American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-05-17
EFFECT OF LEES SURRENDER
[Frorl the London Times, April "a. ]

wears has been brought virtually to a
close by the surrender of General Lee
with the chief army Of the Southern
States. This victory crowns the obstinate
campaign which General Grant began a
year ago, and which has so well proved
the energy, the tenacity, and the unbound
ed resources of the North. In spite of
some of the bloodiest defeats in the an
mails of war, the last invasion of Virginia
has been successful partly, through the
personal qualities of the commanding
General-undoubted a man of more
vigor and character than his predeces-
sors-but chiefly from the gradual failure
in strength of the exhausted and over
matched South. For many months the
army of Gen. Lee must have fought
against hope. 1t stood at bay at Rich
mond, losing weekly portion its precious
lives, while the enemy was being contin-
ually reinforced f ON the abundant re-sour
ces of the Northern States and Europe
The Confederates drew their supplies from
store which every day lessened, while
half the world was employed in feeding
their adversaries with the means of war.
At last the end has come. Richmond,
which might have been evacuated with
something like strategetical success six
months ago, has been abandoned after a
terrible defeat, and with a haste which
left no hope of a prolonged resistance.
Years may probably. y.clapse before we know
the real history of these events, and learn
the reasons which induced the chiefs Of
the Southern Confederacy to delay so
long movement which they had looked
upon as possible even in the earlier period
of the war. If they considered that the
fate of the Confederacy was bound up
with that of Richmond, they have been
in some degree justified in the event. As
matters have turned out, the fall of the
Virginia capital has been followed by
military disasters from which it is inpos-
sible that the South can recover. The
immense resources of the North, the vigor
and elation of it's armies, made the pur-
suit of Gen, Lees force most prompt and
effective. The Federal Generals gave
the shattered brnds of the South literally
not an hour of rest. Sheridan and Meade
followed on the track of the retreating
Southerners with such CELEBRITY that they
had no time to rally and collect resources
for maintaining the struggle. One corps
of Foderals threw itself by forced march
in their rear, and then were threatened by
three, if not four, converging armies. In
such an extremity there was nothing
left bnt to yield.
Such is the end Of the great army
which, organized by the extraordinary
genius of one man, aided by several 9th
er commanders of eminent ability, has
done such wonders in this war. Not
even the grand army of Napoleon himself
could count series of more brilliant vic
tories than the force which raised chiefly |
from the high spirited population of Vir-
ginia, has defeated so many invasions of
the State and crushed the hopes Of so
many Northern generals Chief and sol
diers have now failed for the first and
last time. They were victorious until
victory was no longer to be achieved by
human valor, and then they fell with
honor. Theirs has been no gradual de-
cay in courage and disciplin, no demoral-
ization the result of successive defeats
What they were at the Chickahominy
end at Charlottesville they were on the
day when the overpowering forces of
Gems. Grant and Sheridan forced them
back from their defences at Petersburg
IF Stonewall Jackson had been alive to
witness the ruin of the army which he
had so often helped to victory, he would
have no reason to be ashamed of its con-
duet in its latest hour. When the true
history of these things is told it will
probably be found that the campaign of
1865, fought by enfeebled and i'll found
bands against all the power of the North
has shown heroism unequalled in for
mer and more successful campaigns.-
But while giving the Confederate army
its due need Of praise in the hour
of its misfortune it is impossible to
deny the Federal G enerals and their troops
the credit of a great achievement
Whether the Southerners have or have !
not fought better than in former years,
there can be no doubt that the Federals |
have surpassed all their preceding efforts
Slowly but surely they have brought their
armies to protection. At first they suf- !
fered from the mistake of undertaking |
the strength and determination of their
opponents They could not conceiv how