The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-09
THE SURRENDER OF LEE.

On the 9Th day Of April. 1866. thirty-one
years ago today. Gen u. 8. Grant re-
ceived . brief but important letter. II
was as follows:
headquarters Army OF Northern Viz
GINA. Ap-ii .. IsS-seneral. / received
your letter OF this date. containing the
terms OF the surrender of The Army Of
Northern Virginia as proposed by you As
they ara Substantially the same as those
expressed in your letter of the sth inst.
they are accepted I will proceed to desig-
nate the proper officers to carry the s,ipc-
iations into effect
"R. E LEE. General"
The letter was written at Appomattcx
Court House. where the ixo commanders
had met to agree upon the terms Of sur
render. which were first discussed and
then reduced to writing Grants contain
fng the terms and Lees accepting them.
The fight at Sailors Creek came as a
climax TO succession of disasters and On
the 9Th the cause seemed hopeless The
Army OF Virginia had been losing
heavily. the remaining men were faint
ing and falling by the way" horses
were dying OF hunger. and too weak to
,
council OF officers was forced to the conciu-
sion that capituiation was inevitable. Lee
was not present. but the decision was con-
yeyed to him through Gen. Pendleton.
The Confederate commander was, how
ever. spared the mobilization Of making
the first overture. On the morning OF the
7th. Gen. Grant. who was then at Farm
vile. wrote a note TO Lee saying he felt
convinced that further resistance was
hopeless. and saying he regarded 1t as his
duty Ito shift from myself the responsible
ity OF any further effusion Of blood by ask
ting OF you the surrender Of hat portion
OF the Confederate States army known as
the Army of Northern Virginia" Lee re-
ciprocated, asking the terms to be imposed.
and meantime Sheridan. Merritt. Meade.
Crook. and Custer pressed on their ad-
vantage. Sheridan sent dispatch to
Grant saying that the surrender or de-
struction OF Lees entire force was in
evitable
Lee. unconscious OF the strength of the
forces against him. and supposing That
Sheridan's cavalry alone confronted him,
ordered an infantry advance At the same
time. on April S. he wrote TO Grant. say
ing:
ITO be frank. / do not think the emer-
gency has arisen to call for the surrender
OF this army; but rs the restoration OF
peace should be the sole object Of all, I
desired to know whether your proposals
would lead to that end"
lie added ina. he would be pleased to
meet Grant AT 70 a. M. tomorrow. on the
old stage road to Richmond. between the
picket lines OF the two armies" Cn-aht re-
piled that he had no authority to treat on
the subject OF peace. but added that by
the South laying down their arms. they
viii hasten that most desirable event. save
thousands OF human lives and hundreds Of
millions OF property no; yet de-
stroyed." On the morning q the eth sher-
idan made his last charge ard was about
70 engage In al encounter. when a white
nag was waved. a truce followed, and the
ever memorable meeting OF the two great
commanders took place.
Gen. Grants humane words were In
dorsed by Abraham Lincoln when. three
days later. he delivered an address in which
he expressed wish that the Confederate
states should be restored to equal power
In the Union at the earliest day conslsten.
with national integrity
Those unon whom devolved the most
anxious cares and the most awful reSpon-
sibility were the first TO bespeak for the
conquered \ generous Hsagnanimity There
Is no trace In the nation today among true
patriots. North or South. OF the acrlmonies
OF the war, and every year tends TO the
complete restoration Of national harmony
and the dissipation Of the clouds Of inter-
necins differences