The New York herald., 1867-04-09

This Is the anniversary Of the surrender
Qs65) Of the rebel army Of Virginia, under
General Lee to General Grant and the United
States army under his command, at Appomat.
tox Court House. The campaign thus glori-
ously ending to the glorious army of the Poto-
mac and the country (for 1t was continuous
campaign) was opened among the almost inn
passable Jungle Of the Wilderness, on the Rap.
idan, in May, 1864 When General Grant
plunged into that jungle the immediate avail
able army under his command was about
hundred thousand men, and the veteran army
of Lee, advantageously posted to check hims
was, in round numbers, not less, we believe,
than ninety thousand men. From position 70
position, from one stronghold of intrenchments
to another, Lee was fought out and fanked out
till driven into his stupendous chain Of works
around Richmond and Petersburg. There,
after siege involving numerous assaults, sor-
ties, raids, skirmishes, explosions and bloody
battles, the hostile armies stood intrenched
against each other from the middle of June,
1864, till the 25th Of March, 1865, when Leo
made dash to break the Union lines at Fort
Stedman. The fort was captured, but soon
retaken, and our troops followed up this sue
cess to the capture Of the first line of the rebel
works. Next day Sheridan's cavalry, from tho
Shenandoah after destructive tour, joined
the army of Meade. On the 29th the whole
army under Grant was put in motion, Sheridan
leading of, and from that day till the night Of
the I'd Of April the battle ragged along a line Of
twenty-five miles. But that day finished the
work for Petersburg and Richmond.
On the morning of the Sd General Weitzel,
with detachment of colored troops, entered
the burning rebel capital, left in flames by the
retiring enemy, and on the morning of the 4th
President Lincoln held levee In the Exeour
tive Mansion vacated by JEFF Davis Mean
time, with Sheridan In the advance and Grant
bringing up the rear, the rebel forces, driven
from their works around Petersburg and Rioh-
mond, were pushed, cut up, routed and cap
tured, night and day, In their retreat westward,
till the 9th, whom Lee, at Appomattox Court
House, with the remnant of his army amount
ing to twenty-seven thousand men, surren-
dered. On the day Of his attack Of Fort Sted-
man the forces under his command in the
OckcuCc VI VIC wv CAu0o uuuAO0k0ug Yo3A AoP0s
not less than seventy thousand men, 80 that
his losses between Fort Stedman and Apo
mattox Court House. killed, wounded, cap
tured and dispersed to over forty
| thousand men. s ass-a ea 49,.
The rebellion collapsed ct Appomattex
Court House with Lees surrender. But on the
l4th Of April q single pistol bullet brought
| upon us the most terrible and shocking discs
ter Of the war in the loss Of Abraham LincolA
On the next day, with his death, his constitu-
aonsl successor. Andrew Johnson, Vice Prssi.
dent, became President of the United StateS.
All things considered, his first ofacial cot In
this capacity should have been the calling Of
Congress together. As things have turned
out, however, it is difficult to say whether his
mistake in that matter and al his budget of
blunders have or have not resulted for the
best We are inclined to think that these pot
litical blunders, like our military blunden
during the frs. twc yoars Of the war, have
really resulted in making the war for the
Union and the work Of reconstruction all the
more efficient, consistent, cohesive and endur.
ing. In q word, as we required two years Of
rough experience to learn how to tear down
the rebellious States, so we have required two
years Of halfway experiments to learn how 70
rebuild them on the new corner stone Of lib
erty and equal rights.