Steadfast to the Last
This immersive tour features four key stops, including a detailed exploration of the Humphrey’s-Gordon fight at Sailor’s Creek and a tour of the renowned Lockett House, known as the “Hole”-ly House, with Jimmy Garnett sharing family stories spanning centuries. Discover the significance of Double Bridges, where a Confederate wagon train was captured, and explore downtown Farmville's role in April 1865, including the Randolph House, where Grant wrote his first letter asking Lee to surrender. The final stop at the Confederate Cemetery in Cumberland County unveils the stories of the 386 soldiers buried there and the hospital's history. Led by knowledgeable APPS guides, this unique tour promises a profound understanding of lesser-known aspects of Civil War history. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with the past and gain insights into pivotal moments of our nation's heritage. Join us for an unforgettable experience!
The Austerlitz of the Wilson Raiders
Join the Appomattox Petersburg Preservation Society on Saturday, October 21, 2023, from 10:00am-12:00pm for "The Austerlitz of the Wilson Raiders," chronicling the ill-fated Wilson-Kautz Raid of 1864, a peripheral Federal excursion deep behind Confederate lines during the opening operations of the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia.
On June 22, 1864, 5,500 Federal cavalry troopers, along with sixteen pieces of artillery, pierced deep into the heartland of Southside Virginia. Their goal: "destroy the lines of communication to the south." Though the Raid itself was not as successful as it had been planned, it shook the sense of security of the entire region, which had previously been largely untouched by the ravages of war.
Join APPS historian Zachary Pittard as he accounts the intensity and desperation of the ten-day raid while walking the actual grounds. The tour will commence at the Clover Center at the Staunton River Battlefield. After introducing you to events precipitating the Raid and its initial planning, the tour will take a short hike to the original earthen fortifications still standing guard over the Staunton River Bridge, and then cross the bridge and explore the battlefield, where the final events of the Raid will be brought to life in vivid detail.
After the tour has concluded, all members and tour guests are invited to continue the journey to Mulberry Hill Plantation, the former home of Judge Paul Carrington (1733-1818), which served as Federal Brigadier General James Wilson’s headquarters and temporary field hospital.
Coffee and donuts will be provided before and throughout the tour.
Fall Tour Pricing:
For APPS Members: $15- Single, $25- Family
For Non-Members: $25-Single, $45- Family
Register online:
"Splendid Conduct" A Battlefield Assessment and Walking Tour
On April 6, 1865, the Confederate 18th Ga Infantry Battalion, also known as the Savannah Volunteer Guard, savagely fought along the banks of Little Sailor’s Creek. The eighty-five-man regiment suffered tremendously during the short battle: thirty one killed, twenty-two wounded, and most of the effectives captured.
Originally interred on the battlefield, some of the deceased men from the regiment are now lying in Laurel Grove cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. Seven of the deceased are still missing. We will honor these missing citizen-soldiers at the end of our tour.
We welcome you to join us on Saturday, March 25th, 2023. We will meet at the Hillsman House parking lot (on Sailor’s Creek Battlefield Historical State Park) at 3:00 p.m. We begin our battlefield assessment of the Savannah Volunteer Guard around 3:15 p.m. The tour will conclude with a brief Memorial Service.
Afterwards, registered guests will be cordially invited to the Hillsman House yard for an evening meal around a campfire.
*This tour will be a rain or shine event. Please bring appropriate footwear and clothing/protection for unpredictable and rapidly changing weather conditions. The meal will be moved to the Park Visitor Center should inclement weather occur.