Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society

CVHS Summer Program by Malinda Powers

In keeping with our focus this year on “big moments” in our country’s history, there is one local event that was of national proportion. It was April 16, 1865. Lee had surrendered to Grant a week earlier at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, but communication lines were down, and most people across the Deep South were not immediately aware of this surrender, including both the Union and Confederate armies. Such was the setting for the “Battle of West Point,” the last fort battle of the Civil War.

Our upcoming quarterly program will be held in downtown West Point, at the city’s covered “Outdoor Pavilion” alongside the Chattahoochee River, in the vicinity of Hawkes Library and City Hall. In addition, this quarter we will be meeting on Saturday morning, July 25, at 10:00 am EDT.

Rea Clark, longtime president of the Fort Tyler Association, will be speaking on the history of this final battle, including its significant location on a hill overlooking the Chattahoochee River. He’ll be accompanied by CVHS members Joe and Debbie Thompson, seasoned Civil War reenactors.

Attendees will be able to purchase a few of our CVHS publications at the close of the program, including “The Battle of West Point.” Additionally, copies of our DVD – “Last Fort to Fall,” produced by Doug Roberts- will be for sale, as well as our historical postcard collection, “Fort Tyler and the Battle of West Point.”

After the program at the covered pavilion, those who wish can walk or drive to the site of the fort several blocks away. From the parking lot below, a paved pathway winds uphill to the site of the re-created fort.
The public is invited to join us for a morning of historical reflection. Afterwards, be sure to check out our great variety of downtown restaurants for lunch!