SURRENDER OF GENERAL LEE, AND HIS ENTIRE ARMY.
April 9, 1865.
On abandoning Petersburg and Richmond, General Lee betook himself in the direction of Danville, which is just upon the border of the State of Virginia, close to the North Carolina line. Here—or earlier, at Burkesville—it was designed to make another stand. General Sheridan was already in full pursuit, and aimed to cut off Lee’s army at Burkesville. On the 6th of April, he sent the following dispatch:
“I have the honor to report that the enemy made a stand at the intersection of the Burkesville station road with the road upon which they were retreating.
“I attacked them with two divisions of the Sixth army corps and routed them handsomely, making a connection with the cavalry. I am still pressing on with both cavalry and infantry. Up to the present time we have captured Generals Ewell, Kershaw, Barton, Corse, De Bose and Custis Lee, several thousand prisoners, fourteen pieces of artillery, with caissons and a large number of wagons. If the thing is pressed, I think Lee will surrender.
On the receipt of this message, General Grant was already pushing on in person, with his whole army, to join Sheridan and strike the deathblow to the rebellion. But there was no need of further fighting. Sheridan had captured a large part of the rebel army, and the rest was demoralized. Lee’s headquarters at this time were near Amelia Court House. On the afternoon of the 9th of April, finding all hope of success to the rebel arms to be utterly empty and vain, the rebel commander finally surrendered to General Grant the entire Army of Northern Virginia. The letters which passed between the two commanders, upon this occasion, and which telegraphed to the Northern press, created the wildest enthusiasm throughout the land, are well worthy of preservation in the pages of any History of the War for the Union—so graphic and thorough in their narrative of the closing scene of rebel discomfiture and national triumph.
GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.
“General R. E. Lee, Commanding Confederate States Army:—
“General—The result 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.
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT.
“General—I have received your note of this date.
“Though not entirely of 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.
GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.
“General—Your note of last evening, in reply to mine of 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 first desire, there is but one condition that I insist upon, viz.:—
“That the men surrendered shall be disqualified for taking up arms again, against the Government of the United States, until properly exchanged.
“I will meet you or 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.
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT.
“General—I received at a late hour your note of to-day in answer to 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.
“But as the restoration of peace should be the sole object of all, I desire to know whether your proposals would tend to that end.
“I cannot, therefore, meet you with a view to surrender the army of Northern Virginia; but as far as your proposition may affect the Confederate States’ forces under my command and tend to the restoration of peace, I should be pleased to meet you at ten A. M. to-morrow, on the old stage road to Richmond, between the picket lines of the two armies.
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.
“General—Your note of yesterday is received. As I have no authority to treat on the subject of peace, the meeting proposed for ten A. M. to-day, could lead to no good. I will state, however, General, that I am equally anxious for peace with yourself; and the whole North entertain the same feeling. 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,
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL 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 proposition of yesterday with reference to the surrender of this army.
“I now request an interview in accordance with the offer contained in your letter of yesterday for that purpose.
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
“To Lieutenant-General Grant, commanding United States armies.”
GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.
“General—Your note of this date is but this moment (fifty minutes past eleven A. M.) received.
“In consequence of my having passed from the Richmond and Lynchburg road to the Farmville and Lynchburg road, I am, at this writing, about four miles west of Walter’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, will meet me.
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GENERAL GRANT TO GENERAL LEE.
“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 designated by me, the other to be retained by such officers as you may designate.
“The officers to give their individual paroles not to take 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 his command.
“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 their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they may reside.
“Very respectfully,
GENERAL LEE TO GENERAL GRANT.
“General—I have received your letter of this date, containing the terms of 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.
“Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
The national rejoicing over the capture of Lee’s army was, as may well be imagined, deep and general. Throughout the length and breadth of the land, thanksgiving to the God of battles—as of Peace—went up from the hearts of a whole people, happy in the rescue of the American Republic from division, and from the plague of human slavery.
The following documents were issued from the war office, at Washington, immediately after the great victory:
“Thanks be to Almighty God for the great victory with which he has this day crowned you and the gallant armies under your command.
“The thanks of this Department, and of the government, and of the people of the United States—their reverence and honor have been deserved—will be rendered to you and the brave and gallant officers and soldiers of your army for all time.
“Ordered—That a salute of two hundred guns be fired at the headquarters of every army and department, and at every post and arsenal in the United States, and at the Military Academy at West Point, on the day of the receipt of this order, in commemoration of the surrender of General R. E. Lee and the army of Northern Virginia to Lieutenant-General Grant and the army under his command; report of the receipt and execution of this order to be made to the Adjutant-General, Washington.