History That Doesn't Suck - 69: Surrender at Appomattox: The Last Days of the Civil War
Episode Date: July 20, 2020“I feel that it is … my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood, by asking you to surrender … the army of Northern Virginia. Very respectfully, U. S. Grant....” This is the story of one army surrendering to another. Of foes becoming brothers once more. This is the Surrender at Appomattox. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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It's Palm Sunday, April 9th, 1865.
General Ulysses S. Grant and a few officers ride along a dirt road in the quaint hamlet of Appomattox Courthouse.
But they aren't headed to the town's namesake building.
No, they are riding to its other impressive structure, the McLean House.
Wilmer McLean bought the charming, three-story tall, red brick home with white
trim windows and an expansive porch a few years back after his previous residence became the
battlefield for First Bull Run slash Manassas. The poor guy wanted to avoid the fighting.
How ironic. If all goes well today, his parlor is where the war will effectively end. This party of union leaders
makes it to McLane's home at 1.30 p.m.
Tying off his horse, Ulysses ascends the wide wooden stairs
leading to the front door alone.
Stepping inside, he enters the parlor immediately
on his left.
Different accounts will recall various details
on the furniture, but the 17 by 19 foot room has, at least, a black fireplace adorned with white
vases, patterned carpeting, a turtletop marble table, a small wooden oval table, a couch,
and a number of chairs. It's here that Ulysses is greeted by three men. U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Orville Babcock, Confederate Colonel Charles Marshall,
and of course, the man with whom Ulysses hopes to start the peace process,
Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
The two commanders could not contrast more starkly.
At 58 years old, the white-bearded, blue-blooded Confederateederate is dressed in an impeccable gray uniform with a
silk sash and dress sword. He stands tall and elegant. Meanwhile, the 42-year-old, dark-bearded
U.S. commander wears a dirty, Union blue uniform and mud-caked boots. No sword. Only his shoulder
straps indicate his rank of lieutenant general. Both men apologize to the other, the one for
having nothing suitable apart from this new uniform, the other for wearing such, quote-unquote,
rough garb. Other Union leaders enter. Ulysses introduces them and tries to make small talk.
I met you once before, General Lee, while we were serving in Mexico, when you came over from
General Scott's headquarters to visit Garland's brigade,
to the Ohioan surprise, Bobby claims to remember him as well.
Meanwhile, Bobby Lee expresses his thanks to Lawrence Williams.
The Federal General sent him a message this morning,
informing him that his Confederate son, Custis Lee,
was not killed in battle a few days ago, as initially reported.
But good as that news is, Bobby has no interest in dragging this out. He's sick at the thought
of what must be done and would rather dispense with the pleasantries. I suppose, General Grant,
that the object of our present meeting is fully understood. I asked to see you to ascertain upon what terms you would receive the surrender of my
army. The U.S. Army General-in-Chief understands. He'll later note in his memoirs the empathy he
feels. He's feeling for Bobby Lee in this moment. I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the
downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a
cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which people ever fought.
Well dressed and spoken as the vanquished Virginian is, Ulysses can still see the pain
hiding behind the white beard and brown eyes. I mean merely that your army should lay down their
arms and not take them up again
during the continuance of the war unless duly and properly exchanged, Ulysses answers. Those
are about the conditions which I expected would be proposed, the confederate responds,
nodding approvingly. Ulysses starts to wax eloquent on peace. The end of this fight,
a cessation to the needless loss of life.
Once more, though, Bobby points him to the task at hand.
I presume, General Grant, we have both carefully considered the proper steps to be taken,
and I would suggest that you commit to writing the terms you have promised
so that they may be formally acted upon. Very well. I will write them out.
Ulysses' aide-de-camp, Colonel Ely Parker,
brings his cigar-chewing commander the small oval table.
Ulysses chews away as he writes up the terms.
Once done, he hands it to Bobby.
Putting on his spectacles,
the older Virginian can hardly believe what he's reading.
General Grant is offering him and his entire army protection
from being prosecuted for treason.
His officers can even keep their arms and horses.
The generosity is astounding.
These are not the terms of a conqueror.
These are the terms of one who wishes to heal a nation.
This will have a very happy effect, Bobby replies as he reads. After
making some small edits to the original draft's language, Ely Parker puts his gifted penmanship
to task and writes up the formal surrender. It's concluded. Though the formal ceremony will
take place three days from now, Bobby Lee has surrendered the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
He makes the obligatory rounds, greeting each of Ulysses' officers,
but pauses as he comes to Colonel Ely Parker.
You know, the man who just penned the terms of surrender.
Bobby looks mortified as he takes in the well-built man's black hair and dark complexion.
Is Ely black?
No.
He's a Senecan.
In fact, he's a Grand Sachem of the Iroquois League.
Bobby seems to relax as he realizes Ely is indigenous.
I am really glad to see one real American here, Bobby finally says as they shake hands.
Ely's response could not be more profound.
Speaking as an indigenous American
at the end of a war with still unknown ramifications
on American identity,
he answers the gray-clad general,
We are all Americans.
Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck.
I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. Today, we end the Civil War.
We've heard so many stories and met so many people,
but now, we'll hear how two generals
on a battlefield in Virginia bring this brutal, bloody war to a close. To start, I'll tell you
about the final battle at Petersburg and the fall of Richmond. From there, we'll follow Bobby Lee
as he makes a desperate dash across Virginia to save his army and the Confederacy. You'll learn
about some of the final battles of the Civil War and the lead-up to the surrender army and the Confederacy. You'll learn about some of the final
battles of the Civil War and the lead-up to the surrender at Appomattox. Once that's done, I'll
talk about a few big-picture takeaways from the war. You know, the broad themes you'll want to
know before we move on to the next phase of American history. So, go back in time a month
with me to March, 1865.
Let's see how Robert E. Lee goes from defending Richmond to surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant in the village of Appomattox Courthouse.
Here we go.
Rewind.
It's March 20th, 1865.
Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant sits at his headquarters in City Point, Virginia,
just outside the Petersburg battle lines. Ulysses and his wife, Julia, have heard how tired and run
down President Lincoln looks these days. So the Grants have decided to invite Lincoln to visit,
see the troops, and take a rest. Ulysses writes to his boss,
Can you not visit City Point for a day or two? I would like very much to see you, When the president gets the invitation, he immediately agrees.
The idea of getting out of D.C. for a few days sounds so good, in fact,
that First Lady Mary Lincoln and their son, Tad, decide to come along.
Yeah, you know you're getting desperate for a day off
when a vacation near the front lines of the Civil War
sounds better than a day in the office.
On March 23rd, the Lincolns hop on the steamer, River Queen,
and head south to meet up with Ulysses.
The president has a great time on the short journey.
It feels so good to be out from under the weight of office seekers,
meetings, telegrams, and battlefront news.
Mary describes that Lincoln, quote,
freely gave vent to his cheerfulness.
He was almost boyish in his mirth and reminded me of his original nature.
Close quote.
The River Queen arrives at City Point on the James River the next evening,
and Lincoln's feeling better than he has in years.
The president and the lieutenant general have a quick meeting. Ulysses assures Lincoln that the
war will be over soon, that Confederate General Robert E. Lee is running out of men and supplies
with which to defend Petersburg. Lincoln goes to bed, unaware of just how true Ulysses' words were.
Here's the thing. Ten miles west of City Point, in Petersburg, Virginia,
Bobby Lee is as stressed as Lincoln is relaxed.
He doesn't have enough soldiers to defend the ramparts
or man the guns on the Petersburg lines,
and he doesn't have enough food or ammo to supply the troops he has.
This frustrates the hell out of the newly appointed
General-in-Chief of the Confederate Armies.
He writes to the CSA Secretary of War and begs for food for his men. He also writes,
I can no longer sustain even our small force of cavalry around Richmond. That's right,
there's nothing for the horses to eat either. Oof, Bobby Lee's in a tough spot. But he's got an idea.
The white-bearded Virginian plans to abandon Petersburg,
fight his way through Union lines,
march southwest, and hook up with General Joseph Johnston in North Carolina.
This plan will mean giving up the capital city of Richmond,
but it will save the army of Northern Virginia
and breathe hope into the dying Confederacy.
Within hours of Lincoln's arrival at City Point,
Bobby Lee puts his plan into action. In the pre-dawn light of March 25, Confederate soldiers
make their move against a small log cabin in the east portion of Petersburg lines known as Fort
Stedman. A few Confederate soldiers, acting like deserters, come up on the Union pickets at the
fort and start a conversation. Once the blue-clad guards are fully relaxed, the rebel deserters, come up on the Union pickets at the fort and start a conversation.
Once the blue-clad guards are fully relaxed, the rebel deserters show their true colors and signal for their comrades to launch an attack.
The battle-hardened gray-clad men soon overrun the surprised Union soldiers at the fort.
But the Rebs are overwhelmed by Yankees and can't hold on to Fort Steadman for long.
By lunchtime, federal troops have retaken the fort and captured Confederate breastworks.
Union armies inflict 5,000 casualties, including taking about 2,000 prisoners of war.
Bobby Lee has lost men, lost part of his defensive works, and lost the element of surprise.
That afternoon, Lincoln still goes on his scheduled tour of Union lines and troops.
But the presidential entourage
can't miss the aftermath of the battle of Fort Steadman.
The sights sober Lincoln's mood.
When he sees lines of Confederate POWs,
one observer reports,
quote,
Lincoln's whole face showed sympathetic feeling
for the suffering about him.
Close quote.
But the tour continues and the rail splitter's presence cheers up Union soldiers holding the lines at Petersburg.
That evening, Ulysses, Lincoln, and several other generals and officers sit around a campfire.
Their easy conversation turns serious toward the end of the night.
Ulysses turns his blue eyes on Lincoln and asks,
Mr. President, did you at any time doubt the final success of the cause?
Lincoln doesn't hesitate.
Never for a moment.
The president's visit to City Point strengthens his relationship with Ulysses.
A few days later, the two men are joined by another general who has been fighting to save
the Union, General William Tecumseh Sherman, better known to his friends as Kump.
Now, Ulysses' best friend, Kump, had already been planning to come to City Point before
Lincoln showed up.
It's just good timing and better luck that the president happens to be here too, when Kump
arrives on the night of March 27th. The next morning, some of the highest authorities in the
Union war effort, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, U.S. Navy Admiral David
Porter, all meet to discuss how to bring the four-year-long war to an end. The military men
and their commander-in-chief want to know what
terms of surrender they should offer to the Confederate armies when the time comes.
Lincoln emphasizes generosity and leniency. All I want of you is to defeat the opposing armies
and to get the men composing the Confederate armies back to their homes, at work on their
farms, and in their shops. Let them have their horses to plow
with and, if you like, their guns to shoot crows with. We want those people to return their
allegiance to the Union. Damn, those are generous terms. So Kump asks a clarifying question.
What about Confederate President Jefferson Davis? Should he be tried for treason?
Of course, Lincoln goes back to his country lawyer roots
and answers with a story.
He tells of a man who has vowed to give up alcohol.
When he goes to a friend's house,
his host offers him lemonade.
The host then says the lemonade would go down easier
if he pours a bit of brandy in it.
Lincoln relates the man's reply. If you can
do so unbeknown to me, I would not object. Kump laughs and nods in understanding. If Jeff Davis
can escape the country and avoid a treason trial unbeknown to Lincoln, that would be just fine with
the president. Kump leaves the meeting impressed with Lincoln. The red-bearded general
later recalls, of all the men I ever met, Lincoln seemed to possess more of the elements of
greatness combined with goodness than any other. That evening, the party breaks up. Kump returns
to North Carolina. Ulysses heads a few miles west to the battlefront
near Petersburg. Lincoln stays in City Point, eager for these men to bring the war to a close.
And Ulysses wastes no time making that happen. On March 29th, the Union commander takes a short
train ride west from City Point to gravelly run the new headquarters of the Union front.
He writes out orders for his shortened stature but
fearless cavalry commander, Phil Sheridan. You might remember from episode 64 that Phil has
been rocking it on the battlefield, cutting off Confederate supply lines and subduing his rebel
counterparts. Ulysses' orders seem to ignore that. They outline that Phil and his men should try to
hit Bobby Lee's right flank, but if that's a bust, the cavalry should ride down to North Carolina to help Tecumseh Sherman and his army.
Um, what? So when Phil reads Ulysses' orders, he's kind of pissed. But the blue-eyed lieutenant
general gets it. He pulls Phil aside and gives him the whole picture. Ulysses had to put a
contingency plan in writing, but he tells
Phil that he fully intends to end the war right here. The cavalry won't have any need to go to
North Carolina. Phil brightens up and replies, I'm glad to hear it and we can do it. The mustachioed
cavalryman goes on to say that as the war ends, he wants, quote, to be in at the death, close quote.
Phil positions his men near the crucial crossroads called Five Forks to cut off Bobby Lee's best
escape route. Now since the debacle at Fort Stedman, Bobby Lee has stretched out his Petersburg
line so thin they are ready to snap. Even so, he sends 11,000 men under the command
of General George Pickett to, quote,
"'Hold five forks at all hazards,' close quote."
But Bobby Lee also sends a message to CSA President,
Jeff Davis, up in Richmond, that this move
seriously diminishes our ability
to maintain our present line.
The next 72 hours will be crucial.
On Thursday, March 30th, it starts raining.
The rain pours down in sheets, fills trenches,
and soaks gunpowder.
But that does not deter Phil Sheridan
from launching an attack on General George Pickett's lines
at Five Forks.
On Friday, the 31st, the desperate Confederate soldiers
fight against Phil's Union troops with a tenacity
that belies their low numbers and even lower rations.
But how long can they hold out?
Up in Richmond, Jeff Davis makes a move
that shows just how worried he is.
He gets his wife, Verena,
and their four living children out of town.
On Saturday, April 1st, Union soldiers fight on. Now, Phil once told Ulysses,
I have never in my life taken a command into battle and had not the slightest desire to come out alive unless I won. Damn, no wonder Ulysses gave this assignment to Phil. After two days of hard fighting at Five Forks,
Union numbers and Phil Sheridan's iron will finally break the Confederate lines.
Ulysses doesn't pause for a second.
He knows that this victory has opened his chance to break the lines at Petersburg.
Bobby Lee has lost about 20% of his army to death,
wounding, or capture in the last week.
So the Union Lieutenant General
orders a dawn attack of the Petersburg breastworks. At 4.45 on Sunday, April 2nd, Union guns open fire
on the rebel lines. The Army of the Potomac has been fighting here for months. This is their
chance to finally overrun the seemingly impenetrable Confederate lines and seize Petersburg. The 125,000 blue-clad Yankees fight with everything they've got. They break through
the outer lines in several places, taking thousands of Confederate soldiers prisoner.
Bobby Lee, with only about 33,000 men, realizes he can't hold Petersburg or Richmond any longer.
The white-haired Virginian orders a full retreat.
Around 10 a.m., Bobby Lee sends a message to his bosses in the capital.
I see no prospect of doing more than holding our position here till night.
I am not certain that I can do that.
If I can, I shall withdraw tonight north of Appomattox.
Word of the disaster at Petersburg soon reaches Jeff Davis,
20 miles north in Richmond.
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At 11 o'clock on Sunday, April 2nd,
Jeff Davis sits in his family pew at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
The torrential rains that had soaked the soldiers at Five Forks have finally cleared.
Sunshine pours through the detailed stained glass windows lining the walls of the church.
Jeff quietly listens to the sermon.
Then a messenger walks up the aisle carrying a single envelope
and stops at the Confederate president's pew.
The pastor continues his sermon as Jeff opens the envelope and reads the message inside.
It's that telegram from Bobby Lee received just 20 minutes ago at the War Department.
Jeff reads Bobby's message.
The last line makes him catch his breath.
I advise that all preparation be made for leaving
Richmond tonight. I will advise you later according to circumstances. R.E. Lee. Jeff says nothing.
He quickly stands, walks down the aisle, and exits the church. Several officers and cabinet
members guess that something big has just gone down. They follow Jeff out of the building.
Within a few minutes, Jeff has his entire cabinet gathered in a meeting.
While he expected this day to come, Jeff's not as ready as you might think.
Yeah, he sent his family away a few days ago,
and many offices have been packing valuable documents.
But on this Sunday morning, Jeff and his cabinet
scramble to abandon their headquarters in Capital City at Richmond. The CS president even sends a
message to Bobby Lee, which reads, to move tonight will involve the loss of many valuables, both for
the want of time to pack and of transportation. Arrangements are progressing and unless you
otherwise advise, the start will be made.
But the real thin Confederate president has no choice in the matter.
He tells his subordinates to pack as many valuables as possible and burn the rest.
Richmond residents get the hint when they see stacks of burning papers outside of government offices.
The streets become jammed with wagons full of furniture, valuables, and necessities.
The train depot overflows with people desperate to leave the city,
and every available train car is jam-packed with panicked travelers.
Jeff himself works until after dark.
He finally leaves the columned, stuccoed Confederate White House at 7 p.m.,
being sure to leave his desk neat and orderly.
He boards a special eight-car train along with members of his
cabinet and their staff. The train pulls out of Richmond around 11 p.m., bound for Danville,
Virginia, where the CSA government officials hope to set up a new capital. Those who can't afford
to leave or have nowhere else to go lock themselves in their houses and listen to the city burn.
The last remaining C.S. military men have orders to set fire not only to records and papers,
but to warehouses full of tobacco and cotton, munitions, and liquor stores. The fire burns
all night, destroying blocks of civilian property as well. Looters, possibly the same hungry citizens
who participated in the Richmond Bread Riots you heard about in episode 58, break into abandoned
stores and steal any necessities left on the shelves.
Near dawn, the last retreating rebel troops
set fire to an ordnance depot.
Exploding shells break windows
and feed the fires, destroying Richmond.
Diarist Mary Chestnut laments,
quote,
everything is lost in Richmond,
even our archives.
Blue black is our horizon. Close quote.
The next morning, Union troops under the command of General Godfrey Whitesell move into Richmond.
Their first order of business douse the flames still threatening the city.
From there, they can restore order and safety and set up a base of operations.
And you can bet that more than one white Richmond resident takes notice of who has just put out the
flames and occupied their hometown, the all-black 25th Union Corps. The firefighting and peace
restoring efforts take a while, so it's not until late morning on Monday, April 3rd, that President
Lincoln and General Ulysses Grant hear about the occupation of Richmond. Lincoln's at City Point with Admiral David Porter when he gets
a telegram with the news. The president's lined face creases into a broad smile and he says to
David, thank God that I have lived to see this. It seems to me that I have been dreaming a horrid dream for four years. And now, the nightmare is gone.
News of Richmond's occupation by Union forces also reaches Washington, D.C.
The reaction there is a little less reverent and subdued than Lincoln's.
Just before noon, the telegraph operator at the War Department gets a message that reads,
quote, here is the first message for you in four years from Richmond, Close quote.
The shocked operator jumps out of his chair,
runs to the open window,
shouts to passersby,
The news, which clearly indicates
that this gruesome, stressful war is coming to a close,
spread like wildfire throughout Washington City.
War Secretary Edwin Stanton gives an
impromptu speech to a crowd of well-wishers. With a breaking voice and tears in his eyes,
Edwin expresses thanks to the president, to the army and navy, to the great commanders of sea
and land, to the gallant officers and men who have periled their lives upon the battlefield and
drenched the soil with their blood. Close quote. Down in Virginia, Lincoln doesn't wait long to
visit Richmond. Let me give just a bit of geography. City Point sits at the confluence of the James and
Appomattox rivers. It has easy access to Petersburg on the Appomattox and Richmond on the James.
So on April 4th, Lincoln gets on a small ship with David Porter and just 10 sailors. The party
sails north up the winding James River to Richmond. They brave torpedoes and debris in the water,
but make it safely to the burned-over city. When Lincoln arrives, he walks the city streets,
observing shards of glass and charred
remains of Confederate records. Of course, the ungainly, rail-thin president gets noticed by
Richmond residents right away. Now that Richmond has been occupied by Union forces, the Emancipation
Proclamation applies here. Newly freed black men and women surround Lincoln, shout praise to him,
and some even kneel at his feet.
Lincoln is humbled by this and says to the crowd,
Don't kneel to me. That is not right.
You must kneel to God only
and thank him for the liberty you will hereinafter enjoy.
I am but God's humble instrument.
Lincoln continues his tour of the city.
He goes to the Confederate White House,
now a base for General Weitzel and his men.
Lincoln even takes a minute to sit
in Jeff Davis' so recently vacated office.
In the late afternoon,
the U.S. president returns to City Point.
One Richmond reporter, Morris Chester,
witnessed Lincoln's walk around town
in his exchange with the jubilant freed slaves.
Morris writes all of this up in his report with the jubilant freed slaves. Morris writes all of
this up in his report for the Philadelphia Press. Quote, Richmond has never before presented such a
spectacle of jubilee. What a wonderful change has come over the spirits of southern dreams.
Close quote. Why does Morris's tone sound so different from Mary Chestnut's? Morris is black.
While Lincoln hangs out at City Point for a few more days,
let's ride west with Ulysses Grant and the bulk of the Army of the Potomac.
On April 4th, Ulysses gives himself a new mission.
Prevent Bobby Lee from getting to North Carolina and hooking up with Joe Johnston.
The Blue-Eyed General rides west from Petersburg to make this happen.
Bobby Lee's army of Northern Virginia has been reduced to about 35,000 men total.
That's everyone who was manning the lines at Petersburg or on guard duty in Richmond.
They don't have enough food. Their animals are worn out.
But these battle-hardened, tough-as-nails, gray-and-butternut-clad soldiers
are determined to get to North Carolina. And Bobby has their backs. He has requested that a train
full of rations meet his army at Amelia Courthouse, a small town about 40 miles west of Richmond.
From here, the Confederate Army has two good options for joining up with Joe Johnston.
One, they can travel southwest to Danville,
check in with Jeff Davis at his new headquarters,
then move into North Carolina.
Or two, they can travel due west to Lynchburg
in the Blue Ridge foothills,
then travel due south to Danville,
say hi to Jeff Davis, and move into North Carolina.
Second option is longer, but still workable.
Ulysses and his right-hand man, Phil Sheridan,
want to stop Bobby Lee from choosing either option.
But it's not the Union Army that will put the first roadblock
in the Rebel Army's path.
When Bobby Lee gets to Amelia Courthouse,
he discovers there's been a mix-up.
The War Department sent ammo, not food, to his starving men.
The Virginia General is pissed.
He can't afford this delay,
but he has no choice except to allow his men to forage for food for a few days.
The Union cavalry under Phil Sheridan take full advantage of this rebel setback.
On April 5th, Phil and his crew get ahead of the Army of Northern Virginia
and block the Danville Road.
That would be escape option one for Bobby Lee. The fearless cavalry commander sends word to Ulysses. I wish you were here
yourself. I feel confident of capturing the Army of Northern Virginia if we exert ourselves.
Ulysses doesn't need more of an invitation than that. He and a dozen or so of his staff hop on
horses and ride through the night to join Phil. Sure, Ulysses is traveling ahead of his headquarters wagons,
with most of his gear and fresh clothes.
But there's an army to capture and a war to win.
Bobby Lee switches to option two.
Overnight, his men begin marching west, hoping to get to Lynchburg.
But Phil won't let that happen.
The advanced guards of the Union Army travel parallel to the Confederates,
and on the afternoon of April 6th,
they catch an isolated corps of Rebel soldiers near a small river called Sailor's Creek.
Phil orders his three corps to attack the Rebel supply wagon train and soldiers.
Within hours, Federal troops have taken 6,000 POWs,
including the Confederate general with a spotted record from the Battle of Gettysburg, Dick Yule.
When Bobby Lee hears about this rout, he exclaims,
My God, has the army been dissolved?
Of course, the indomitable general from Virginia would never let that happen.
He might have lost nearly a quarter of his men at Sailor's Creek,
but he urges the rest of his men to keep moving towards Lynchburg.
Yet, Ulysses can see that the end is near. On April 7th, the cigar-smoking general,
still traveling without fresh clothes or a comfortable tent, sends a note to Bobby Lee.
It reads, The results of the last week must convince
you of the hopelessness of future resistance. I feel that it is my duty to shift from myself the
responsibility of any further effusion of blood by asking you to surrender the Army of Northern
Virginia. Very respectfully, U.S. Grant. Lee sends a message back and asks what terms the
Union General might offer. Ulysses gets
this message in the middle of the night, so he replies early on April 8th. His note does not
sound like the unconditional surrender grant of Vicksburg or Fort Donelson. Peace being my great
desire, there is but one condition I would insist upon, namely that the men and officers surrendered
shall be disqualified for taking up arms again
against the government of the United States. When Bobby Lee reads this note, he bristles.
He's not ready to surrender and only wanted to hear General Grant's idea on terms. This note
sounds like Ulysses is ready to write up a capitulation agreement right now. Which he is, Bobby writes back. To be frank, I do not think
the emergency has arisen to call for the surrender of this army. He suggests that the two generals
meet to discuss peace terms, a political negotiation that Ulysses knows he has no authority to conduct.
This exchange is painstakingly slow, since every note has to be delivered by a messenger under a
flag of truce. And while the gray and blue-clad generals communicate via letter, the Army of
Northern Virginia keeps moving west. See, Bobby Lee has rations, yes, actual food, waiting at
Appomattox, a rail depot town a few miles east of the safety of Lynchburg. But Phil Sheridan's cavalry raced to cut the rebels off.
Approximately 75,000 federal soldiers get to Appomattox first, seize the train depot and
rail cars full of supplies, and then position themselves on the rail lines that Bobby Lee had
hoped to use as an escape route. The Army of Northern Virginia, only about 10,000 strong due
to death, capture, and desertion,
is trapped, badly outnumbered, and has no rations. Nonetheless, they launch a dawn attack on April 9th, Palm Sunday. A few hours of fighting only makes the situation worse as two Union Corps
block a Confederate advance while more Yankees threaten the rebel rear. Bobby Lee finally admits defeat.
The white bearded general negotiates a temporary battlefield ceasefire and
sends one last note to Ulysses.
I therefore request an interview at such time and place as you may designate
to discuss the terms of the surrender of this army in accordance with your offer.
Ulysses accepts without question. Clad thoughtfully in
his dress uniform, Bobby Lee prepares to surrender himself and his army. With a heavy heart, he tells
his staff, there is nothing left for me to do but go and see General Grant, and I would rather die
a thousand deaths.
You heard about the meeting at Wilmer McLean's house between the commander of Federal Forces
and the commander of all the Confederate armies in this episode's opening.
So let me jump now into the specifics of the agreement that these
two military masterminds reached. First, officers and enlisted men will be paroled and sent home.
No one's going to jail. No one's facing a treason trial. Second, any Confederate soldier who owns
his horse or mule can take it home with him. Third, all Confederate army munitions and guns
will be handed over, but any soldier who claims to own his gun can take it home with him. Third, all Confederate army munitions and guns will be handed over,
but any soldier who claims to own his gun can take it home with him, and General Robert E. Lee
will keep his sword. It seems that Ulysses is following Lincoln's second inaugural address
directive, with malice toward none. These terms of surrender are very generous.
Unconditional surrender grant doesn't even include the words unconditional
surrender. While Ulysses' aide-de-camp, Ely Parker, makes copies of the agreement, Bobby Lee has to
humble himself once more. He tells Ulysses that his men are starving and have been living off
parched corn for days. He badly needs, quote, both rations and forage, close quote.
In line with the generous nature of his surrender terms,
Ulysses doesn't withhold food from the now-paroled rebel soldiers.
He promises to deliver three days' worth of rations for Bobby Lee's 25,000 men.
When Ulysses asks if this will be enough, Bobby Lee replies,
I think it will be ample, and it will be a great relief,
I assure you. As the meeting breaks up, the old Virginian general keeps his face inscrutable.
Bobby Lee has kept himself aloof, and as he rides away from the house, the Union officers or staff
members watch him go without knowing his true feelings. Ulysses, on the other hand, looks
disheartened. At a moment when many of his men are celebrating and clapping each other's backs
and congratulations for a job completed, the blue-eyed general stays quiet and pensive.
Ulysses proves the truth of the hero of the Napoleonic Wars, Duke of Wellington's adage,
quote, next to a battle loss, there's no spectacle more melancholy than a battle won,
close quote. When Lincoln, by now back in Washington DC, hears the news of Bobby Lee's
surrender, he does not hide his feelings like the Southern commander, nor does he feel a similar
sadness to Ulysses. No, after leading a nation at war with itself
for four years, President Lincoln unleashes all of his joy at the conflict's close.
War Secretary Edwin Stanton bursts into Lincoln's office and delivers the news.
General Lee surrendered the army of Northern Virginia this afternoon.
Lincoln unabashedly hugs Edwin. Back at Appomattox, Bobby Lee returns to his men.
He has to tell them that their fight is over. He has surrendered, and now, in front of these men
that he's led for years, the Virginian lets down his guard. Soldiers line the road as Bobby Lee
rides by, and he says to them, Men, we have fought through this war together. I have done the best
that I could for you. At this, Bobby's voice breaks and the tears start flowing. One soldier
lets the news of surrender sink in, then calls out, I love you just as well as ever, General Lee.
In the federal camps, soldiers go crazy when they hear the news of Bobby Lee's surrender.
No more marching, fighting, camping, or marching. They are going home. The blue-clad men start
firing cannons in raucous celebrations. But their commander, Ulysses, keeps his eye on the solemnity
of the occasion. He tells his men to keep it together. The war is over. The rebels are
countrymen again, and the best sign of rejoicing, the victory will be to abstain from all demonstrations.
To their credit, most soldiers follow this order, and three days later, they show a hell of a lot
of respect for the capitulating Confederates. On April 12th, the Army of the Potomac holds a formal surrender ceremony
for the Army of Northern Virginia.
Ulysses doesn't attend.
He assigns Major General Joshua Chamberlain,
the hero of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg,
to receive the surrender.
As Confederate soldiers stack their guns and hand over their battle flags,
many of them are in tears.
But Joshua orders his men to treat their
countrymen and former foes with respect. Josh describes the scene when Confederate General
John Gordon, who took over Stonewall Jackson's command, and his corps approach. Quote,
Instructions had been given, and when the head of each division column comes opposite our group,
our bugle sounds the signal, and instantly our whole line from right to left,
regiment by regiment, in succession, gives the soldier salutation. From the order arms to the
old carry, the marching salute. Gordon, at the head of the column, riding with heavy spirit and
downcast face, catches the sound of shifting arms, looks up, and takes the meaning. Wheels superbly with
profound salutation as he drops the point of his sword to the boot toe, then
facing to his own command, gives word for his successive brigades to pass us with
the same position of the manual. Honor answering honor."
Imagine this. Hundreds of Union soldiers stand at attention, with their rifles standing at their sides.
At the bugle's call, they all bring their guns up, holding the butt in their right hand as the barrel rests against their right shoulders.
Confederate troops return the salute as they march up to the collection piles and hand over their weapons to the Yankees.
This display of mutual respect between these armies goes a long way toward
healing the deep wounds of this war. A few days later, on April 18th, Confederate General Joe
Johnston negotiates a surrender of his once formidable Army of Tennessee to Union General
William Tecumseh Sherman. The armies of the Confederacy are now disbanded, and despite a few minor skirmishes, the Civil War is effectively over. But the rising hope of unity, reconciliation,
and a smooth transition to reunion sparked by the generous terms at Appomattox and the respectful
surrender ceremony a few days later won't last. Maybe that's why we like to remember these events.
We speak to what so many wanted, and what might have been. However, before
we follow the United States into its post-war phase, let's take a bird's eye view of the
conflict, answer a few lingering questions, and talk about some of the fallout from America's
Civil War. Let's start with the most tangible aspect of the war, the death toll. I've said it
before, but it's worth repeating. Casualty numbers in the
Civil War are hard to pin down. You've probably heard estimates ranging from 620,000 total deaths
up to 850,000. That's a huge difference, but let me give as many accurate numbers as I can.
Going into the war, the Confederacy had a smaller population than the Union. 9 million, 3.5 of which were enslaved, compared to 22 million white and black.
The seceded South fielded over 1 million men, while the Yankees put over 2 million soldiers into battle.
Of those over 3 million men, and covertly some women, at least 620,000 died.
That's according to James McPherson, the god of Civil War historians.
He says 360,000 Federals and at least 260,000 Confederates died.
Historian Ron Chernow, writing a little more recently, puts that figure at 750,000.
If we use McPherson's 620,000, that means at least 2.5% of the entire American
population died in the conflict. But let's zoom in a bit. The South's smaller population
meant a smaller death toll, but not in percentages. Historians estimate that nearly 20% of the white
male population in the South died during the war. Yeah, one-fifth. That's approaching the
death rate France will suffer during World War I. We'll later call those poor souls the lost
generation. Yet these numbers still don't account for civilian deaths from battles, starvation,
or disease. Can't give you an accurate count on that front. We also need to address the property
damage done to farms,
railways, and factories, mostly in the South. Some historians claim that many parts of the South will not recover economically from the Civil War by the time the Great Depression hits in 1929.
Wow. To quote William Tecumseh Sherman from a speech he will give 15 years after the war,
there is many a boy who looks on war as all glory,
but boys, it is all hell. Now that we've looked at the numbers, let's ask those seemingly
unanswerable questions. Why did the South lose? And why did the North win? First, let's look at
the South. Many people want to blurt out some basic
fact and hope that these will answer the question. You've probably heard people argue that the
Confederacy had a lot working against it, like being outnumbered, having less depth of military
leadership, having a controversial president like Jefferson Davis at the helm, having significant
internal strife, or not having enough international support. And yes,
all of these factors did contribute to the Confederacy's ultimate demise.
But you could make the same arguments about the North. Internal strife, New York draft riots,
and peace Democrats. Lack of military leadership, George B. Little Mac McClellan. Need I say more?
Controversial president? Abraham Lincoln,
whose own party members tried to oust him in 1864. International support? Eh, only in theory.
So what did cause the demise of the Confederacy? Well, Civil War historian Gary Gallagher has an
answer. He argues, quote, the key factor in bringing rebel defeat, and this is easy to
overlook if you don't deal with military history, is the United States armies proved they could go
anywhere and do anything they wanted. Once the Confederate civilian population figured that out,
what alternative to surrender remained? Close quote. This argument also helps us understand how the North won. Like I said, the 22 states in
the Union faced many of the same struggles and setbacks as the Confederacy, except the population,
of course. Some historians argue that the North won because, at a few key points, the tide of war
swung its way. The first came in the Battle of Antietam, a Union victory that made
Great Britain think twice about helping the Confederacy. The second is the Emancipation
Proclamation, which expanded the scope and purpose of the war for the North. The third happened at
the simultaneous Union victories of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, which gave many Northerners a boost
in morale. And the final is the Union capture of Atlanta, which enabled Lincoln to win re-election
in 1864. These key turning points gave the Union the will to win. With that, Yankee armies could
go anywhere and do anything, as Gallagher said. It's not that the Confederacy lost the will to
fight and win, they had plenty of that almost to the end. It's that the Union had momentum on its
side at crucial times.
If any of these turning points had gone another way, you and I might be having a very different conversation today. We may never get a definitive answer on why the South lost, or how the North
won, but I hope these arguments give you somewhere to start as you explore those questions yourself.
Now that I've discussed reasons for the war's outcome, let's spend a minute talking about a few of its repercussions. Veterans, North and South,
faced serious struggles, especially the amputees. They had to rely on federal and state pensions,
family help, and generous friends to make their way in the world. For men whose job it was to
financially support a family, perform quote-unquote manly labor, and be self-sufficient,
their disabling wounds caused daily psychological pain and social ostracism. This was especially
true in the South. And here, they didn't even have the balm of victory to take the sting out
of their wounds. Southern masculinity, even more than in the North, hinged on an able-bodied man
taking care of his wife and children and, if a slaveholder,
controlling his slaves and land. Men who didn't own slaves could still control their domain through
sheer physical will. But amputees didn't fit this mold anymore. It would take years for southern
society to construct a social place for its maimed veterans, but by then, many had disappeared to the fringes of society.
Some veterans came home to a hero's welcome. The aftermath of war led to expanded career options,
especially political careers. The best example is probably Ulysses S. Grant, who would become President of the United States in 1868. But four more Civil War vets would go on to become President.
Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley.
Countless congressmen, governors, mayors, and state reps used their war service to boost their careers.
One example was General Joshua Chamberlain.
He went into the war as a college professor, climbed the military ladder through his exploits at Gettysburg and other battles,
then went home to Maine to become a four-term governor. Besides the effects on a personal level,
the war led to an expansion of federal government powers. Federal taxes, the draft, a national
banking system, and a federal welfare program, the Freedmen's Bureau, became woven into the
fabric of the federal government. The war also effectively took the option of secession off the table.
Lastly, and this cannot be overstated, the largest repercussion of the war was the end of slavery.
As I said in episode 68, there would still be a fight over citizenship, voting rights,
property rights, and social equality for black Americans, and we'll cover that. But for now, in April 1865, slavery no longer has
constitutional protection, and as seceded states come back into the Union, they'll outlaw it as
well. Across the Civil War, approximately 4 million slaves gain their freedom. The last
slaves to be freed live in Texas. On June 19th, 1865, slaves in the Lone Star State hear about the war's end
and their emancipation. The modern day of remembrance, Juneteenth, will honor and
celebrate this event. And so, the Confederacy ends. The deeply shaken Republic of the United
States survives, albeit with a long road ahead. The nation needs to rebuild itself and its society.
In a word, it's entered an over a decade-long phase known as Reconstruction. But before America
can even catch its breath, the still-burning embers of the Civil War have one last high-profile
life to claim. And this time, the shot won't be fired on a battlefield.
It'll be fired in a theater. And a special thanks to our members, whose monthly gift puts them at producer status. Thank you.