Arizona republican., 1905-04-09
PHoENIx. ARIz. APRIL g. 1905
The Anniversary of Appomattox.

since the end of the civil war. On the sth day of April, 1865. at one o'clock in the afternoon. General Grant met General Lee at Appomattox court house, a point between the picket lines of the opposing forces and re- ceived the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. Although the sur render of General Johnston's army did not occur until the 25th of April, and the last fight of the war took place on May 13, on the Rio Grande, the rebellion was at an end when Lees 26, 900 tattered veterans laid down their arms at Appomattox.
 Two days before that. indeed, the country began to realize that the fear full struggle was near its close. For a week Grant had been hammering Lee until. as one of the confederate ofn- cers expressed it. the confederate vet erans were worn to a "frazzle,'' and on the 7th Grant saw that he had the great southern Eox in a trap. On that day, accordingly. he sent the famous note to Lee which opened the cores pondence that led to the surrender:
 General: The result of the last week must convince you of the hope lessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any fur ther effusion of blood. by asking you for the surrender of that portion of the Confederate States army known as the Army of Northern Virginia"
 General Lee in his reply refused to admit the hOpelessness of further re- sistance, but requested his grim op- ponent to state the terms which would be offered. Grant replied on the Sth the officers and men surrendered would be disqualified for taking up arms against the United States. Lee answered on the same day that he had not intended to propose a surrender, but to ask the terms of Grants propo- sition. Grant rejOined on the morning of the 9th that he had no authority to treat 0n the subject of peace, but renewed his assurance of his anxiety to end the war, and stated that the whole north entertained the same feel ing. Further notes were interchang ed, and Grant stated the terms upon which he would accept the sur render of his valorous foe. As his tory does not afford a parallel for such magnanimity, it is worth while to re- produce here the letter which stamp ed Ulysses s. Grant as one of the greatest statesmen the country had produced:
 "General: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the Sth instant, I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia upon the following terms, to- wit: Rolls of all the officers. and men. to be made in duplicate, one copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may desig- nate. The officers to give their indi- vidual paroles not to take up arms against the government of the United States until properly exchanged; and each company or regimentaI comman- der to sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artil- lery and public property to be stacked, and turned over to the officers ap- pointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor the private horses or bag gage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to his home. not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles, and the laws in force where they may reside"
 Much has been said of Grants gen erosity in letting his late enemies go free instead of sending them to the rear as prisoners of war; much of his generosity in permitting the men to take their horses with them fin order that they might put in their crops" And the great chieftan of the north ern armies was generous-more gen. erous than the world had ever seen before under like circumstances. But more important than that, he was statesman of the first rank. Although disclaiming authority to discuss the terms of peace, he in effect fixed those terms He gave his assurance that Lee and his officers and men would mot be disturbed by United States au- thority' so long as they observed their word to refrain from further fighting against Uncle Sam. As was to be ex- pected, those terms aroused a whirl- wind of resentment and opposition among the hot-heads, in the north the gentlemen who had been busy talking while Grant was busy fighting. And if Grant had not made his pledge on. that day at AppomattOx, there is