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Appomattox

American  
[ap-uh-mat-uhks] / ˌæp əˈmæt əks /

noun

  1. a town in central Virginia where Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865, ending the Civil War.

  2. a river flowing E from E central Virginia to the James River. 137 miles (220 km) long.


Appomattox British  
/ ˌæpəˈmætəks /

noun

  1. a village in central Virginia where the Confederate army under Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the American Civil War

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Only two Confederates were tried, convicted and executed for war crimes after the 1865 surrender at Appomattox.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

It’s Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox treating Robert E. Lee with perfectly calibrated respect, letting Lee’s officers keep their sidearms and his men their personal horses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

Within five years of Appomattox, Robert E. Lee’s former lieutenant was leading Black militiamen into battle against white insurrectionists—his own onetime comrades in arms.

From Slate • Nov. 20, 2023

When Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant after the Battle of Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, the South’s defeat in the Civil War had been all but assured.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2023

Whoever heard her talk like that had a deeper understanding of the long hard way she had come, had a deeper understanding of what lay behind Gettysburg and Appomattox.

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry

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