalry at dawn , shortly before the final advance of the Army of Northern Virginia began . During the night a Union infantry column under Maj . Gen . Edward O . C . Ord began a forced march from Farmville , reaching Appomattox Station just as Gordon ' s men left their trenches . Directing his men from a knoll at the rear of the formation , Sheridan moved them to appear to be in serious trouble , fortifying their line while they were retreating . The cavalry moving as if to fortify the center line then took a position behind Union infantry lines . Battle . Martin ' s battery fought aggressively on the Confederate left , continuously firing while moving forward . Custer ' s men made two or three assaults , none very aggressive , as the Union soldiers did not want to get too close to the discharges of canister rounds from the Confederate lines . Meanwhile , the Confederate batteries that were not engaged did their best to escape west towards Lynchburg or north towards Oakville . As darkness was coming on , a final concerted charge was made . Custer ' s men captured 25 or 30 guns . There are no Confederate casualty reports , so the exact total will never be known — perhaps 100 men killed and wounded in some manner , but nearly 1 , 000 Confederate soldiers captured , including Brig . Gen . Young Moody , and about 100 wagons . Federal casualties were 48 , but Union surgeons commented that they " had never treated so many extreme cases in so short a fight . The wounds were chiefly made by artillery , and were serious ; many patients being badly mangled . " As the fighting at Appomattox Station subsided , elements of the 15th New York Cavalry , under the direction of Lt . Col . Augustus Root , leaped the fence and gained the Lynchburg - Richmond Stage Road and charged into the village of Appomattox Court House , capturing wagons and teamsters along the way . The New Yorkers retreated back along the stage road , gathering prisoners and shooting mules as they went , thus concluding the engagements on April 8 . Retreat . The Battle of Appomattox Station continued steadily for four hours after it had started and lasted until dusk with varying intensity , although more fighting continued in the direction of Appomattox Court House for another five hours . The success of Custer ' s troopers on the evening of April 8 , dispersing and capturing Walker ' s artillery and securing the Richmond - Lynchburg Stage Road , was vital — the Federals now held the high ground west of Appomattox Court House , squarely across Lee ' s line of march . With Lee ' s line of retreat blocked , his only options on April 9 , 1865 , were to attack or surrender . Lee elected to attack . He held a council of war the night of April 8 , and determined that an assault would be made to open the road , believing that only Federal cavalry blocked the way . However , during the night parts of three Federal Corps made a forced march and were close at hand to support the Federal cavalry in the morning .