Meeting at Appomattox Court House
While most of Lee's officers favored surrender, others did not fearing that it would lead to the end of the war. Lee also sought to prevent his army from melting away to fight on as guerrillas, a move that he felt would have long term harm for the country. At 8:00 AM Lee rode out with three of his aides to make contact with Grant. Several hours of correspondence ensued which led to a cease fire and a formal request from Lee to discuss surrender terms. The home of Wilmer McLean, whose house in Manassas had served as Beauregard's headquarters during the First Battle of Bull Run, was selected to host the negotiations.
Lee arrived first, wearing his finest dress uniform and awaited Grant. The Union commander, who had been suffering a bad headache, arrived late, wearing a worn private's uniform with only his shoulder straps denoting his rank. Overcome by the emotion of the meeting, Grant had difficulty getting to the point, preferring to discuss his previous meeting with Lee during the Mexican-American War. Lee steering the conversation back to the surrender and Grant laid out his terms.
Grant's Terms of Surrender
Grant's terms: "I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of N. Va. 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 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 commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer 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 their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside."
In addition, Grant also offered to allow the Confederates to take home their horses and mules for use in the spring planting. Lee accepted Grant's generous terms and the meeting ended. As Grant rode away from the McLean house, the Union troops began to cheer. Hearing them, Grant immediately ordered it stopped, stating he did not want his men exalting over their recently defeated foe.
End of the War
The celebration of Lee's surrender was muted by the assassination of President Lincoln on April 14. As some of Lee's officers had feared, their surrender was the first of many. On April 26, Sherman accepted Johnston's surrender near Durham, NC, and the other remaining Confederate armies capitulated one by one over the next six weeks. After four years of fighting, the Civil War was finally over.
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