About APPS

The Appomattox-Petersburg Preservation Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization comprised of like-minded, passionate individuals dedicated to preserving the sacred landmarks and battlefields of the American Civil War and educating our local communities on the significant role this region played during the conflict.

While this part of Virginia was not the host of nearly as many campaigns and battles as other parts of the Commonwealth, let alone the South, it was not spared the ravages of the conflict entirely. In 1864, Confederate forces successfully defeated a large Federal raiding party seeking to destroy vital logistical hubs supplying General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, in an event that became known as the Wilson-Kautz Raid of 1864. It also was the host of the Appomattox Campaign of 1865, which saw the surrender of General Lee’s vaunted Army to Union General Ulysses Grant, effectively ending the War.

Despite their wartime significance, these fields and landmarks are often overshadowed by other campaigns and battles, sites that receive more attention among historians, tourists, and, as such, other long-standing preservation organizations. As such, they are vulnerable to the passage of time and the accompanying never-ebbing tide of urban sprawl and commercial development.

In 2022, realizing the importance of these battlefields and landmarks and the need to preserve them for the future, the Appomattox-Petersburg Preservation Society (also known as “APPS”) was formed.

Since its inception, the Society has made a meaningful impact on preserving this chapter of American history. Notably, they have helped to preserve a 45-acre tract of battlefield land at Cumberland Church- the site of a Confederate rear-guard action during the final days of the War-have saved an interior wall of a wartime field hospital containing original Union soldiers’ graffiti and signatures, networked with other local organizations, and led presentations and lectures at various seminars and forums.

Recently, APPS has acquired stewardship of the Appomattox Station Battlefield, the site of one of the climactic battles of the Appomattox Campaign, where Confederate artillerymen valiantly confronted courageous Federal cavalrymen just one day before Lee’s surrender. The site will be developed, with interpretive signage and other improvements added.

Looking to the future, the Society plans to acquire complete stewardship over the Cumberland Church battlefield, as well, which saw a desperate rear-guard action by Confederate forces outside of Farmville on April 7, 1865. This site will be developed as well so that visitors can explore original wartime entrenchments. They also will professionally conserve the “Graffiti Wall” to ready it for museum display.

APPS also leads in-depth battlefield tours for members and features other exclusive events for its members.

None of this could be possible without APPS’ dedicated and passionate membership. If you are interested in helping us in our mission, please consider joining us or making a monetary donation. Membership dues are $25 for an individual and $45 for a family.

The Appomattox-Petersburg Preservation Society: Saving our history, inspiring our future.