view was short, and as Lee rode back from it, dressed gayer than usual, and wearing his sword, the rumor of immediate surrender ran like wildfire through the Confederate ranks, and the scene that took place is thus described by an eye-witness: "Whole lines of battle rushed up to their beloved old chief, and, choking with emotion, broke ranks and struggled with each other to wring him once more by the hand. Men who had fought throughout the war, and knew what the agony and humiliation of that moment must be to him, strove, with a refinement of unselfishness and tenderness which he alone could fully appreciate, to lighten his burden and mitigate his pain. With tears pouring down both cheeks, General Lee at length commanded voice enough to say, 'Men, we have fought through the war together. I have done the best that I could for you.' Not an eye that looked on that scene was dry. Nor was this the emotion of sickly sentimentalists, but of rough and rugged men, familiar with hardships, danger, and death in a thousand shapes, mastered by sympathy and feeling for another which they never experienced on their own account." As the armies were now no longer enemies, and the men had learned to respect each other by the rough experience of war, they now fraternized together, and, as was seen at Vicksburg, they could be seen walking and talking together. The necessities of the Confederates were provided for; supplies, which were very welcome after the intense sufferings of the past ten days, were distributed, and the first fruits these men, who had for years been in armed resistance to the government, obtained from their submission to the defenders of law and order was, that their physical needs were amply provided for. It is a pity that all of their leaders and politicians had not been subjected to the same hardships, in order that the practical lesson they thus obtained of the absurdities of secession and the advantages of submission could have taught them the folly and wickedness of their course, and the most mortifying chapter in history of the incompetence of the leading classes of our present condition of society, and the gullibility of the people, would have been not enacted in vain. If the energy and enthusiasm the South had displayed in conducting the war, had been organized in the interests of productive labor, instead of in the destructive work of the four long years; if the treas ure wasted in the munitions of destruction to life and property, had been devoted to the construction of the railroads necessary for the free circulation of labor and the products of labor, in manufactories for the application of industry, and schools for the education of labor, how different would have been the condition, physically and morally, of its people after the passage of these four years! The sight of these gaunt and starving men, clothed in rags, penniless, far away from their homes, demoralized by war and defeat, would have cured all enthusiasm for the "pomp, pride, and circumstance of glorious war." Such an ending of the course of action undertaken by these misguided men, by the advice and under the direction of their leaders, would have been so decided and so sad a proof of incapacity on the part of the leaders, that it would seem as though forever after they would keep their peace, nor dare ever again to offer public advice, but with modesty and shamefacedness remain forever silent and retired. That they have not done so, and that the people whom they have once so fatally deceived should ever again listen to them, is a proof that the impudence and folly of men is as infinite for evil, as their energy and knowledge are infinite for good, if properly organized and directed. Immediately after the surrender, the Fifth Corps was ordered to remain at Appomattox, to guard the public property and be present at the paroling of the Confederate army, while Grant himself, with the remainder of his army, set out for Burkesville, which was, now that Lee's army had surrendered, the point at which the army under Johnston, the last armed body organized in resistance to the government, was opposed to SherThe following is the form of the personal parole of officers, copied from the original document given by Lee and a portion of his staff: man. We, the undersigned, prisoners of war, belonging to the army of Northern Virginia, having been this day surrendered by General R. E. Lee, commanding said army, to Lieutenant General Grant, commanding the armies of the United States, do hereby give our solemn parole of honor that we will not hereafter serve in the armies of the Confederate States, or in any military capacity whatever, against the United States of America, or render aid to the enemies of the latter, until properly exchanged in such manner as shall be mutually approved by the respective authorities. R. E. LEE, General. W. H. TAYLOR, Lieutenant Colonel and A. A. G. Done at Appomattox Court-house, Va., this ninth (9th) day of The parole is the same given by all officers, and is countersigned as follows: The above-named officers will not be disturbed by United States authorities as long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they may reside. GEORGE H. SHARP, General Assistant Provost Marshal. The obligation of officers for the subdivisions under their command is in form as follows: I, the undersigned, commanding officer of, do, for the within-named prisoners of war, belonging to the army of Northern Virginia, who have been this day surrendered by General Robert E. Lee, Confederate States army, commanding said army, to Lieutenant General Grant, commanding armies of the United States, hereby give my solemn parole of honor that the withinnamed shall not hereafter serve in the armies of the Confederate States, or in military or any capacity whatever against the United States of America, or render aid to the enemies of the latter, until properly exchanged in such manner as shall be mutually approved by the respective authorities. Done at Appomattox Court-house, Va., this 9th day of April, 1865. The within-named will not be disturbed by the United States authorities so long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they reside. By the evening of the 12th the paroles were generally distributed, and the army of Northern Virginia was scattered over the country, returning to their homes. With the delicacy he had shown before on similar occasions, Grant was not seen after his interview with Lee. The petty vanity which would be gratified by a display, in the scene of its triumphs, has no part in his composition. He had done his work thoroughly and well, and now was hastening to another part of the country, where, perhaps, his presence was needed. It will be remembered that just previous to the commencement of this campaign, Sherman had paid a visit to Grant's headquarters at City Point, and having decided upon the course of action to be pursued by his army, in conjunction with that of the army of the Potomac, as soon as the campaign should actively commence, had returned to Goldsboro', in North Carolina. Upon the receipt of the letter from Grant which we have already given, Sherman moved at once upon Johnston, and entered Raleigh, on the 13th, Johnston retreating before him. The news of Lee's surrender on the 9th was received by Sherman on the 12th, and on the 14th Johnston sent a letter to Sherman, proposing a meeting. The next day Sherman replied, appointing a meeting for the 17th, provided the armies remained in statu quo until that time. This delay he felt was of importance in order to repair the railroad in his rear, and put it in running order, so that in case the negotiation failed, he would be able to cut off Johnston's retreat. At the time appointed the two commanders met, and, after consultation, agreed to meet the next day, in order to settle the minutiae of the terms. On |