The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-16

OF course the essential point is that the
civil war did end long ago and that white
winged peace has brooded over the Land
for long time, yet it is of interest to know
just when it ended. To all intents and pur-
poses, it ended with the surrender at APP
pomattox on April 9, 1865, but i'll a military
and legal sense it did not end then and
there General Johnston surrendered to
Sherman at Smithfeld, N. Co. on April Is,
but the terms of surrender, when forwarded
to Washington were disapproved, and Gen.
Grant was sent to North Carolina to close
up the business. This was finally done on
April &c. There were still some expedition
airy Union forces in the South that could
not be easily communicated with, and some
bodies of Confederate troops. OF the latter
Gen. Dick Taylor, who was in command
Of the Confederate forces east of the Missis-
sippi river, surrendered on May A. and Gen.
E. Kirby Smith, also in that department, on
May &c. This was the last surrender of an
armed force. On May an order had been
issued by General Halleck, declaring that
all persons found in arms after May rs,
against the authority of the United States.
in Virginia or North Carolina, would be
treated as robbers and outlaws. A similar
order was subsequently issued by the War
Department. to be enforced in all the States
east of the Mississippi river. This caused
the disarmament of all guerrilla organiza-
tons. The last battle of the war occurred
near Brazos Santiago. Tex, May Is, 1865,
more than month after the surrender of
sent out to surprise a Confederate camp
was overtaken on it's return by larger
force and defeated with loss of eighty
men. This engagement is officially recorded
as the battle of Palmetto Ranch. The
Union troops engaged were the Thirty
fourth Indiana Volunteers, the Sixty-second
United States Colored Infantry and the
Second Texas Cavalry. But the war was
not officially ended yet. A presidential
proclamation of June %, 1865, removed the
blockade of all the ports in the Southern
States, and another of Aug. 20 annulled all
restrictions upon trade with them. On
April 2, 1866, the Instruction was proclaimed
at an end in all the States except Texas,
and there on Aug. 20. These dates, there
fore. mark the official proclamation of the
close of the war. although hostilities had
ceased more than year before.
The question has come up recently in
connection with a pension case A few
days ago the assistant secretary of the in
terror reversed decision Of the commits
sioner of pensions in the case of Jason p.
Brown. formerly of the United States navy.
Brown was pensioned under act of June
q, 1890, at IS a month, and in March, 1896,
was dropped from the rolls for the reason
that he did not serve ninety days during the
rebellion. The records show that he was
appointed an acting assistant engineer In
the navy April u. 1865, and served on the
United States ship Tioga TIL May 10, 1866,
when he was granted a leave of absence. He
was honorably discharged June 10, 1866. The
record showed that from Jan. /, 1866, 10
April 10. following. the Tioga was on duty
off the coast of Texas, where the end OF
the war was not officially proclaimed until
Aug. 20, 1866 On this state of facts the ac-
ton of the Pension Bureau in dropping
Brown from the rolls was reversed The
later action was technically correct in rec
ognizing that, officially the war did not end
in Texas until Aug. %, 1866. In the same