The Road of Lee's Retreat

I am a student of the American Civil War. This autumn after Labor Day I want to drive and photograph the road/route of “Lee’s Retreat” beginning at Petersburg National Battlefield Park and then on to Appomattox. From Appomattox I plan to drive to Charlottesville and tour Monticello. I have never driven this route. I am not pressed for time and I have about three or four days to spend if needed. In my experience travel times are subjective depending on how much time a person wants to spend at a location. Also in my experience some Civil War stops are nothing more than a large plaque along a busy road and don’t have that much value-added in stopping. Add to that traffic congestion and road construction, then travel times are hard to gauge. I have a map of Lee’s Retreat from the State of Virginia. I also read that the village of Appomattox itself is worth several hours to visit. Could anyone assist me in planning my stops and recommend how much time should I allot for the trip? Thank-you in advance.

The Road of Lee's Retreat

I don%26#39;t know Lee%26#39;s exact route, but if he took Rt 460, it should have taken him only 2 hours (don%26#39;t mind me).

Obviously you%26#39;ll visit the Petersburg Battlefield and Pamplin Park, the Banks House, and Hart Farm. You could spend a lot of time here.

Blackstone has markers, but I%26#39;m not sure there is anything to visit, per se.

Crewe is another small town - good Tastee Freeze - there%26#39;s a Railroad Museum but I don%26#39;t know how Civil War-related it is.

Burkeville - ??

Along Rt 460 I%26#39;ve seen signs for Sailors Creek Battlefield Park but I%26#39;ve not been there to help you judge how much time you%26#39;d need there.

Really, the 2 big spots are Petersburg and Appomattox.

If you haven%26#39;t already, you might check www.virginia.org --%26gt; Attractions --%26gt; History %26amp; Heritage --%26gt; Civil War. If you search by Central Virginia, you%26#39;ll get a lot more information on places to actually GO. However, they might not be on Lee%26#39;s final route.

The Road of Lee's Retreat

Here%26#39;s Lee%26#39;s Retreat Trail.

http://www.varetreat.com/lee.asp

Several years ago there was a hard copy brochure...maybe still is at the state and local visitor information offices. Here it is online with a downloadable pdf map, an interactive map and here%26#39;s how they write about experiencing the trail. Oh, and I do see a phone number in there for the brochure....1-800-6-retreat

How to Experience the Trail

The trail is comprised of 25 stops with detailed audio and visual interpretation at each site. The self-guided driving tour allows you to enjoy the trail at your own pace, letting you linger longer at some stops and pass by others, if time is short. It is suggested you start the trail in Petersburg at South Side Railroad Station to experience the trail in chronological order. However, many people enjoy following it backwards from Appomattox or hoping on or off at different points. Once you begin, follow the Lee%26#39;s Retreat trail blazing signs from one stop to the next. A Lee%26#39;s Retreat brochure and a Virginia State Map could be helpful if you want to skip a stop or should you get lost. Pick them up at any Virginia Welcome Center or call 1-800-6-RETREAT to receive them by mail. To fully experience the tour, allowing time to enter buildings that are publicly accessible, it will take approximately two full days.

In addition to the Retreat driving tour the group now backing this offers the Wilson-Kautz Raid Civil War driving tours, the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail and more. When you bring up the site do click on ';About Us';, ';What to Do'; etc.

Have fun!

This is an older review of the Trail...but, hey, the trail is old right. And it provides the pattern and view of a tourist/travel writer.

washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/…vatrails.htm