The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-11
LEE SURRENDERS AND
WAR ENDS.
April 9.

general-in-chicf Of the Confederate
armies. surrendered himself and the
Army Of Northern Virginia, with which
since April 2 he had been in retreat
from Petersburg. to Gen. U. s. Grant at
Appomattox Courthouse. eighty miles
west Of Richmond.
This was the end If the war. Although
other portions Of the now shattered Con-
federate forces continued for a little
while show Of resistance to Federal
authority. and some blood was spilled in
minor clashes between Blue and Gray.
no more battles were fought.
Other Confederate armies. already dis
migrating in the general collapse Of
the South's resistance, were to lay down
their arms in due course. That under
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, in North Caro-
lima, surrendered to Gen. T. W. Sherman
on April IS. All other Confederate forces
east of the Mississippi were surrendered
by Gen. Richard Taylor to Gen. E. r. s.
Candy May 4. The last Of the Confed-
crates in arms, the scattered forces west
Of the Mississippi, in Louisiana and Ar
kansas and Texas. were surrendered by
Gen. f. Kirby Smith to Gen. Candy on
May Is. The whole number Of men
paroled as prisoners Of war was 174.22s.
These surrenders were all virtually
made with the submission Of Lee. head
of the military forces of the Confeder-
acy. in whose person was embodied the
authority that directed the martial spirit
Of the South.
With that submission. which was met
in a spirit Of brotherly forgiveness and
the broadcast generosity by Gen. Grant
four years Of bloody strife-that had in
volved not less than 2, 100, 900 soldiers who
fought three years or more, cost 10000
lives, manned not less than 10000 men
and called for the expenditure of s., OO0.-
000. 0oo-gave way to instant beginnings
of new and indissoluble union Of the
States.
The people Of the South had fought for
the theory that a State was an indie
pendent government. By the expert
ment of their Confederacy they had prov
en- to themselves that the theory was q
mistaken one. as they had wished to ap-
ply 1t. The North had fought for 4 CEN
trail national government, Of which the
States. under their constitutional guaran-
tees. should be integral parts.
Human slavery had been the match
that fired the first musket in the awful
fraternal struggle for the settlement Of
this political question; and the war had
set the slaves free.
When Lee made his submission to the
greater power Of the North. by signing
a parole Of honor not to take up arms
against the government OF the United
States. the white men of the South were
also set free-free to turn their backs
upon the impracticable dream Of SOW
ereign States. and to direct their powers,
that they had so brilliantly displayed In
tho war, to the upbuilding Of the great
ness Of what Lincoln but 4 few weeks
before had nttingly termed 'our one
common country" The Union was to be
l. b. - Il l.
blood that had been paid for it.
No Panopiy Of War.
The scenes attending the surrender Of
Iee-to the Federals the GROWING event
Of the war. to the Confederates the last
drop In the bitter cup Of defeat and
wounded pride-were strangely simple.
The clash Of arms. tia roar Of battle.
the distressed flight of q great army in
retreat. leaving fields and roadsidss Of
that pleasant green virginia country.
fresh In the vernal shades Of spring.
strswn With dead men. had provided the
hereto scenes Of war preceding the eli
max to such Q gfsat human drama a.
this.
The closing scene. when the indem-
table win Of the Southern leader. which
had sustained the great and bloody trag-
edy to the end. ceased to oppose itself
to the inevitable. was like the subdued.
hushed ceremony Of . funeral service.
The action. the shouting and the
tumult Of the war were past. A beflt-
ted the spirit Of reunion Of brothers.
there was no array Of serried ranks to
lay down arms; no martialing Of con-
quered banners. no triumphant bugle
note or national music, no yielding up Of
swords as in the fancied picture Of q
great surrender. The victors did not
wish It.; the vanquished were too much
spent and broken to have made . GAL
liant show, had II been axacted Of them.
Tho two chiefs met IN . modest house.
in little roadside village Of ax or eight
buildings. and while their men in arms
rested In the fields and woods, where
they had been halted to wait the issue
Of the hour, papers were drawn and
signed that ended the war.
The arrangement and the scene were
OF the republic whose estrapged sons
sword to the pen.
Lee sends t. Grant.
The meeting Of Grant and Lee at Ap-
pomattox. which bestowed ON that OBJ
ocure village distinction In hiseory. was
decided by the progress the two armies
had made In the two days since = cor-
respondence had been opeAed ~ Gen.
Lee locking to- peace. On Apfn Gen.
Grant had stated his terms b one. Sim
pie demand-that the Confe6eratss lay|
down their arms.
On the morning Of April Iss had
found his army surrcunde1 Shestaan'e