The Appomattox River is a
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
, approximately long,
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, named for the
Appomattoc
The Appomattoc (also spelled Appamatuck, Apamatic, and numerous other variants) were a historic tribe of Virginia Indians speaking an Algonquian language, and residing along the lower Appomattox River, in the area of what is now Petersburg, Co ...
s Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century. It drains a
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
and
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
-growing region of the
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
and
coastal plain
A coastal plain (also coastal plains, coastal lowland, coastal lowlands) is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and an upland area.
Formation
Coastal plains can f ...
southwest of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
.
Course
The Appomattox River rises in the middle of a field near State Route 656 (Horseshoe Road) in the Piedmont of northeastern
Appomattox County
Appomattox County ( ) is a United States county located in the Piedmont region and near the center of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is part of the Lynchburg metropolitan area, and its county seat is the town of Appomattox.
Appoma ...
, approximately northeast of the town of
Appomattox. It flows generally southeast through the
Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest to
Farmville
''FarmVille'' is a series of agriculture-simulation social network games developed and published by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to '' Happy Farm'' and ''Farm Town''. Its gameplay involves various aspects of farmland management, such as plo ...
. From Farmville it flows in a large arc northeast then southeast across the coastal plain, passing southwest of Richmond and passing through the
Lake Chesdin reservoir. It flows through
Petersburg, its
head of navigation
The head of navigation is the farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships. Determining the head of navigation can be subjective on many streams, as the point may vary greatly with the size or the draft of the ship b ...
, through the
Tri-cities area, then joins the James River from the west at
City Point City Point of CityPoint may refer to:
United Kingdom
* CityPoint, an office tower in London, England
United States
* City Point (New Haven), a neighborhood in New Haven, Connecticut
* City Point, a section of the South Boston area in Boston, Massa ...
in
Hopewell.
History
The English
colonists in Virginia at first tried to rename the Appomattox as the "Bristoll River", however this name did not catch on, while the native one did. There are numerous historical spelling variants, such as Apamatuck, Apamutiky, Appamattuck, Appomattake, and Apumetecs, among others.
The Appomattox River was cleared for transportation from Farmville to Petersburg for
batteaux
A bateau or batteau is a shallow-draft, flat-bottomed boat which was used extensively across North America, especially in the colonial period and in the fur trade. It was traditionally pointed at both ends but came in a wide variety of sizes. T ...
from 1745 to 1890 as the
Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System
The Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation system allowed farmers who took their wheat and corn to mills on the Appomattox River, as far way as Farmville, Virginia, to ship the flour all the way to Petersburg, Virginia, Petersburg from 1745 to 1891. The ...
.
Plantation had docks for larger boats that could carry seven tons to Petersburg in a four-day round trip.
Petersburg had a port below the
Fall Line
A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is noticeable especially the place rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the ...
that could hold ships which carry 200 tons down river to the Atlantic Ocean.
Port Walthall
Port Walthall was a town located on the north bank of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States, a few miles upriver from its confluence with the James River at City Point.
Etymology
Port Walthall was part of 1600 ac ...
, six miles downstream could hold larger ships and at City Point, where the Appomattox ran into the James River, even larger ships could dock in the 19th century.
In April 1865 during the
Appomattox campaign of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, the
Confederate
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
forces attempted to burn the
High Bridge
Highbridge or High Bridge may refer to:
United Kingdom
* Highbridge, Cumbria, a location
* Highbridge, Hampshire, England
* High Bridge (Hammersmith), a former bridge in London
*Highbridge, Somerset, a market town, England
**Highbridge and Burnh ...
over the river northwest of
Burkeville in order to escape the pursuing
Union Army after the
fall of Petersburg. The Union capture of the bridge was a contributing factor in the forcing of General
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
's surrender at nearby
Appomattox Court House, ending the war in Virginia.
Recreation
The river is a popular destination for
rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
and
canoe
A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles.
In British English, the term ' ...
ing, particularly downstream of the small Abutment Dam (which is a couple miles down stream of Chesdin Dam) in the village of
Matoaca to Petersburg near
Virginia State University
Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...
.
See also
*
List of Virginia rivers
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Virginia.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries, arranged in the order of their confluence from mouth to source, indented under each larger stream's nam ...
References
External links
VirginiaPlaces.org Appomattox River Basin
{{authority control
Tributaries of the James River
Rivers of Virginia
Rivers of Richmond, Virginia