Amelia Court House in Amelia County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Amelia Court House
Fatal Delay
| | Lee's Retreat | |
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered all of the Army of Northern Virginia's columns retreating west from Richmond and Petersburg to rendezvous at this courthouse village on April 4-5, 1865. Lee hoped that Richmond & Danville Railroad trains carrying rations would be waiting here so that he could continue the march into North Carolina to join his army with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee.
Lee was disappointed when he arrived here on the morning of April 4 to find boxcars full of munitions but not foodstuffs. He quickly issued a proclamation asking that local residents donate "meat, beef, cattle, sheep, hogs, flour, meal, corn, and provender in any quantity that can be spared." By the next morning, however, the forage wagons returned with little sustenancethe farmers had nothing to give. Lee, lamenting that the wasted day was "fatal and could not be retrieved," set the army in motion early in the afternoon, marching down the railroad toward Danville. Behind Lee and his men, the Army of the Potomac's infantry was closing the distance from Richmond and Petersburg, while Federal cavalry had begun cutting
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Erected by Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.
Location. 37° 20.547′ N, 77° 58.876′ W. Marker is in Amelia Court House, Virginia, in Amelia County. It is at the intersection of Virginia Street and Court Street (Virginia Route 38/1007), on the right when traveling north on Virginia Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9120 Virginia St, Amelia Court House VA 23002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont and in Central Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies,
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Confederate Dead (within shouting distance of this marker); Lamkins Battery (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Philip F. Boepple Building (about 300 feet away); William Branch Giles (about 500 feet away); Marion Harland (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil (about 500 feet away); Lee's Retreat (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amelia Court House.
Other markers no longer nearby. Amelia Court House (has been replaced with this marker); Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 7, 2026
3. Amelia Court House Marker
The courthouse green and Confederate Monument lie beyond the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 2,304 times since then and 127 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on February 19, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.
