Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-09
THE COMING OF
PEACE IN 1865
Today Is the Fiftieth Anniversary
of Appomattox - Philadelphia's
Jubilation - How General Lee
Faced a Great Crisis.
BY ROBERT H1LDRETH

! LNlFTY years ago this day a great civil
! war ended as none ever had before.
| Whatever vindictlveness may have sur
| vived was submerged in the more general
sentiment so simply expressed by Cen
eral Grant Let us have peace Re
union" was the golden word which. de-
spite the petty politics that sought to mini
mize even Appomattox, stood out in the
press comment on tho surrender Of Robert
f. Lee on Sunday, April .. The PUBLIC
LEDGER, in an editorial in which Lee was
called "the greatest soldier produced by the
rebellion" and in which "the blessed return
Of peace and a united country" was hailed
with natural joy printed the United" In
UNITED states" i'm capital letters. news
item in the same issue monday, April 10)
said, THE LEDGER lighted up its 36 stars,
which blazed with unusual brightness"
Joy in Philadelphia
The news of the surrender was received In
Philadelphia about o'clock Sunday evening,
and flashed through the city like widhrc. AS
the PUBLIC LEDGER's account of Monday
said: might was turned into day Men,
women and children came upon the side
walks and took part in the grand demon
stration Every street was thronged with
people on the way to Chestnut street, and
Chestnut street itself never contained a
greater crowd Of pedestrians than it did last
evening. Between 5th and 9Th, Chestnut was
crowded with flremen and citizens and the
noise made by them was deafening BY mid
night the roar of cannon was added to the
other demonstrations Of joy, and 1t seemed
as though every individual in Philadelphia
felt called upon to add his voice to tho gen
eral rejoicing Generals Grant and Meade
were remembered everywhere, and the men
ton of their names sufficient to bring
forth cheer after cheer Bonfres were lighted
in various parts OF the CITY, and long after
midnight there was no appearance of
diminution in the vigor of the demonstra-
ton, the like of which will never again be
witnessed in this country"
The jubilation continued through the week
until Saturday, when the news came of the
assassination of President Lincoln, and the
streets once more were thronEod with cti-
zens, whose JOY had turned to sorrow.
The dramatic scene of Sunday afternoon
in the sitting room of the Mclean house in
Appomattox village has been many times de-
scribed-with some disagreement of versions
The familiar apple tree myth may still de-
serve a brief explanation. The conference
between Grant and Lee did not take place in
an apple orchard. 1t under an apple
tree by the roadside, however, that Colonel
BabcocR, bringing Grants note IN reply TO
Lees request for an interview, found the
Confederate commander
In the Mclean sitting room Lee and Grant
stood in striking contrast. Grant, who had
been for days away from his baggage train,
and had not an opportunity of changing his
shabby fatigue uniform for more suitable at
tire, looked unkempt and haggard after his
night of severe headache. But this was tho
man whose magnanmity, as revealed on that
occasion, though he exceeded his au-
thority, is one of his chiefest titles to the
worlds esteem