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596

CORRESPONDENCE.

far as your proposal may affect the Confederate States forces under my command, and tend to the restoration of peace I should be pleased to meet you at ten A. M. to-morrow, on the old stage road to Richmond, between the picket lines of the two armies.

Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant.

R. E. LEE, General.

"Early on the morning of the 9th I returned him an answer as follows, and immediately started to join the column south of the Appomattox :

April 9, 1865.

GENERAL:-Your note of yesterday is received. I have no authority to treat on the subject of peace; the meeting proposed for ten, A. M., to-day, could lead to no good. I will state, however, General, that I am equally anxious for peace with yourself, and the whole North entertains the same feeling. The terms upon which peace can be had are well understood. By the South laying down their arms, they will hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, and hundreds of millions of property not yet destroyed. Seriously hoping that all our difficulties may be settled without the loss of another life, I subscribe myself, &c.

General R. E. LEE.

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

"On the morning of the 9th, General Ord's command and the Fifth Corps reached Appomattox Station just as the enemy was making a desperate effort to break through our cavalry. The infantry was at once thrown in. Soon after a white flag was received, requesting a suspension of hostil ities pending negotiations for a surrender.

"Before reaching General Sheridan's head-quarters, I received the following from General Lee:

April 9, 1865.

GENERAL-I received your note of this morning, on the picket line, whither I had come to meet you, and ascertain definitely what terms were embraced in your proposal of yesterday, with reference to the surrender of this ariny. now ask an intervies in accordance with the offer contained in your letter of yesterday for that purpose.

Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT.

R. E. LEE, General

"The interview was held at Appomattox Court-House,

SURRENDER OF LEE.

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the result of which is set forth in the following correspondence:

APPOMATTOX COURT-HOUSE, Va., April 9, 1865.

GENERAL:-In accordance with the substance of my letter to you, of the 8th instant, I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Vir ginia on 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 to be designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged; and each company or regimental Commander sign a like parole for the men of their cominands. The arms, artillery, and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. 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.

General R. E. LEE.

U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General.

HEAD-QUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
April 9, 1865.

GENERAL-I received your letter of this date, containing the terms of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia as proposed by you. As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th instant, they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect.

Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT."

R. E. LEE, General.

On the reception of the last letter, Grant hastened to the front, where Lee was awaiting him. They met in the parlor of a neighboring farm-house and saluted each other with dignified courtesy. In former years they had fought side by side, under the same flag, but for the last year, backed by two as fine armies as ever trod a battle-field, they had confronted each other as enemies. Well matched, neither had been able to obtain any decided success over the other. As they now stood face to face, what memories must have crowded on them, and what a different future spread out before them!

Lee acknowledged that the terms dictated by Grant were

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JOY OF THE NORTH.

more lenient than he had a right to expect. In killed, wounded, and prisoners, the rebel army had been reduced, in the last few days, full thirty thousand men, besides the vast number that had straggled off to their homes, so that less than twenty thousand were left to surrender.

When the news of the capitulation reached the army, loud cheers arose on every side, which lasted for hours. There was some disappointment, however, among the soldiers that, after their toils and hardships, they were not allowed to pass through the enemy's lines and witness their surrender. But Grant, magnanimous as he is great, wishing to abate as much as possible all ill-feeling between men, hereafter to be citizens of the same Government, allowed the rebel troops to return to their homes without further humiliation, on giving their parole not to take up arms against the Government, until properly exchanged.

By a singular coincidence, as the grand assault on the enemy's works at Petersburg took place on Sunday, so now on Sunday, and Palm Sunday too, the capitulation was signed.

The surrender of Lee's army was followed by that of most of the troops in the Shenandoah Valley. Mosby surrendered his command on the 17th. Hancock, who had succeeded Sheridan, when the latter started on his last great raid for Lynchburg, commanded here at this time.

With Lee's immediate army, were captured one hundred and seventy pieces of artillery, which number was of course. swelled by the surrender of the other forces in Northern Virginia.

The joy of the North was unbounded over this great victory. Bonfires, illuminations, and the firing of cannon, attested the universal delight, while Grant became the idol of the Nation

CHAPTER XLII.

APRIL-MAY, 1865.

SHERMAN REJOINS HIS ARMY-RECEIVES THE NEWS OF THE FALL OF PETERSBURG AND RICHMOND-HE MOVES ON RALEIGH-THE ARMY RECEIVES THE NEWS OF LEE'S SURRENDER-INTERVIEW WITH JOHNSTON-THE ARMISTICEINJUSTICE OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR AND HALLECK-STONEMAN'S RAIDASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT-HIS LAST ORDER-HIS CHARACTERFUNERAL OBSEQUIES-THE CONSPIRACY-ARREST, TRIAL, AND EXECUTION OF THE PRISONERS-REWARDS OFFERED FOR THE CAPTURE OF DAVIS AND OTHERS-THE MOVEMENT AGAINST MOBILE-ITS CAPTURE-WILSON'S CAVALRY EXPEDITION-RAISING THE FLAG AT FORT SUMTER-GRAND REVIEW OF THE ARMIES OF GRANT AND SHERMAN AT WASHINGTON-CLOSING SCENESNATIONAL DEBT.

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SHER

HERMAN, when he hastened back to Goldsboro', from his interview with Grant, at once made preparations to move. He had said that he could not get ready before the 10th of April. This, it will be noticed, was one day after Lee surrendered.

Wholly ignorant of this great event, he, on the 10th, was about putting his columns in motion for the Roanoke, when he received the news of the fall of Petersburg and Richmond. This, of course, caused a change in his plans, for with the tidings came a dispatch from Grant, dated April 5th, in which he stated the hopeless condition of Lee's army, and added, "if you can possibly do so, push on from where you are, and let us see if we cannot finish the job with Lee's and Johnston's armies." Sherman at once wheeled his columns toward Raleigh, forcing the enemy back and destroy. ing the bridges on the way.

On the 3rd day of the march, the news of the surrender

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SHERMAN AND JOHNSTON.

of Lee's entire force reached the army. It spread like wild. fire, from regiment to regiment, and division to division, till one long, loud hurrah from the mighty host rent the heavWhen tired with cheering, the soldiers began to yell, till it seemed as if pandemonium had broke loose. Sherman seemed as much excited as the rest, and exclaimed in exulting accents, "Glory to God and our glorious Country." That night the elated army encamped within fourteen miles of Raleigh. The next day, Sherman entered the place, assuring the citizens that their property should be protected.

The following day, the 15th, Johnston, who was also informed of the overthrow of Lee, sent a letter to him, asking if some arrangement could not be made to save further effusion of blood. Sherman replied that he was ready to listen to any terms that he wished to propose. Johnston then requested a personal interview, and the next day, at noon, the two met upon the road, and shaking hands with apparent cordiality, adjourned to a neighboring farm-house for consultation. Johnston asked for four days' armistice, which Sherman refused to grant, and a meeting for arranging the terms of surrender was agreed upon for the next day.

They met at the same hour, attended by their splendidly mounted Staffs, and courteously lifting their hats to each other, shook hands, and then dismounted and walked together to the farm-house. Breckenridge, the rebel Secretary of War, was present at this interview, and though the terms of surrender that were granted to Lee, Johnston regarded as satisfactory, he thought that it would be for the interest of all if some basis of peace was adopted. A memorandum, looking to this, was signed by both parties, and a suspension of hostilities was agreed upon, until it could be submitted to the Government for its ratification or jection

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