Witness to Appomattox

by Richard Wheeler

The battle of Appomatox was the last stand of the Confederacy and the scene of its surrender. This account, utilizing eyewitness accounts, starts in early 1865, with the crumbling of Confederate defenses before Richmond and Petersburg. It follows Lee's efforts to retrieve Confederate forces from deteriorating positions and parallel moves by fast-moving Union troops to cut him off.

Finally, WITNESS TO APPOMATTOX focuses on Lee's encirclement, the negotiations between Grant and Lee at Appomattox Court House, and Lee's surrender -- the end of the most agonizing chapter in U.S. history.

"Richard Wheeler brings narrative to life with haunting images of Lincoln walking the streets of Richmond, drawing an admiring crowd of blacks; Confederate and Union troops gathering around the courthouse, the shock of disbelief -- the birth of hope." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)

Genres: Civil War, History, American History, War

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Richard "Dick" Wheeler was an accomplished military historian and served with the United States Marine Corp (Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division) during World War II. Wheeler participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima and was wounded there. He wrote seventeen military history books and served as a consultant on numerous movie and television productions. He passed away on October 21, 2008 at the age of 86.

Reviews

[David Baer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not really a book that merits a specific critique: as it is mostly a compilation of things that were literally written by people who were there, at the battles marking the last days of the Confederacy. The perspective shifts back and forth between Confederate side and Union side, and sometimes it is momentarily possible to get lost as to which side we are inhabiting at the moment, but it’s all good in the end. It’s nice to read about Civil War battles where it’s not a litany of Union blunders and debacles and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. “Let the thing be pressed.”

[Eric_W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witness to Appomattox by Richard Wheeler is an unusual history in that it relies on contemporary accounts to reveal the minute details of the conflict. While no substitute for more standard histories, this book (and I assume others he has written such as Witness to Gettysburg and Sword Over Richmond does bring a very personal flavor to the account. We see the filth and suffering much more closely than we would otherwise. One touching scene records Lincoln entering Richmond, his escort vessels all running aground, his barge's tug included, and being forced to enlist rowers. They touch ground only to be besieged by blacks who had been slaves only 24 hours earlier. When being told who the man brought ashore was jubilation erupted. Lincoln's visit to General Pickett's wife was particularly poignant. They had been old friends of the Lincoln's; indeed, Lincoln had recommended Pickett's appointment to West Point. The human touch is important to history.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual history in that it relies on contemporary accounts to reveal the minute details of the conflict. While no substitute for more standard histories, this book (and I assume others he has written such as Witness to Gettysburg and Sword Over Richmond does bring a very personal flavor to the account. We see the filth and suffering much more closely than we would otherwise. One touching scene records Lincoln entering Richmond, his escort vessels all running aground, his barge's tug included, and being forced to enlist rowers. They touch ground only to be besieged by blacks who had been slaves only 24 hours earlier. When being told who the man brought ashore was jubilation erupted. Lincoln's visit to General Pickett's wife was particularly poignant. They had been old friends of the Lincoln's; indeed, Lincoln had recommended Pickett's appointment to West Point. The human touch is important to history.

[Michael P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

History usually bores me. The quick succession of names, dates and events flow by making little impression. This book is built around the ingenious idea using letters, diary entries, and official reports to give first hand accounts of the last battles and end of the US Civil War. Usually, the pov is personal, vital, an account of someone who experienced the events and how s/he felt about it. The accounts and anecdotes are often rich in fascinating and telling detail. Dusty names such as Lincoln, Grant, and Lee come alive, as do dozens of other people otherwise unknown. This is the only Civil War book to hold my interest.

I will knock it for abridging some of the accounts. When something is counter to the historical record, Wheeler omits it, indicated by ellipsis. I'd much rather he had included it, then noted that facts the account had wrong. On the other hand, he very helpfully puts in parenthetical remarks to clarify things most of us do not know today. On balance, I'll take it.

[Read1000books · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of Wheeler's eyewitness Civil War books, wherein the participants tell the story through their diaries, memoirs, newspaper accounts, etc., are excellent and this volume is no exception. Highly recommended.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The autor follows the war from Richmond in 1865 to its conclusion at Appomattox. The research is based on accounts of people who were there.