American History - Part 110 - Lincoln - Lee surrenders at Appomattox
Channel: ListenAndReadAlong
Date: 2013-06-21

Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION American history in VOA Special English.
 
  The last chapter of the bitter four-year struggle came in April eighteen sixty-five. General Grant had pushed Lee's army away from Richmond and nearby Petersburg, Virginia. His Union forces had kept after the Confederates for almost a week.
 Lee fled westward across Virginia. His tired, hungry soldiers tried to turn south, to reach safety in the Carolinas. But always, the Union army blocked the way.
 Finally on Saturday, April eighth, Lee's army found it could flee no farther. A Union force at Appomattox Station blocked any further movement to the west.
 Early the next morning, Lee tried to break through the ring of Union soldiers that surrounded his army. But he failed. Nothing was left. Nothing but surrender.
  Lee sent a note to General Grant asking to meet with him to discuss surrender terms. A few hours later, General Grant rode into the crossroads village of Appomattox Court House.
 General Lee was waiting for him at the home of a man named Wilmer McLean. Lee rose as Grant walked into the house.
 Grant did not look like a great military leader, the chief of all Union armies. He was dressed simply. 
 Lee took part in the light talk for several minutes. Finally, he   "I suppose, General Grant, that the purpose of our meeting is fully understood. I asked to see you to learn upon what terms you would receive the surrender of my army."
 Grant   "The terms I propose are those I offered in my earlier note to you. That is, the officers and men surrendered will not take up arms again. And all your weapons and supplies will become captured property."
  Lee said those were the conditions he had expected. He asked Grant to put the terms in writing so he could sign them. "Very well," said Grant. "I will write them out."
 It took him several minutes to write the surrender agreement. Only once did he look up.
 He had just written the   "The arms, artillery and public property will be given over to the Union army." Grant stopped writing and looked over at the sword the old general wore.
  Lee was pleased with this. He told   "This will have the best possible effect upon the men. It will be very gratifying and will do much to help our people."
 While waiting for the surrender papers to be copied, Grant presented Lee to the other Union officers in the room. Lee had known some of them before the war.
  General Grant left Appomattox Court House to return to his headquarters a few kilometers away. Suddenly, he stopped his horse. He had forgotten to tell President Lincoln or War Secretary Stanton that Lee had surrendered. He sat down at the side of the road and wrote a telegram to Secretary Stanton.
 News of the surrender reached Washington late on Sunday. Most citizens in the capital did not learn of it until early the next morning. Then cannons began to boom out over the city. Crowds rushed to the White House to cheer the president. They asked Lincoln to make a victory speech.
 Lincoln said he had not prepared a statement. He wished to wait until the next night. He asked the people to come back then and he would have something to say.
  
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