Cumberland Church
Union Closes In
Here at Cumberland Church, in the afternoon of April 7, 1865, part of the Army of Northern Virginia entrenched to protect the route west to Appomattox Station, where supplies awaited the men. The Confederate line, across the road behind you, stretched a third of a mile to the north, where it then curled around to the west. After repulsing several Union assaults, the Confederates also turned back an attack on their left flank, where Gen. William Mahone held the line. The Federals dug in as evening fell. Under cover of darkness, the Confederate army slipped away but had lost valuable time as the Union army closed in.
It was here that evening, Gen. Robert E. Lee declined a request for surrender sent to him by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. From Cumberland Church, Lee could see the Blue Ridge Mountains; he still hoped to move west and then escape to North Carolina.
Marker is on Cumberland Road (Virginia Route 45), on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
