SEE BREAKING NEWS AT END OF TODAY'S POST
 |
|
“The Surrender”--A fascinating
study by contemporary artist Keith Rocco depicts the surrender of Confederate
forces under the command of Robert E. Lee inside the McLean house, Appomattox,
Virginia, April 9, 1865. Participants
were all Federal officers except where noted (left to right) Rebel Lt. Col.
Charles Marshall; Lt. Col. Ely S. Parker; rebel General Robert E. Lee; Lt. Col.
Orville E. Babcock; Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant; Maj. Gen. Edward Ord; Lt. Col.
Horace Porter; Capt. Robert T. Lincoln with hand on chair; Lt. Col. Theodore S.
Bowers with hand on cabinet; Maj. Gen. Phillip H. Sheridan, who is seated and
leaning forward; Brig. Gen. John Rawlins with back view; Brig. Gen. Rufus
Ingalls seated leaning backwards. Back
row, top Brig. Gen. George Sharpe; Lt. Col. Adam Badeau (leaning forward) and
Brig. Gen. Michael Morman (arms crossed).
Brig. Gen. Seth Williams is seated with hand and arm on his sword.
|
APRIL 9, 1865
The Surrender At Appomattox Court
House
GUEST BLOG--By Horace Porter, Brevet Brigadier General, U.S.A--A little before
noon on the 7th of April, 1865, General Grant, with his staff, rode into the little
village of Farmville, on the south side of the Appomattox River, a town that
will be memorable in history as the place where he opened the correspondence
with Lee which led to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.
 |
| Horace Porter |
Horace Porter (April 15, 1837 – May
29, 1921) was an American soldier and diplomat who served as a staff officer in
the Union Army during the Civil War, personal secretary to General and
President Ulysses S. Grant and General William T. Sherman, and U.S. Ambassador
to France from 1897 to 1905.
He drew up in front of the village
hotel, dismounted, and established headquarters on its broad piazza' News came
in that Crook was fighting large odds with his cavalry on the north side of the
river, and I was directed to go to his front and see what was necessary to be
done to assist him. I found that he was being driven back, the enemy (Munford's
and Rosser's cavalry divisions under Fitzhugh Lee) having made a bold stand
north of the river.
Humphreys
was also on the north side, isolated from the rest of our infantry, confronted
by a large portion of Lee's army, and having some very heavy fighting. On my
return to general headquarters that evening Wright's corps was ordered to cross
the river and move rapidly to the support of our troops there. Notwithstanding
their long march that day, the men sprang to their feet with a spirit that made
every one marvel at their pluck, and came swinging through the main street of
the village with a step that seemed as elastic as on the first day of their
toilsome tramp. It was now dark, but they spied the general-in-chief watching
them with evident pride from the piazza of the hotel.
Then was
witnessed one of the most inspiring scenes of the campaign. Bonfires were
lighted on the sides of the street, the men seized straw and pine knots, and
improvised torches; cheers arose from throats already hoarse with shouts of
victory, bands played, banners waved, arms were tossed high in air and caught
again. The night march had become a grand review, with Grant as the reviewing
officer.
Ord and
Gibbon had visited the general at the hotel, and he had spoken with them as
well as with Wright about sending some communication to Lee that might pave the
way to the stopping of further bloodshed. Dr. Smith, formerly of the regular
army, a native of Virginia and a relative of General Ewell, now one of our
prisoners, had told General Grant the night before that Ewell had said in
conversation that their cause was lost when they crossed the James River, and
he considered that it was the duty of the authorities to negotiate for peace
then, while they still had a right to claim concessions, adding that now they
were not in condition to claim anything. He said that for every man killed
after this somebody would be responsible, and it would be little better than
murder. He could not tell what General Lee would do, but he hoped he would at
once surrender his army. This statement, together with the news that had been
received from Sheridan saying that he had heard that General Lee's trains of
provisions which had come by rail were at Appomattox, and that he expected to
capture them before Lee could reach them, induced the general to write the
following communication:
HEADQUARTERS,
ARMIES OF THE U. S.
5 P. m.,
April 7th, 1865
GENERAL
R. E. LEE, Commanding C. S. A.:
The results of the last week must
convince you of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army
of Northern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as
my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any further effusion of
blood by asking of you the surrender of that portion of the Confederate States
army known as the Army of Northern Virginia.
U. S.
Grant, Lieutenant-General
This he intrusted to General Seth
Williams, adjutant-general, with directions to take it to Humphreys's front, as
his corps was close up to the enemy's rear-guard, and have it sent into Lee's
lines. The general decided to re all night at Farmville and await the reply
from Lee, and he was shown to a room in the hotel in which, he was told, Lee
had slept the night before. Lee wrote the following reply within an hour after
he received General Grant's letter, but it was brought in by rather a
circuitous route and did not reach its destination till after midnight:
April
7th, 1865
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL
U. S. GRANT,
Commanding
Armies of the U. S.
GENERAL:
I have received your note of this date. Though not entertaining the opinion you
express of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of
Northern Virginia, I reciprocate your desire to avoid useless effusion of
blood, and therefore, before considering your proposition, ask the terms you
will offer on condition of its surrender.
R.E. LEE,
General
The next morning before leaving Farmville
the following reply was given to General Williams, who again went to
Humphreys's front to have it transmitted to Lee:
April
8th, 1865
GENERAL
R. E. LEE,
Commanding
C. S. A.:
Your note of last evening in reply to
mine of the same date, asking the conditions on which I will accept the
surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, is just received. In reply I would
say that, peace being my great desire, there is but one condition I would
insist upon-namely, that the men and officers surrendered shall be disqualified
for taking up arms against the Government of the United States until properly
exchanged. I will meet you, or will designate officers to meet any officers you
may name for the same purpose, at any point agreeable to you, for the purpose
of arranging definitely the terms upon which the surrender of the Army of
Northern Virginia will be received.
U. S.
GRANT,
Lieutenant-General
There turned up at this time a rather
hungry-looking gentleman in gray, in the uniform of a colonel, who proclaimed
himself the proprietor of the hotel. He said his regiment had crumbled to
pieces, he was the only man left in it, and he thought he might as well
"stop off " at home. His story was significant as indicating the
disintegrating process that was going on in the ranks of the enemy.
General Grant had been marching most of
the way with the columns that were pushing along south of Lee's line of
retreat; but expecting that a reply would be sent to his last letter and
wanting to keep within easy communication with Lee, he decided to march this
day with the portion of the Army of the Potomac that was pressing Lee's
rear-guard.
After
issuing some further instructions to Ord and Sheridan, he started from Farmville,
crossed to the north side of the Appomattox, conferred in person with Meade,
and rode with his columns. Encouraging reports came in all day, and that night
headquarters were established at Curdsville in a large white farmhouse, a few
hundred yards from Meade's camp.
The
general and several of the staff had cut loose from the headquarters trains the
night he started to meet Sheridan at Jetersviue, and had neither baggage nor
camp-equipage. The general did not even have his sword with him. This was the
most advanced effort yet made at moving in "light marching order,"
and we billeted ourselves at night in farmhouses, or bivouacked on porches, and
picked up meals at any camp that seemed to have something to spare in the way
of rations. This night we sampled the fare of Meade's hospitable mess and once
more lay down with full stomachs.
General
Grant had been suffering all the afternoon from a severe headache, the result
of fatigue, anxiety, scant fare, and loss of sleep, and by night it was much worse.
He had been induced to bathe his feet in hot water and mustard, and apply
mustard plasters to his wrists and the back of his neck, but these remedies
afforded little relief.
The
dwelling we occupied was a double house. The general threw himself upon a sofa
in the sitting room on the left side of the hall, while the staff-officers
bunked on the floor of the room opposite to catch what sleep they could. About
midnight we were aroused by Colonel Charles A. Whittier of Humphreys's staff,
who brought another letter from Lee. Rawlins at once took it in to General
Grant's room. It was as follows:
April 8th, 1865
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL U. S. GRANT
GENERAL: I received at a late hour your
note of today. In mine of yesterday I did not intend to propose the surrender
of the Army of Northern Virginia, but to ask the terms of your proposition. To
be frank, I do not think the emergency has arisen to call for the surrender of
this army, but, as the restoration of peace should be the sole object of all, I
desired to know whether your proposals would lead to that end. I cannot,
therefore, meet you with a view to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia; but
as far as your proposal may affect the Confederate States forces under my
command, and tend to the restoration of peace, I should be pleased to meet you
at 10 am to-morrow on the old stage road to Richmond, between the picket-lines
of the two armies.
R. E. LEE,
General
General
Grant had been able to get but very little sleep. He now sat up and read the
letter, and after making a few comments upon it to General Rawlins lay down
again on the sofa.
About 4
o'clock on the morning of the 9th, I rose and crossed the hall to
ascertain how the general was feeling. I found his room empty, and upon going
out of the front door saw him pacing up and down in the yard holding both hands
to his head. Upon inquiring how he felt, he replied that he had had very little
sleep, and was still suffering the most excruciating pain. I said: "Well,
there is one consolation in all this, General: I never knew you to be ill that
you did not receive some good news. I have become a little superstitious
regarding these coincidences, and I should not be surprised if some good
fortune overtook you before night."
He smiled
and said: "The best thing that can happen to me today is to get rid of the
pain I am suffering." We were soon joined by some others of the staff, and
the general was induced to go over to Meade's headquarters with us and get some
coffee, in the hope that it would do him good. He seemed to feel a little
better now, and after writing the following letter to Lee and dispatching it he
prepared to move forward. The letter was as follows:
April 9th, 1865
GENERAL R. E. LEE
GENERAL: Your note of yesterday is
received. I have no authority to treat on the subject of peace. The meeting
proposed for 10 A. M. today could lead to no good. I will state, however, that
I am equally desirous for peace with yourself, and the whole North entertains
the same feeling. The terms upon which peace can be had are well understood. By
the South laying down their arms, they would hasten that most desirable event,
save thousands of human lives, and hundreds of millions of property not yet
destroyed. Seriously hoping that all our difficulties may be settled without
the loss of another life, I subscribe myself, etc.
U. S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General
It was proposed to him to ride during
the day in a covered ambulance which was at hand, instead of on horseback, so
as to avoid the intense heat of the sun, but this he declined to do, and soon
after mounted "Cincinnati" and struck off toward New Store. From that
point he went by way of a crossroad to the south side of the Appomattox with
the intention of moving around to Sheridan's front. While riding along the
wagon road that runs from Farmville to Appomattox Court House, at a point eight
or nine miles east of the latter place, Lieutenant Charles E. Pease of Meade's
staff overtook him with a dispatch. It was found to be a reply from Lee, which
had been sent in to our fines on Humphreys's front. It read as follows:
April 9th, 1865
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL U. S. GRANT
GENERAL: I received your note of this
morning on the picket-line, whither I had come to meet you and ascertain
definitely what terms were embraced in your proposal of yesterday with
reference to the surrender of this army. I now ask an interview, in accordance
with the offer contained in your letter of yesterday, for that purpose.
R. E. LEE,
General
Pease also brought a note from Meade,
saying that at Lee's request he had read the communication addressed to General
Grant and in consequence of it had granted a short truce.
The general, as soon as he had read
these letters, dismounted, sat down on the grassy bank by the roadside, and
wrote the following reply to Lee:
April 9th, 1865
GENERAL R. E. LEE,
Commanding C. S. Army:
Your note of this date is but this
moment (I 1:50 A. m.) received, in consequence of my having passed from the
Richmond and Lynchburg road to the Farmvine and Lynchburg road. I am at this
writing about four miles west of Walker's Church, and will push forward to the
front for the purpose of meeting you. Notice sent to me on this road where you
wish the interview to take place win meet me.
U.S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General
He handed
this to Colonel Babcock of the staff, with directions to take it to General Lee
by the most direct route. Mounting his horse again the general rode on at a
trot toward Appomattox Court House. When five or six miles from the town,
Colonel Newhall, Sheridan's adjutant-general, came riding up from the direction
of Appomattox and handed the general a communication. This proved to be a
duplicate of the letter from Lee that Lieutenant Pease had brought in from Meade's
lines.
Lee was
so closely pressed that he was anxious to communicate with Grant by the most
direct means, and as he could not tell with which column Grant was moving he
sent in one copy of his letter on Meade's front and one on Sheridan's.
Colonel
Newhall joined our party, and after a few minutes' halt to read the letter we
continued our ride toward Appomattox. On the march I had asked the general
several times how he felt. To the same question now he said, "The pain in
my head seemed to leave me the moment I got Lee's letter."
The road
was filled with men, animals, and wagons, and to avoid these and shorten the
distance we turned slightly to the right and began to "cut across
lots"; but before going far we spied men conspicuous in gray, and it was
seen that we were moving toward the enemy's left flank, and that a short ride
farther would take us into his lines. It looked for a moment as if a very
awkward condition of things might possibly arise, and Grant become a prisoner
in Lee's lines instead of Lee in his.
Such a
circumstance would have given rise to an important cross entry in the system of
campaign book-keeping. There was only one remedy -to retrace our steps and
strike the right road, which was done without serious discussion. About 1 pm
the little village of Appomattox Court House, with its half-dozen houses, came
in sight, and soon we were entering its single street. It is situated on some
rising ground, and beyond the country slopes down into a broad valley. The
enemy was seen with his columns and wagon trains covering the low ground.
Our
cavalry, the Fifth Corps, and part of Ord's command were occupying the high
ground to the south and west of the enemy, heading him off completely. Generals
Sheridan and Ord, with a group of officers around them, were seen in the road,
and as our party came up General Grant said: "How are you, Sheridan?"
"First-rate,
thank you; how are you?" cried Sheridan, with a voice and look that seemed
to indicate that on his part he was having things all his own way.
"Is
Lee over there?" asked General Grant, pointing up the street, having heard
a rumor that Lee was in that vicinity.
"Yes,
he is in that brick house," answered Sheridan.
"Well,
then, we'll go over," said Grant.
The
general-in-chief now rode on, accompanied by Sheridan, Ord, and some others,
and soon Colonel Babcock's orderly was seen sitting on his horse in the street
in front of a two-story brick house, better in appearance than the rest of the
houses. He said General Lee and Colonel Babcock had gone into this house a
short time before, and he was ordered to post himself in the street and keep a
lookout for General Grant, so as to let him know where General Lee was.
Babcock
told me afterward that in carrying General Grant's last letter he passed
through the enemy's lines and found General Lee a little more than half a mile
beyond Appomattox Court House. He was lying down by the roadside on a blanket,
which had been spread over a few fence rails on the ground under an apple tree,
which was part of an orchard.
This
circumstance furnished the only ground for the widespread report that the
surrender occurred under an appletree. Babcock dismounted upon coming near, and
as he approached on foot, Lee sat up, with his feet hanging over the roadside
embankment. The wheels of the wagons in passing along the road had cut away the
earth of this embankment and left the roots of the tree projecting. Lee's feet
were partly resting on these roots. One of his staff-officers came forward,
took the dispatch which Babcock handed him and gave it to General Lee.
After
reading it, the general rose and said he would ride forward on the road on
which Babcock had come, but was apprehensive that hostilities might begin in
the meantime, upon the termination of the temporary truce, and asked Babcock to
write a line to Meade informing him of the situation.
Babcock
wrote accordingly, requesting Meade to maintain the truce until positive orders
from General Grant could be received. To save time it was arranged that a Union
officer, accompanied by one of Lee's officers, should carry this letter through
the enemy's lines. This route made the distance to Meade nearly ten miles
shorter than by the roundabout way of the Union lines.
Lee now
mounted his horse and directed Colonel Charles Marshall, his military
secretary, to accompany him. They started for Appomattox Court House in company
with Babcock and followed by a mounted orderly. When the party reached the
village they met one of its residents, named Wilmer McLean, who was told that
General Lee wanted to occupy a convenient room in some house in the town.
McLean ushered them into the sitting-room of one of the first houses he came
to, but upon looking about and finding it quite small and meagerly furnished,
Lee proposed finding something more commodious and better fitted for the
occasion. McLean then conducted the party to his own house, about the best one
in the town, where they awaited General Grant's arrival.
The house
had a comfortable wooden porch with seven steps leading up to it. A hall ran
through the middle from front to back, and on each side was a room having two
windows, one in front and one in rear. Each room had two doors opening into the
hall. The building stood a little distance back from the street, with a yard in
front, and to the left was a gate for carriages and a roadway running to a
stable in rear.
We
entered the grounds by this gate and dismounted. In the yard were seen a fine
large gray horse, which proved to be General Lee's, and a good-looking mare
belonging to Colonel Marshall. An orderly in gray was in charge of them, and
had taken off their bridles to let them nibble the grass.
General
Grant mounted the steps and entered the house. As he stepped into the hall
Colonel Babcock, who had seen his approach from the window, opened the door of
the room on the left, in which he had been sitting with General Lee and Colonel
Marshall awaiting General Grant's arrival.
The
general passed in, while the members of the staff, Generals Sheridan and Ord,
and some general officers who had gathered in the front yard, remained outside,
feeling that he would probably want his first interview with General Lee to be,
in a measure, private.
In a few
minutes Colonel Babcock came to the front door and, making a motion with his
hat toward the sitting-room, said: "The general says, come in." It
was then about half-past one of Sunday, the 9th of April. We entered, and found
General Grant sitting at a marble topped table in the center of the room, and
Lee sitting beside a small oval table near the front window, in the corner
opposite to the door by which we entered, and facing General Grant.
Colonel
Marshall, his military secretary, was standing at his left. We walked in softly
and ranged ourselves quietly about the sides of the room, very much as people
enter a sick-chamber when they expect to find the patient dangerously ill. Some
found seats on the sofa and the few chairs which constituted the furniture, but
most of the party stood.
The contrast
between the two commanders was striking, and could not fail to attract marked
attention as they sat ten feet apart facing each other. General Grant, then
nearly 43 years of age, was five feet eight inches in height, with shoulders
slightly stooped. His hair and full beard were a nutbrown, without a trace of
gray in them. He had on a single-breasted blouse, made of dark-blue flannel,
unbuttoned in front, and showing a waistcoat underneath. He wore an ordinary
pair of top-boots, with his trousers inside, and was without spurs. The boots
and portions of his clothes were spattered with mud. He had on a pair of thread
gloves, of a dark-yellow color, which he had taken off on entering the room.
His felt "sugar-loaf " stiff-brimmed hat was thrown on the table
beside him. He had no sword, and a pair of shoulder straps was all there was
about him to designate his rank. In fact, aside from these, his uniform was
that of a U.S. Army private.
Lee, on the other hand, was fully six
feet in height, and quite erect for one of his age, for he was Grant's senior
by 16 years. His hair and full beard
were a silver-gray, and quite thick, except that the hair had become a little
thin in front. He wore a new uniform of Confederate gray, buttoned up to the
throat, and at his side he carried a long sword of exceedingly fine
workmanship, the hilt studded with jewels. It was said to be the sword that had
been presented to him by the State of Virginia. His top-boots were
comparatively new, and seemed to have on them some ornamental stitching of red
silk. Like his uniform, they were singularly clean, and but little
travel-stained. On the boots were handsome spurs, with large rowels. A felt
hat, which in color matched pretty closely that of his uniform, and a pair of
long buckskin gauntlets lay beside him on the table.
We asked
Colonel Marshall afterward how it was that both he and his chief wore such fine
toggery, and looked so much as if they had turned out to go to church, while
with us our outward garb scarcely rose to the dignity even of the
"shabby-genteel."
He
enlightened us regarding the contrast, by explaining that when their
headquarters wagons had been pressed so closely by our cavalry a few days
before, and it was found they would have to destroy all their baggage, except
the clothes they carried on their backs, each one, naturally, selected the
newest suit he had, and sought to propitiate the god of destruction by a
sacrifice of his second best.
General
Grant began the conversation by saying: "I met you once before, General
Lee, while we were serving in Mexico, when you came over from General Scott's
headquarters to visit Garland's brigade, to which I then belonged. I have
always remembered your appearance, and I think I should have recognized you anywhere."
"Yes,"
replied General Lee, "I know I met you on that occasion, and I have often
thought of it and tried to recollect how you looked, but I have never been able
to recall a single feature."
After
some further mention of Mexico, General Lee said: "I suppose, General
Grant, that the object of our present meeting is fully understood. I asked to
see you to ascertain upon what terms you would receive the surrender of my
army."
General
Grant replied: "The terms I propose are those stated substantially in my
letter of yesterday that is, the officers and men surrendered to be paroled and
disqualified from taking up arms again until properly exchanged, and all arms,
ammunition, and supplies to be delivered up as captured property."
Lee
nodded an assent, and said: "Those are about the conditions which I
expected would be proposed."
General
Grant then continued: "Yes, I think our correspondence indicated pretty
clearly the action that would be taken at our meeting; and I hope it may lead
to a general suspension of hostilities and be the means of preventing any
further loss of life."
Lee
inclined his head as indicating his accord with this wish, and General Grant
then went on to talk at some length in a very pleasant vein about the prospects
of peace.
Lee was
evidently anxious to proceed to the formal work of the surrender, and he
brought the subject up again by saying: "I presume, General Grant, we have
both carefully considered the proper steps to be taken, and I would suggest
that you commit to writing the terms you have proposed, so that they may be
formally acted upon."
Very
well," replied General Grant, "I will write them out." And
calling for his manifold order-book, he opened it on the table before him and
proceeded to write the terms. The leaves had been so prepared that three
impressions of the writing were made. He wrote very rapidly, and did not pause
until he had finished the sentence ending with "officers appointed by me
to receive them."
Then he
looked toward Lee, and his eyes seemed to be resting on the handsome sword that
hung at that officer's side. He said afterward that this set him to thinking
that it would be an unnecessary humiliation to require the officers to
surrender their swords, and a great hardship to deprive them of their personal
baggage and horses, and after a short pause he wrote the sentence: "This
will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or
baggage."
When he
had finished the letter he called Colonel (afterward General) Ely S. Parker,
one of the military secretaries on the staff, to his side and looked it over
with him and directed him as they went along to interline six or seven words
and to strike out the word "their," which had been repeated. When
this had been done, he handed the book to General Lee and asked him to read
over the letter. It was as follows:
APPOMATTOX
CT. H., VA.,
April
9,1865
GENERAL
R. E. LEE,
Commanding
C. S. A.
GENERAL: In accordance with the
substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., 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 authorities so long as they
observe their paroles, and the laws in force where they may reside. Very
respectfully,
U.S.
GRANT,
Lieutenant-General
Lee took
it and laid it on the table beside him, while he drew from his pocket a pair of
steel-rimmed spectacles and wiped the glasses carefully with his handkerchief.
Then he crossed his legs, adjusted the spectacles very slowly and deliberately,
took up the draft of the letter, and proceeded to read it attentively. It
consisted of two pages. When he reached the top line of the second page, he
looked up, and said to General Grant: "After the words 'until properly,'
the word 'exchanged' seems to be omitted. You doubtless intended to use that
word."
"Why, yes," said Grant; "I
thought I had put in the word 'exchanged."'
"I
presumed it had been omitted inadvertently," continued Lee, "and with
your permission I will mark where it should be inserted."
"Certainly,"
Grant replied.
Lee felt
in his pocket as if searching for a pencil, but did not seem to be able to find
one. Seeing this and happening to be standing close to him, I handed him my
pencil. He took it, and laying the paper on the table noted the interlineation.
During the rest of the interview he kept twirling this pencil in his fingers
and occasionally tapping the top of the table with it. When he handed it back
it was carefully treasured by me as a memento of the occasion.
When Lee
came to the sentence about the officers' side-arms, private horses, and
baggage, he showed for the first time during the reading of the letter a slight
change of countenance, and was evidently touched by this act of generosity. It
was doubtless the condition mentioned to which he particularly alluded when he
looked toward General Grant as he finished reading and said with some degree of
warmth in his manner: "This will have a very happy effect upon my
army."
General
Grant then said: "Unless you have some suggestions to make in regard to
the form in which I have stated the terms, I will have a copy of the letter
made in ink and sign it."
"There
is one thing I would like to mention," Lee replied after a short pause.
"The cavalrymen and artillerists own their own horses in our army. Its
organization in this respect differs from that of the United States."
This
expression attracted the notice of our officers present, as showing how firmly
the conviction was grounded in his mind that we were two distinct countries. He
continued: "I would like to understand whether these men will be permitted
to retain their horses?"
"You
will find that the terms as written do not allow this," General Grant
replied; "only the officers are permitted to take their private property."
Lee read
over the second page of the letter again, and then said: "No, I see the
terms do not allow it; that is clear." His face showed plainly that he was
quite anxious to have this concession made, and Grant said very promptly and
without giving Lee time to make a direct request.
"Well,
the subject is quite new to me. Of course I did not know that any private
soldiers owned their animals, but I think this will be the last battle of the
war--I sincerely hope so-and that the surrender of this army will be followed
soon by that of all the others, and I take it that most of the men in the ranks
are small farmers, and as the country has been so raided by the two armies, it
is doubtful whether they will be able to put in a crop to carry themselves and
their families through the next winter without the aid of the horses they are
now riding, and I will arrange it in this way: I will not change the terms as
now written, but I will instruct the officers I shall appoint to receive the
paroles to let all the men who claim to own a horse or mule take the animals
home with them to work their little farms." (This expression has been
quoted in various forms and has been the subject of some dispute. I give the
exact words used.)
Lee now
looked greatly relieved, and though anything but a demonstrative man, he gave
every evidence of his appreciation of this concession, and said, "This
will have the best possible effect upon the men. It will be very gratifying and
will do much toward conciliating our people."
He handed
the draft of the terms back to General Grant, who called Colonel T. S. Bowers
of the staff to him and directed him to make a copy in ink. Bowers was a little
nervous, and he turned the matter over to Colonel (afterward General) Parker,
whose handwriting presented a better appearance than that of any one else on
the staff. Parker sat down to write at the table which stood against the rear
side of the room.
Wilmer
McLean's domestic resources in the way of ink now became the subject of a searching
investigation, but it was found that the contents of the conical-shaped
stoneware inkstand which he produced appeared to be participating in the
general breaking up and had disappeared.
Colonel
Marshall now came to the rescue, and pulled out of his pocket a small boxwood
inkstand, which was put at Parker's service, so that, after all, we had to fall
back upon the resources of the enemy in furnishing the stage
"properties" for the final scene in the memorable military drama.
Lee in
the meantime had directed Colonel Marshall to draw up for his signature a
letter of acceptance of the terms of surrender. Colonel Marshall wrote out a
draft of such a letter, making it quite formal, beginning with "I have the
honor to reply to your communication," etc. General Lee took it, and,
after reading it over very carefully, directed that these formal expressions be
stricken out and that the letter be otherwise shortened. He afterward went over
it again and seemed to change some words, and then told the colonel to make a
final copy in ink. When it came to providing the paper, it was found we had the
only supply of that important ingredient in the recipe for surrendering an
army, so we gave a few pages to the colonel. The letter when completed read as
follows:
HEADQUARTERS,
ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
April
9th, 1865
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL
U. S. GRANT
GENERAL: I 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 inst., they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the
proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect.
R. E.
LEE,
General
While the
letters were being copied, General Grant introduced the general officers who
had entered, and each member of the staff, to General Lee. The General shook
hands with General Seth Williams, who had been his adjutant when Lee was
superintendent at West Point, some years before the war, and gave his hand to
some of the other officers who had extended theirs, but to most of those who
were introduced he merely bowed in a dignified and formal manner.
He did
not exhibit the slightest change of features during this ceremony until Colonel
Parker of our staff was presented to him. Parker was a full-blooded Indian, and
the reigning Chief of the Six Nations. When Lee saw his swarthy features he
looked at him with evident surprise, and his eyes rested on him for several
seconds. What was passing in his mind probably no one ever knew, but the
natural surmise was that he at first mistook Parker for a Negro, and was struck
with astonishment to find that the commander of the Union armies had one of
that race on his personal staff.
Lee did
not utter a word while the introductions were going on, except to Seth
Williams, with whom he talked quite cordially. Williams at one time referred in
rather jocose a manner to a circumstance which occurred during their former
service together, as if he wanted to say something in a good natured way to
break up the frigidity of the conversation, but Lee was in no mood for
pleasantries, and he did not unbend, or even relax the fixed sternness of his
features. His only response to the allusion was a slight inclination of the
head. General Lee now took the initiative again in leading the conversation
back into business channels. He said:
"I
have a thousand or more of your men as prisoners, General Grant, a number of
them officers whom we have required to march along with us for several days. I
shall be glad to send them into your lines as soon as it can be arranged, for I
have no provisions for them. I have, indeed, nothing for my own men. They have
been living for the last few days principally upon parched corn, and we are
badly in need of both rations and forage. I telegraphed to Lynchburg, directing
several train-loads of rations to be sent on by rail from there, and when they
arrive I shall be glad to have the present wants of my men supplied from
them."
At this
remark all eyes turned toward Sheridan, for he had captured these trains with
his cavalry the night before, near Appomattox Station. General Grant replied:
"I should like to have our men sent within our lines as soon as possible.
I will take steps at once to have your army supplied with rations, but I am
sorry we have no forage for the animals. We have had to depend upon the country
for our supply of forage. Of about how many men does your present force
consist?"
"Indeed,
I am not able to say," Lee answered after a slight pause. "My losses
in killed and wounded have been exceedingly heavy, and, besides, there have
been many stragglers and some deserters. All my reports and public papers, and,
indeed, my own private letters, had to be destroyed on the march, to prevent
them from falling into the hands of your people. Many companies are entirely
without officers, and I have not seen any returns for several days; so that I
have no means of ascertaining our present strength."
General
Grant had taken great pains to have a daily estimate made of the enemy's forces
from all the data that could be obtained, and, judging it to be about 25,000 at
this time, he said: "Suppose I send over 25,000 rations, do you think that
will be a sufficient supply?" "I think it will be ample,"
remarked Lee, and added with considerable earnestness of manner, "and it
will be a great relief, I assure you."
General
Grant now turned to his chief commissary, Colonel (now General) M. R. Morgan,
who was present, and directed him to arrange for issuing the rations. The
number of officers and men surrendered was over 28,000. As to General Grant's
supplies, he had ordered the army on starting out to carry 12 days' rations.
This was the twelfth and last day of the campaign.
Grant's
eye now fell upon Lee's sword again, and it seemed to remind him of the absence
of his own, and by way of explanation he said to Lee:
"I started out from my camp several
days ago without my sword, and as I have not seen my headquarters baggage since,
I have been riding about without any side-arms. I have generally worn a sword,
however, as little as possible, only during the actual operations of a
campaign."
"I
am in the habit of wearing mine most of the time," remarked Lee; "I
wear it invariably when I am among my troops, moving about through the
army."
General
Sheridan now stepped up to General Lee and said that when he discovered some of
the Confederate troops in motion during the morning, which seemed to be a
violation of the truce, he had sent him (Lee) a couple of notes protesting
against this act, and as he had not had time to copy them he would like to have
them long enough to make copies. Lee took the notes out of the breast-pocket of
his coat and handed them to Sheridan with a few words expressive of regret that
the circumstance had occurred, and intimating that it must have been the result
of some misunderstanding.
After a
little general conversation had been indulged in by those present, the two
letters were signed and delivered, and the parties prepared to separate. Lee
before parting asked Grant to notify Meade of the surrender, fearing that
fighting might break out on that front and lives be uselessly lost.
This
request was complied with, and two Union officers were sent through the enemy's
lines as the shortest route to Meade-some of Lee's officers accompanying them
to prevent their being interfered with. At a little before 4 o'clock General
Lee shook hands with General Grant, bowed to the other officers, and with Colonel
Marshall left the room.
One after
another we followed, and passed out to the porch. Lee signaled to his orderly
to bring up his horse, and while the animal was being bridled the general stood
on the lowest step and gazed sadly in the direction of the valley beyond where
his army lay-now an army of prisoners. He smote his hands together a number of
times in an absent sort of a way; seemed not to see the group of Union officers
in the yard who rose respectfully at his approach, and appeared unconscious of everything
about him.
All
appreciated the sadness that overwhelmed him, and he had the personal sympathy
of every one who beheld him at this supreme moment of trial. The approach of
his horse seemed to recall him from his reverie, and he at once mounted. General
Grant now stepped down from the porch, and, moving toward him, saluted him by
raising his hat. He was followed in this act of courtesy by all our officers
present; Lee raised his hat respectfully, and rode off to break the sad news to
the brave fellows whom he had so long commanded.
General
Grant and his staff then mounted and started for the headquarters camp, which,
in the meantime, had been pitched near by. The news of the surrender had
reached the Union lines, and the firing of salutes began at several points, but
the general sent orders at once to have them stopped, and used these words in
referring to the occurrence: "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 demonstrations in the field." . . .
About 9
o'clock on the morning of the 10th General Grant with his staff rode out toward
the enemy's lines, but it was found upon attempting to pass through that the
force of habit is hard to overcome, and that the practice which had so long
been inculcated in Lee's army of keeping Grant out of his lines was not to be
overturned in a day, and he was politely requested at the picket-lines to wait
till a message could be sent to headquarters asking for instructions.
As soon
as Lee heard that his distinguished opponent was approaching, he was prompt to
correct the misunderstanding at the picketline, and rode out at a gallop to
receive him. They met on a knoll that overlooked the lines of the two armies,
and saluted respectfully, by each raising his hat. The officers present gave a
similar salute, and then grouped themselves around the two chieftains in a
semicircle, but withdrew out of earshot. General Grant repeated to us that
evening the substance of the conversation, which was as follows:
Grant
began by expressing a hope that the war would soon be over, and Lee replied by
stating that he had for some time been anxious to stop the further effusion of
blood, and he trusted that everything would now be done to restore harmony and
conciliate the people of the South. He said the emancipation of the Negroes
would be no hindrance to the restoring of relations between the two sections of
the country, as it would probably not be the desire of the majority of the
Southern people to restore slavery then, even if the question were left open to
them.
He could
not tell what the other armies would do or what course Mr. Davis would now
take, but he believed it would be best for their other armies to follow his
example, as nothing could be gained by further resistance in the field. Finding
that he entertained these sentiments, General Grant told him that no one's
influence in the South was so great as his, and suggested to him that he should
advise the surrender of the remaining armies and thus exert his influence in
favor of immediate' peace.
Lee said
he could not take such a course without consulting President Davis first. Grant
then proposed to Lee that he should do so, and urge the hastening of a result
which was admitted to be inevitable.
Lee,
however, was averse to stepping beyond his duties as a soldier, and said the
authorities would doubtless soon arrive at the same conclusion without his
interference. There was a statement put forth that Grant asked Lee to see Mr.
Lincoln and talk with him as to the terms of reconstruction, but this was
erroneous.
I asked
General Grant about it when he was on his deathbed, and his recollection was
distinct that he had made no such suggestion. I am of opinion that the mistake
arose from hearing that Lee had been requested to go and see the
"President" regarding peace, and thinking that this expression
referred to Mr. Lincoln, whereas it referred to Mr. Davis.
After the
conversation had lasted a little more than half an hour and Lee had requested
that such instructions be given to the officers left in charge to carry out the
details of the surrender, that there might be no misunderstanding as to the
form of paroles, the manner of turning over the property, etc., the conference
ended. The two commanders lifted their hats and said good-bye.
Lee rode
back to his camp to take a final farewell of his army, and Grant returned to
McLean's house, where he seated himself on the porch until it was time to take
his final departure.
During
the conference Ingalls, Sheridan, and Williams had asked permission to visit
the enemy's lines and renew their acquaintance with some old friends,
classmates, and former comrades in arms who were serving in Lee's army.
They now
returned, bringing with them Cadmus M. Wilcox, who had been General Grant's
groomsman when he was married; Longstreet, who had also been at his wedding;
Heth, who had been a subaltern with him in Mexico, besides Gordon, Pickett, and
a number of others. They all stepped up to pay their respects to General Grant,
who received them very cordially and talked with them until it was time to
leave.
The hour
of noon had now arrived, and General Grant, after shaking hands with all
present who were not to accompany him, mounted his horse, and started with his
staff for Washington without having entered the enemy's lines. Lee set out for
Richmond, and it was felt by all that peace had at last dawned upon the land.
The charges were now withdrawn from the guns, the camp-fires were left to
smolder in their ashes, the flags were tenderly furled-those historic banners,
battle-stained, bullet-riddled, many of them but remnants of their former
selves, with scarcely enough left of them on which to imprint the names of the
battles they had seen-and the Army of the Union and the Army of Northern
Virginia turned their backs upon each other for the first time in four long,
bloody years.
MEDAL
OF HONOR
On
September 20, 1863, then Captain Horace Porter, United States Army, a graduate
of Harvard and West Point, exhibited courage under fire at the Battle of
Chicamauga and was awarded the Medal of Honor. SEE THIS BLOG ON SUNDAY FOR AN AMBROSE BIERCE EPIC SHORT STORY ON CHICAMAUGA.
BREAKING NEWS FOR TODAY:
BELLS RING AT
APPOMATTOX--For the past four years, the National Park Service and many other
organizations and individuals have been commemorating the 150th Anniversary of
the Civil War and the continuing efforts for human rights today. On April 9,
1865, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant met Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to set the
terms of surrender of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.
In conjunction with a major
event at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, the National Park
Service and its partners invite communities across the nation to join in this
commemoration. The bells will ring first at Appomattox at 3:00 p.m. on April 9,
2015. The ringing will coincide with the moment the historic meeting between
Grant and Lee in the McLean House at Appomattox Court House ended. While Lee’s
surrender did not end the Civil War, the act is seen by most Americans as the
symbolic end of four years of bloodshed.
After the ringing at
Appomattox, bells will reverberate across the country. Churches, temples,
schools, city halls, public buildings, historic sites, and others are invited
to ring bells precisely at 3:15 pm for four minutes (each minute symbolic of a
year of war). If you have access to any such organizations, please encourage
them to participate.
The Gettysburg Foundation
and Gettysburg National Military Park will be participating in Bells Across the
Land by having ringing bells in the Visitor Center lobby and at the Gettysburg
Lincoln Railroad Station at 3:15 pm on Thursday, April 9. And on the West Coast
that would be Noon.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment