University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXVIII

END OF THE WAR

Evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg. — During the
autumn and winter (1864-'65) General Grant fortified his
position; and, while his cavalry laid waste the country that
furnished supplies to the Confederates, his infantry gradually
extended their lines westward, till Lee was forced to
guard fortifications thirty-five or forty miles in length. To
do this, in March, 1865, he had about forty thousand half-starved
and half-clothed men, while in front of him lay
Grant's well-equipped army of three or four times that number.
Grant received a continual stream of reenforcements
to make good any losses he might sustain. Lee could get
none. The crisis came in the spring of 1865. On April 2,
Grant pierced Lee's thin lines in several places, and thus
rendered the evacuation[47] of Richmond and Petersburg

necessary. On the night of the 2nd, General Lee withdrew
his troops from the fortifications they had so long and so
gallantly defended, and began to retreat toward Danville,
his plan being to reach North Carolina and unite his army
with that of General Joseph E. Johnston.

The Conflagration in Richmond. — On the morning of
April 3 the Federals took possession of Richmond, which
they found to be on fire, the conflagration having its origin
in the burning of some public buildings by the Confederates
as they retreated. The city presented a scene of the
wildest confusion. Bands of men were plundering the
stores, while the streets were full of homeless people,
whose cries of distress were heard on all sides. Nearly
one third of the city was laid in ruins before the progress
of the flames could be arrested, but this was finally done
by the combined efforts of the citizens and Federal
authorities.

Surrender of General Lee. — Lee had ordered rations to
be sent to Amelia Courthouse for his army; but, owing to
some mistake, this was not done. His forces reached this
point on April 4. They were without food, and in endeavoring
to get provisions from the country they lost
nearly twenty-four hours. On the evening of April 4th,
Sheridan's cavalry reached Jetersville on the Richmond
and Danville railroad, which caused Lee, when he resumed
his retreat, to leave the line of the railroad and turn toward
Lynchburg. When he reached Appomattox Courthouse,
he found Sheridan's cavalry in his front and also an infantry
line of battle, while the main body of the Army of the
Potomac was in his rear. His forces were surrounded, and
he realized that further resistance would but lead to the
sacrifice of the remnant of the brave army, which under
his leadership had proved itself invincible on so many hard-fought

fields. Accordingly on the 9th of April he surrendered
to General Grant the shattered remnant of his
noble army, numbering about twenty-eight thousand men,
but of these only eight thousand bore arms.

Grant's Generous Spirit. — General Grant in this hour of
triumph showed no disposition to exult over his great
antagonist. Instead of this he treated him with the most

delicate consideration. He did not demand Lee's sword,
and it was not offered to him. He only required that the
men should lay down their arms. Those that had horses
were allowed to retain them. "They will need them for
their spring plowing," General Grant said.

General Lee taking Leave of his Army. — It was a sad
sight when General Lee took leave of his army. His soldiers
crowded up to him, anxious to touch him, or even his
horse. In bidding them farewell their great commander

said: "Men, we have fought through the war together; I
have done my best for you; my heart is too full to say
more."

Downfall of the Confederacy. — The surrender of Lee
was followed by that of General Joseph E. Johnston to
General Sherman, which took place in North Carolina on
April 26. Then in rapid succession the Confederate
armies in other parts of the South laid down their arms.
The South was fighting for independence, and the overthrow
of the Army of Northern Virginia convinced her that
she could not succeed. When this became evident, the
Confederacy went down at once; and the great contest
came to a sudden end.

No Trials of Confederate Leaders. — President Davis was
captured on May 10, in Georgia, and imprisoned in Fortress
Monroe. Mr. Stanton, Secretary of State under President
Lincoln, endeavored to bring the illustrious captive to trial
for cruelty to Federal prisoners, who had suffered at Andersonville
for supplies which the South was unable to give
them; but in this effort he failed. For two years, however,
Jefferson Davis remained a prisoner, and was then released
on bail; but neither he nor any other Confederate
leader was ever tried for taking part in the secession
movement.

Supremacy of the Nation. — The war accomplished the
object for which the North fought — the restoration of
the Union. The result proved that a majority of the citizens
of the United States had decided that the Union
should be a nation and not a confederacy of sovereign
states as it was when the Constitution was adopted. No
amendment embodying this was made to the Constitution;
but the right of secession had been submitted to the arbitrament
of arms and the decision had been that it must be

given up, and thus the supremacy of the nation was established.

Abolition of Slavery. — The course of events was also
such as to bring about the abolition of slavery.[48] President
Lincoln, in 1863, issued an emancipation proclamation as
a war measure to help bring about the defeat of the South;
and while this was immediately effective only in territory
occupied by the Federals, yet once published, it was never
recalled; for, as time passed, it became a settled conviction
all through the North and the West that slavery should
not survive the war. Accordingly, after the struggle was
over, amendments, which gave the negro his freedom,
made him a citizen, and secured to him his rights, were
made to the Constitution.

The Army of Northern Virginia. — The rank and file of the
Army of Northern Virginia was made up largely of gentlemen
of birth, fortune, and education. In the Rockbridge
artillery there were twenty-eight college graduates, and in
a company of infantry that went from the Northern Neck
of Virginia, there were sixteen graduates of the Virginia
Military Institute. The heroic deeds of the army were due
to the fact that each private soldier, whether rich or poor,
of high or low estate, felt that he was fighting for a principle,
and so each one entered into the contest with the
spirit that animated the European noblesse in the wars of
the Middle Ages.

A Northern Tribute to Virginia. — During the war the
Washington Republican, an organ that advocated the abolition
of slavery, published the following handsome tribute
to Virginia: "If there has been any decadence of the
manly virtues in the Old Dominion, it is not because the
present generation has proved itself either weak or cowardly
or unequal to the greatest emergencies. No people
with so few numbers ever put into the field, and kept
there so long, troops more numerous, brave, or more
efficient, or produced generals of more merit in all kinds
and grades of military talent.[49] It is not a worn-out and
effete race that has produced Lee, Johnston, Jackson,
Ashby,[50] and Stuart. It is not a worn-out and effete race

which for two years has defended its capital against the
approach of an enemy close upon their borders and outnumbering
them thirty to one. It is not a worn-out and
effete race which has preserved substantial popular unity
under all the straits and pressure and sacrifice of this
unprecedented war."

QUESTIONS

• 1. What did Grant do in the autumn and winter of 1865?

• 2. What was the condition of Lee's army at this time, and what were
  its numbers?

• 3. Give the steps that led to the evacuation of Richmond and
  Petersburg.

• 4. Describe the conflagration in Richmond.

• 5. Give an account of the surrender of Lee. When did it take
  place?

• 6. What was the respective strength of the two armies at the time?

• 7. How did Grant show a generous spirit?

• 8. Describe Lee's farewell to his army.

• 9. What followed Lee's surrender?

• 10. When and where was President Davis imprisoned?

• 11. Was he or any other Confederate leader ever tried?

• 12. What did the war establish in regard to the nation?

• 13. Why had Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863?

• 14. After the war, what amendments were made to the Constitution?

• 15. What was the character of the men that composed the Army of
  Northern Virginia?

• 16. Give the tribute paid to Virginia by the Washington Republican.

• 17. What do European critics say of Jackson's Valley Campaign and
  the Army of Northern Virginia?

• 18. Who was Turner Ashby, and what is said of him?

REVIEW QUESTIONS

• 1. Describe the battle of Chancellorsville.

• 2. Give an account of the death of Stonewall Jackson.

• 3. Describe the cavalry battle of Brandy Station.

• 4. Tell of the battle of Gettysburg, and what is said of this battle.

• 5. What plan did Grant form for subjugating the South?

• 6. Describe the battles of the Wilderness.

• 7. What is said of Lee's generalship?

• 8. Describe Butler's imprisonment.

• 9. Tell of the bravery of the cadets at New Market.

• 10. Give an account of Hunter's march through the Valley, and Early's
  defeat of him.

• 11. Of Sheridan's devastation of the Valley.

• 12. Describe the siege of Petersburg.

• 13. The battle of the Crater.

• 14. What was the situation at the end of 1864?

• 15. Tell of the evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg.

• 16. When and where did General Lee surrender, and what was the
  respective numbers of the two armies?

• 17. What is said of Grant's generous spirit?

• 18. Give Lee's farewell words to his army.

• 19. Tell about the downfall of the Confederacy, and the results of the
  war.

• 20. Describe the Army of Northern Virginia, and give the tribute paid
  to the state by a Northern paper.