I now come to what I have always regarded--shall ever regard--as the
most creditable episode in all American history--an episode without a
blemish, imposing, dignified, simple, heroic. I refer to Appomattox.
Two men met that day, representative of American civilization, the
whole world looking on. The two were Grant and Lee--types each. Both
rose, and rose unconsciously, to the full height of the occasion--and
than that occasion there has been none greater. About it, and them,
there was no theatrical display, no self-consciousness, no effort at
effect. A great crisis was to be met; and they met that crisis as
great countrymen should. Consider the possibilities; think for a
moment of what that day might have been; you will then see cause to
thank God for much.--_General Charles Francis Adams, U. S. V., in Phi
Beta Kappa Address delivered at the University of Chicago, June 17,
1902._
We are now to witness the closing scene of one of the greatest tragedies
ever enacted on the world's stage. Many and varied had been the scenes
during the war; the actors and their parts had been real. The wounds of
the South were bleeding; the North was awaiting the decisive blow.
Thousands of homes were ruined. Fortunes, great and small, had melted away
by the hundreds of millions. In Richmond, the citadel of the waning
Confederacy, the people were starving. The Southern army, half clad and
without food, was but a shadow of its once proud self. Bravely and long
the men in gray had followed their adored leader. Now the limit of
endurance had been reached.
It was the second day of April, 1865. Lee realized that after Petersburg
his beloved Richmond must fall. The order was given for the movement to
begin at eight o'clock that night. The darkness of the early morning of
the 3d was suddenly transformed into a lurid light overcasting the
heavens for miles around the famous city whose name had became a
household word over the civilized world. Richmond was in flames! The
capital of the Confederacy, the pride of the South, toward which the Army
of the Potomac had fought its way, leaving a trail of blood for four weary
years, had at last succumbed to the overwhelming power of Grant's
indomitable armies.
President Davis had received a despatch while attending services at St.
Paul's church, Sunday morning, the 2d, advising him that the city must be
evacuated that night, and, leaving the church at once, he hastened the
preparations for flight with his personal papers and the archives of the
Confederate Government. During that Sabbath day and night Richmond was in
a state of riot. There had been an unwarranted feeling of security in the
city, and the unwelcome news, spreading like an electric flash, was
paralyzing and disastrous in its effect. Prisoners were released from
their toils, a lawless mob overran the thoroughfares, and civic government
was nullified. One explosion after another, on the morning of the 3d, rent
the air with deafening roar, as the magazines took fire. The scene was one
of terror and grandeur.
The flames spread to the city from the ships, bridges, and arsenal, which
had been set on fire, and hundreds of buildings, including the best
residential section of the capital of the Confederacy, were destroyed.
When the Union army entered the city in the morning, thousands of the
inhabitants, men, women, and children, were gathered at street corners and
in the parks, in wildest confusion. The commissary depot had been broken
open by the starving mob, and rifled of its contents, until the place was
reached by the spreading flames. The Federal soldiers stacked arms, and
heroically battled with the fire, drafting into the work all able-bodied
men found in the city. The invaders extinguished the flames, and soon
restored the city to a state of order and safety. The invalid wife of
General Lee, who was exposed to danger, was furnished with an ambulance
and corporal's guard until the danger was past.
President Lincoln, who had visited Grant at Petersburg, entered Richmond
on the 4th of April. He visited President Davis' house, and Libby Prison,
then deserted, and held a conference with prominent citizens and army
officers of the Confederacy. The President seemed deeply concerned and
weighted down with the realization of the great responsibilities that
would fall upon him after the war. Only ten days later the nation was
shaken from ocean to ocean by the tragic news of his assassination.
General Lee had started on his last march by eight o'clock on the night of
the 2d. By midnight the evacuation of both Petersburg and Richmond was
completed. For nine months the invincible forces of Lee had kept a foe of
more than twice their numerical strength from invading their stronghold,
and only after a long and harassing siege were they forced to retreat.
They saw the burning city as their line of march was illuminated by the
conflagration, and emotions too deep for words overcame them. The woods
and fields, in their fresh, bright colors of spring, were in sharp
contrast to the travel-worn, weather-beaten, ragged veterans passing over
the verdant plain. Lee hastened the march of his troops to Amelia Court
House, where he had ordered supplies, but by mistake the train of supplies
had been sent on to Richmond. This was a crushing blow to the hungry men,
who had been stimulated on their tiresome march by the anticipation of
much-needed food. The fatality of war was now hovering over them like a
huge black specter.
General Grant did not proceed to Richmond, but leaving General Weitzel to
invest the city, he hastened in pursuit of Lee to intercept the retreating
army. This pursuit was started early on the 3d. On the evening of that
date there was some firing between the pursuing army and Lee's rear guard.
It was Lee's design to concentrate his force at Amelia Court House, but
this was not to be accomplished by the night of the 4th. Not until the 5th
was the whole army up, and then it was discovered that no adequate
supplies were within less than fifty miles. Subsistence could be obtained
only by foraging parties. No word of complaint from the suffering men
reached their commander, and on the evening of that disappointing day they
patiently and silently began the sad march anew. Their course was through
unfavorable territory and necessarily slow. The Federals were gaining upon
their retreating columns. Sheridan's cavalry had reached their flank, and
on the 6th there was heavy skirmishing. In the afternoon the Federals had
arrived in force sufficient to bring on an engagement with Ewell's corps
in the rear, at Sailor's Creek, a tributary of the Appomattox River. Ewell
was surrounded by the Federals and the entire corps captured. General
Anderson, commanding the divisions of Pickett and Johnson, was attacked
and fought bravely, losing many men. In all about six thousand Confederate
soldiers were left in the hands of the pursuing army.
On the night of the 6th, the remainder of the Confederate army continued
the retreat and arrived at Farmville, where the men received two days'
rations, the first food except raw or parched corn that had been given
them for two days. Again the tedious journey was resumed, in the hope of
breaking through the rapidly-enmeshing net and forming a junction with
Johnston at Danville, or of gaining the protected region of the mountains
near Lynchburg. But the progress of the weak and weary marchers was slow
and the Federal cavalry had swept around to Lee's front, and a halt was
necessary to check the pursuing Federals. On the evening of the 8th, Lee
reached Appomattox Court House. Here ended the last march of the Army of
Northern Virginia.
General Lee and his officers held a council of war on the night of the 8th
and it was decided to make an effort to cut their way through the Union
lines on the morning of the next day. On the 7th, while at Farmville, on
the south side of the Appomattox River, Grant sent to Lee a courteous
request for the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, based on the
hopelessness of further resistance on the part of that army. In reply, Lee
expressed sympathy with Grant's desire to avoid useless effusion of blood
and asked the terms of surrender.
The next morning General Grant replied to Lee, urging that a meeting be
designated by Lee, and specifying the terms of surrender, to which Lee
replied promptly, rejecting those terms, which were, that the Confederates
lay down their arms, and the men and officers be disqualified for taking
up arms against the Government of the United States until properly
exchanged. When Grant read Lee's letter he shook his head in
disappointment and said, "It looks as if Lee still means to fight; I will
reply in the morning."
On the 9th Grant addressed another communication to Lee, repeating the
terms of surrender, and closed by saying, "The terms upon which peace can
be had are well understood. By the South laying down their arms they will
hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, and
hundreds of millions of property not yet destroyed. Sincerely hoping that
all our difficulties may be settled without the loss of another life, I
subscribe myself, etc."
There remained for Lee the bare possibility, by desperate fighting, of
breaking through the Federal lines in his rear. To Gordon's corps was
assigned the task of advancing on Sheridan's strongly supported front.
Since Pickett's charge at Gettysburg there had been no more hopeless
movement in the annals of the war. It was not merely that Gordon was
overwhelmingly outnumbered by the opposing forces, but his
hunger-enfeebled soldiers, even if successful in the first onslaught,
could count on no effective support, for Longstreet's corps was in even
worse condition than his own. Nevertheless, on the morning of Sunday, the
9th, the attempt was made. Gordon was fighting his corps, as he said, "to
a frazzle," when Lee came at last to a realizing sense of the futility of
it all and ordered a truce. A meeting with Grant was soon arranged on the
basis of the letters already exchanged. The conference of the two
world-famous commanders took place at Appomattox, a small settlement with
only one street, but to be made historic by this meeting. Lee was awaiting
Grant's arrival at the house of Wilmer McLean. It was here, surrounded by
staff-officers, that the terms were written by Grant for the final
surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. The terms, and their
acceptance, were embodied in the following letters, written and signed in
the famous "brick house" on that memorable Sunday:
APPOMATTOX COURT HOUSE, VIRGINIA,
APRIL 9, 1865.
GENERAL: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the
8th instant, I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of
Northern Virginia on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the
officers and men to be made in duplicate, one copy to be given to an
officer to be designated by me, the other to be retained by such
officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their
individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the
United States until properly exchanged; and each company or regimental
commander to sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The
arms, artillery, and public property to be parked and stacked, and
turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them. This will
not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or
baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to
his home, not to be disturbed by the United States authority so long
as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may
reside.
U. S. GRANT, _Lieutenant-General_.
General R. E. Lee.
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
APRIL 9, 1865.
GENERAL: I have received your letter of this date containing the terms
of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia as proposed by you.
As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter
of the 8th instant, they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the
proper officers to carry the stipulation into effect.
R. E. LEE, _General_.
Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant.
When Federal officers were seen galloping toward the Union lines from
Appomattox Court House it was quickly surmised that Lee had surrendered.
Cheer after cheer was sent up by the long lines throughout their entire
length; caps and tattered colors were waved in the air. Officers and men
alike joined in the enthusiastic outburst. It was glad tidings, indeed, to
these men, who had fought and hoped and suffered through the long bloody
years.
When Grant returned to his headquarters and heard salutes being fired he
ordered it stopped at once, saying, "The war is over; the rebels are our
countrymen again; and the best sign of rejoicing after the victory will be
to abstain from all demonstration in the field."
Details of the surrender were arranged on the next day by staff-officers
of the respective armies. The parole officers were instructed by General
Grant to permit the Confederate soldiers to retain their own horses--a
concession that was most welcome to many of the men, who had with them
animals brought from the home farm early in the war.
There were only twenty-eight thousand men to be paroled, and of these
fewer than one-third were actually bearing arms on the day of the
surrender. The Confederate losses of the last ten days of fighting
probably exceeded ten thousand.
The Confederate supplies had been captured by Sheridan, and Lee's army was
almost at the point of starvation. An order from Grant caused the rations
of the Federal soldiers to be shared with the "Johnnies," and the
victorious "Yanks" were only too glad to tender such hospitality as was
within their power. These acts of kindness were slight in themselves, but
they helped immeasurably to restore good feeling and to associate for all
time with Appomattox the memory of reunion rather than of strife. The
things that were done there can never be the cause of shame to any
American. The noble and dignified bearing of the commanders was an example
to their armies and to the world that quickly had its effect in the
genuine reconciliation that followed.
The scene between Lee and his devoted army was profoundly touching.
General Long in his "Memoirs of Lee" says: "It is impossible to describe
the anguish of the troops when it was known that the surrender of the army
was inevitable. Of all their trials, this was the greatest and hardest to
endure." As Lee rode along the lines of the tried and faithful men who had
been with him at the Wilderness, at Spotsylvania, and at Cold Harbor, it
was not strange that those ragged, weather-beaten heroes were moved by
deep emotion and that tears streamed down their bronzed and scarred faces.
Their general in broken accents admonished them to go to their homes and
be as brave citizens as they had been soldiers.
Thus ended the greatest civil war in history, for soon after the fall of
the Confederate capital and the surrender of Lee's army, there followed in
quick succession the surrender of all the remaining Southern forces.
While these stirring events were taking place in Virginia, Sherman, who
had swept up through the Carolinas with the same dramatic brilliancy that
marked his march to the sea, accomplishing most effective work against
Johnston, was at Goldsboro. When Johnston learned of the fall of Richmond
and Lee's surrender he knew the end had come and he soon arranged for the
surrender of his army on the terms agreed upon at Appomattox. In the first
week of May General "Dick" Taylor surrendered his command near Mobile, and
on the 10th of the same month, President Jefferson Davis, who had been for
nearly six weeks a fugitive, was overtaken and made a prisoner near
Irwinsville, Georgia. The Southern Confederacy was a thing of the past.
[Illustration: MEN ABOUT TO WITNESS APPOMATTOX