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CHAPTER. XXXII.

THE SURRENDER OF GEN. LEE.

T Farmville, the head of Lee's army attempted to cross the Appomattox ; but here he was attacked by Brig.-Gen. Read, with only two regiments of infantry and a squadron of cavalry, regardless of the superior numbers of the enemy. But Lee's veteran soldiers were not even then to be turned aside by a handful of our men, however heroic. They pressed on in overwhelming force, and crossed the river. Our loss was comparatively heavy; the gallant Read being among the killed. The advance of Lee's army passed on; but, before the rear could cross, the van of our Second Corps was upon them, and saved one of the bridges from being burned.

Gen. Grant was with the Second and Sixth Corps, and crossed the Appomattox at Farmville.

But an enemy more dreadful even than Sheridan's cavalry, more appalling than the Union bayonets, was now uniting to destroy the army of Gen. Lee. The men were starving: they could not search for food or forage in the neighboring country while the Federal horse hung upon their flanks. It was the ghastly skeleton of a proud army which had sought their country's ruin. The sunken countenances of the men showed

they were famishing. Men and horses gladly fed on the buds of the trees, or a few kernels of parched corn. They dropped by hundreds from exhaustion: thousands were too weak to carry their muskets. For four days, they had been marching and fighting without rations.

On the night of Thursday the 6th, the rebel generals held a council of war, and decided that surrender was inevitable. They deputed Gen. Pendleton to announce this judgment to their chief. Lee still hoped to cut his way through our cavalry.

Gen. Lee was now retreating toward Appomattox Court House, about fifty miles distant, at the head of the Appomattox River.

On Friday the 7th, Gen. Grant addressed to Gen. Lee the following letter, written at Farmville. It was delivered that night.

APRIL 7, 1865.

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."

Gen. R. E. LEE.

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

Early the next morning, before leaving his headquarters, he received the following vague and diplomatic reply:

APRIL 7, 1865.

GENERAL, — I have received your note of this date. Though not entertaining the opinion you express on 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.

Lieut.-Gen. U. S. GRANT.

R. E. LEE, General.

Gen. Grant at once forwarded the following reply:

APRIL 8, 1865.

GENERAL, Your note of last evening, in reply to mine of same date, asking the condition 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 again 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.

Gen. R. E. LEE.

Sheridan had started for Appomattox Station, five miles south of Appomattox Court House, where Gen. Custer, who was in the advance, captured four trains laden with supplies for Lee's starving soldiers. He pushed on toward Appomattox Court House, fighting with Lee's advance, capturing twenty-five guns, a hospital-train, wagons, and many prisoners. Sheridan had hurried up his cavalry; and Grant had sent forward by a forced march the Fifth, the Twenty-fourth, and a part of the Twenty-fifth Corps, where they arrived at daylight, Sunday morning, April 9.

Gen. Lee supposed that he confronted only cavalry, and had given orders to Gen. Gordon, "Cut your way through at all hazards."

Sunday morning, the rebel army attacked our cavalry with great vigor. Sheridan dismounted his men, and ordered them to fall back slowly, until the infantry could form behind them; when, at the right moment, the bugles sounded to mount: the cavalry rode to the right, and disclosed the large masses of infantry and the thousands of gleaming bayonets. The impetuous Custer was with the advance, dressed somewhat in the gay taste of Murat; his jacket shining with gold lace, a crimson silk scarf streaming from his neck, a revolver in the top of his cavalry boots, which he used for holsters, and an immensely heavy claymore hanging at his side.*

At the moment the order "Charge!" was to be given, a horseman was seen bounding out from the rebel lines with a white flag, to ask for a truce till a surrender could be completed. He rode upon a full run, and was greeted by the wild cheers of the soldiers.

Gen. Sheridan agreed to a suspension of hostilities for half an hour, promising to meet Generals Gordon and Wilcox at Appomattox Court House when Gen. Grant arrived. The officers rode about, and exchanged congratulations. The men began making coffee, and rejoicing that those sabbath hours would probably witness the end of the Rebellion.

At the appointed hour, Gen. Sheridan and several of his principal officers rode over to Appomattox.

Appomattox Court House, where the surrender of Gen. Lee was made, is a small old town in Virginia, containing a court house, a tavern, and four or five houses; the principal one being occupied by a Mr.

* Col. Newhall.

Wilmer McLean. There was one street in the town, and one end of that was boarded up to keep out the

Cows.

While waiting for the arrival of Gen. Grant, our officers and some of the Southern generals strolled about, and talked over the war and the approaching peace. Gen. Longstreet was there, his arm still in a sling from the wound accidentally given in the Wilderness by his own men. Gen. Rickett was there, who had received the heaviest of our attack at Five Forks. He related the audacity of a Yankee cavalry-man, mounted on a mule, who leaped over the breast works near him, and ordered him to surrender.

About two o'clock, when Gen. Grant rode into the town, he saw Generals Sheridan and Ord at the end of the street. Addressing Gen. Sheridan in his usual quiet and undemonstrative manner, he said, "How are you, Sheridan?"—"First-rate, thank you. How are you?""Is Gen. Lee up there?" said Grant. "Yes." "Well, then, we'll go up."

Some men would have entered upon a little glorification; but this was not Gen. Grant's style.

"When all was over at Waterloo," said Wellington, "Blucher and I met at La Maison Rouge. It was midnight when he came; and, riding up, he threw his arms round me, and kissed me on both cheeks as I sat in the saddle."

On reaching Mr. McLean's house, where the interview was to take place, Gen. Lee was already waiting: his fine gray charger, in the care of an orderly, was nibbling the grass on the lawn. Gen. Grant, with one or two of his staff, passed into a large front room,