General Grant's Headquarters at City Point
Grant established his headquarters at City Point, a small port town at the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers. Overnight, the town and adjacent Appomattox Plantation became one of the busiest ports in the world as hundreds of ships delivered food, clothing and ammunition to the Union Army. President Abraham Lincoln spent two of the last three weeks of his life at City Point overseeing the final push of the Civil War. Lincoln's wife, Mary, his youngest son Tad, and Mrs. Lincoln's dress designer, Elizabeth Keckley, accompanied the President to City Point. Lincoln's son, Robert, a captain in the Union Army, Grant's wife, Julia, and their son, Jesse, were also at City Point. President Lincoln visited Grant's cabin almost daily for meetings and general conversation.
Appomattox Plantation at City Point
Appomattox Plantation was the home of the Eppes family prior to 1862 when Union forces shelled the house, forcing the family to leave the 2,300 acre plantation. Dr. Richard Eppes became a contract surgeon at a Confederate hospital in Petersburg. In 1864, U.S. Quartermaster General Rufus Ingalls established headquarters in the house. A telegraph office was constructed just off the east porch, and hundreds of tents and cabins were raised on the grounds. There are no reports that President Lincoln entered the house, even though he spent time in the telegraph office.
