April 9th, 2015: 150 Years Ago Today

[xoxoxoBruce]

The US Civil War ended with the meeting of Lee and Grant at Appomattox.



Lee sat in a tall caned armchair and Grant in a swivel chair with a padded leather back next to a small oval side table.

After near five years of savage fighting, 600,000 dead, hundreds of thousands wounded when an arm or leg wound almost
automatically mean sawing off that limb in a field tent, and billions in wasted treasure... it was over.

The terms of surrender, however, would be a simple gentlemen’s agreement. Healing the country, rather than vengeance, directed Grant’s
and the Lincoln administration’s actions. There would be no mass imprisonments or executions, no parading of defeated enemies through
Northern streets. Lincoln’s priority—shared by Grant—was “to bind up the nation’s wounds” and unite the country together again as a
functioning democracy under the Constitution; extended retribution against the former Confederates would only slow down the process.
The Army of Northern Virginia would surrender their arms, return home, and agree “not to take up arms against the Government of the
United States.” At Lee’s request, Grant even allowed Confederates who owned their own horses to keep them so that they could tend their
farms and plant spring crops. A Union officer wrote down the terms. Grant then signed the document on the side table next to his chair and
passed it to Lee for his signature.

link

[Griff]

Just now 150 years doesn't seem like much time.

[glatt]

When I moved down here from Maine, it was ancient history to me, to be lumped in with the War of 1812 and the Revolutionary War. Never bothered to even think about it. But boy did I learn otherwise. It's very much on the minds of many people around here.

[gozar]

The Union officer who wrote down the terms was this guy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ely_S._Parker
A pretty interesting story in itself...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Thanks Gozar, and while we're at it...
the guy who sent Captain R. M. Sims and his white flag, back to Lee with a message only unconditional surrender was possible, was General George Custer.

I guess them injuns was confederate sympathizers all along.