| Appomattox River | |
|---|---|
 The Appomattox River atMatoaca, Virginia | |
 Map of the James River watershed with the Appomattox River watershed highlighted light yellow; the Appomattox River is shown in dark blue | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| Cities | Petersburg,Tri-cities |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Appomattox, Virginia |
| • coordinates | 37°23′46″N78°49′44″W / 37.39614°N 78.82888°W /37.39614; -78.82888[1] |
| • elevation | 820 ft (250 m)[2] |
| Mouth | James River |
• location | Hopewell, Virginia |
• coordinates | 37°19′15″N77°16′32″W / 37.32083°N 77.27556°W /37.32083; -77.27556[1] |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m)[2] |
| Length | 157 mi (253 km)[1] |
| Basin size | 1,344 sq mi (3,480 km2)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Matoaca[3] |
| • average | 1,366 cu ft/s (38.7 m3/s)[3] |
| • minimum | 18 cu ft/s (0.51 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 39,400 cu ft/s (1,120 m3/s) |
TheAppomattox River is atributary of theJames River, approximately 157 miles (253 km) long,[4] in central and easternVirginia, named for theAppomattocs Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century. It drains acotton andtobacco-growing region of thePiedmont andcoastal plain southwest ofRichmond.
The Appomattox River rises in the middle of a field near State Route 656 (Horseshoe Road) in the Piedmont of northeasternAppomattox County, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of the town ofAppomattox. It flows generally southeast through theAppomattox-Buckingham State Forest toFarmville. From Farmville it flows in a large arc northeast then southeast across the coastal plain, passing southwest of Richmond and passing through theLake Chesdin reservoir. It flows throughPetersburg, itshead of navigation, through theTri-cities area, then joins the James River from the west atCity Point inHopewell.
The Englishcolonists 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 forbatteaux from 1745 to 1890 as theUpper Appomattox Canal Navigation System.[5]Eppington Plantation had docks for larger boats that could carry seven tons to Petersburg in a four-day round trip.[6] Petersburg had a port below theFall Line that could hold ships which carry 200 tons down river to the Atlantic Ocean.Port Walthall, 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.[7]
In April 1865 during theAppomattox campaign of theAmerican Civil War, theConfederate forces attempted to burn theHigh Bridge over the river northwest ofBurkeville in order to escape the pursuingUnion Army after thefall of Petersburg. The Union capture of the bridge was a contributing factor in the forcing of GeneralRobert E. Lee's surrender at nearbyAppomattox Court House, ending the war in Virginia.
The river is a popular destination forrafting andcanoeing, particularly downstream of the small Abutment Dam (which is a couple miles down stream of Chesdin Dam) in the village ofMatoaca to Petersburg nearVirginia State University.
| International | |
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| Other | |
