April 7, 1865. Prelude to Appomattox

[Draggingtree]

April 7, 1865. Prelude to Appomattox

By: streiff (Diary) | April 7th, 2015 at 07:00 PM

On April 6, 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia lost 8,700 men, about one-fifth of its strength, at the Battle of Sayler’s Creek. As a result, Lee lost his rearguard and any hope he had of eluding Grant and linking up with Joe Johnston in North Carolina vanished. Lee, observing the action, was heard to say “My God! Has the army been dissolved?” Moreover, the large number of prisoners taken, about 7,700 of the 8,700 surrendered indicated the extent to which hope had been lost. http://www.redstate.com/2015/04/07/april-7-1865-prelude-appomattox/

[Valin]

Highly Recommended....April 1865: The Month That Saved America
Jay Winik

One month in 1865 witnessed the frenzied fall of Richmond, a daring last-ditch Southern plan for guerrilla warfare, Lee's harrowing retreat, and then, Appomattox. It saw Lincoln's assassination just five days later and a near-successful plot to decapitate the Union government, followed by chaos and coup fears in the North, collapsed negotiations and continued bloodshed in the South, and finally, the start of national reconciliation.

In the end, April 1865 emerged as not just the tale of the war's denouement, but the story of the making of our nation.

Jay Winik offers a brilliant new look at the Civil War's final days that will forever change the way we see the war's end and the nation's new beginning. Uniquely set within the larger sweep of history and filled with rich profiles of outsize figures, fresh iconoclastic scholarship, and a gripping narrative, this is a masterful account of the thirty most pivotal days in the life of the United States.

[Valin]

[Valin]

April 10 1865

 

General Order No. 9

 

Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia, 10th April 1865

 

General Order NO. 9

 

After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Norther Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.

 

I need not tell the brave survivors of some many hard fought battles who have remained steadfast to the last that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them.

 

But feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that must have attended the continuance of the contest, I determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen.

 

By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from a consciousness of duty faithfully performed; and I earnestly pray that a Merciful God will extend to you His blessings and protection.

 

With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your Country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration for myself, I bid you all an affectionate farewell.

 

R. E. Lee, General, General Order No. 9

[Draggingtree]

April 8, 1865. On the eve of surrender

By: streiff (Diary) | April 8th, 2015 at 07:00 PM

 

Grant received Lee’s message after midnight and replied early in the morning giving his terms for surrender:

 

General R.E. Lee, Commanding C.S.A.:

 

Your note of last evening in reply to mine of the same date, asking the conditions on which I will accept the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, is just received. In reply I would say that, 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 against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged. I will meet you, or will designate officers to meet any officers you may name for the same purpose, at any point agreeable to you, for the purpose of arranging definitely the terms upon which the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia will be received.

U.S. Grant, Lieutenant-General”

http://www.redstate.com/2015/04/08/april-8-1865-eve-surrender/

[Draggingtree]

April 9, 1865. The Surrender at Appomattox

 

By: streiff (Diary) | April 9th, 2015 at 07:00 PM

 

Were I asked to pick critical points in American history, points after Independence was a done deal but where the very fate of the Republic teetered on razor’s edge, three would instantly come to mind. First. Washington’s response to the Newburgh Conspiracy and his subsequent resignation as Commander in Chief.

 

Second. Washington’s leaving office after two terms.

 

These two events ensure the United States would not be a military dictatorship and that executive power would be held for a finite period of time. The latter held true until a true progressive, FDR, decided to be president for life.

 

Third would be the way Lee and Grant handled the surrender at Appomattox. http://www.redstate.com/2015/04/09/april-9-1865-surrender-appomattox/

[Draggingtree]

Remembering Appomattox

This 150th anniversary of Appomattox should hold a special place for us precisely because it marked the end of an unprecedented cataclysm, in which men respected their enemies.

By John Daniel Davidson APRIL 9, 2015

Today marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Appomattox, the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, which effectively ended the Civil War. Ragged fighting would continue for more than a year, mostly out west, but for most of the country the surrender at Appomattox confirmed the victory of North over South and the dawn of a new era in the republic.

 

The sesquicentennial of the war’s end is of course notable in an historical sense, but it’s especially important now because it comes during a time of growing national division. The Obama presidency, far from ushering in an era of post-partisanship, has deepened the rift between liberals and conservatives and heralded a new era of rancorous partisanship in Washington DC, and revived culture wars across the country.http://thefederalist.com/2015/04/09/remembering-appomattox/