Union calvary troops cut off the retreat of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia (under the command of General Robert E. Lee) near the Appomattox Court House. Lee knew the Confederate cause was effectively lost by this point, but was not yet willing to surrender. Confederate supplies at Appomattox were gone, but supplies were available at the Confederate railhead of Lynchburg to the west, so if Lee could reach Lynchburg, he stood a chance of at least delaying defeat (and potentially of negotiating better terms for the surrender).
Under the assumption that he was facing Union cavalry only, Lee ordered the Army of Northern Virginia to attack to try to break through Union lines. This worked to some extent, but when Confederate troops crested a ridge after fighting through several lines of cavalry they saw all of the Union XXIV Infantry Corps directly ahead of them, with the V Corps to their right.
Shortly after this, it became obvious to nearly all Lee's staff that surrender under whatever terms Grant was offering was essentially their only viable option. Fortunately, these turned out to be about as favorable as Lee could have hoped for, since the men under his command were not to be imprisoned or prosecuted for treason (which they were, at least technically, guilty of), but released on "parole" under the condition that they not again take up arms against the Government of the United States.
However, "why it happened" was basically "The Union Army got in the way of Lee's retreat, and Lee mistakenly thought he could break through."
General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Colonel Ulysses S. Grant, after a meeting at a private home meaning a confederate surrender.
It was the county seat for Appomattox County, Virginia. The rail line went through and it was where trials and business were conducted.
Appomattox Court House is a village located three miles (5 km) east of Appomattox, Virginia, USA (25 miles east of Lynchburg, Virginia, in the central part of the state), famous as the site of the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse and containing the house of Wilmer McLean, where the surrender of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee to Union commander Ulysses S. Grant took place on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the American Civil War. The site is now commemorated as Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, a National Historical Park. This answer was cut and pasted from Wikipedia
Robert E. Lee surrendered to US Grant at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Lee's army was few in number and starving for food. Grant had a huge army and Lee had no choice but to surrender.
what was the site of an early American victory afterWashington's famous crossing the Delaware
William who
Delphi was the site of the most famous of the Greek oracles.
Robert E. Lee's surrender.
That is where Lee surrendered to Grant.
Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
No - the Appomattox courthouse is where the surrender was signed.
Appomattox Court House, Virginia
Appomattox Court House is a national historic site, because the Confederacy (south) surrendered here. They surrendered shortly after the Union (north) invaded and captured their capitol, which was Richmond, Virginia.
its where robert e lee surrendered
Appomattox Court House
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Appomattox Court House began as Clover Hill Tavern in 1819. The name Appomattox Court House began to be used when the village became the county seat of the newly created Appomattox County in 1845. The McLean House (where Lee formally surrendered to Grant) was on the site of the original tavern. The Court House building in the village burned down in the 1890s and was replaced by a newer building a few miles away.