apr 9, 1865 - Surrender at Appomattox

Description:

On April 9th, 1865, General Lee knew the war was over. His troops were widely outnumbered and lacking resources to continue. He was quoted saying "There is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths". The generals met in a courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia as war generals but also as old classmates who knew each other at West Point. They shared a similar background and a similar tiredness of the war. Grant's terms of surrender reflected this, allowing Confederates to keep their property (mostly importantly horses) and gave them Union rations. Though isolated skirmishes continued until May, the long and bloody Civil War was over.