Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Sunday, April 9, 1865 : It is Palm Sunday in Virginia, but things are not peaceful. After having been forced to abandon the Confederate capital of Richmond, and blocked from joining the surviving Confederate force in North Carolina, Robert E. Lee (CSA) is harassed constantly by Union cavalry. Now, after an early morning failed attempt to break through Union lines, leaves General Robert E. Lee (CSA) surrounded with no hope of supplying his army. He has no other option; he is in “checkmate.” The Army of Northern Virginia has fought its last battle. He sends a message to Grant (U.S.) announcing his willingness to surrender. Both generals (pictured) meet in the parlor of the Wilmer McLean's home at one o’clock in the afternoon, at

Appomattox, Virginia. Lee asks for the terms of surrender, and Grant hurriedly writes them out. All officers and men are to be pardoned, and they would be sent home with their private property – most important, the horses, which could be used for a late spring planting. Officers would keep their side arms, and Lee’s starving men would be given Union rations. General Grant told his officers, “The war is over. The Rebels are our countrymen again.” General Rober E. Lee (CSA) rode back to what was left of the Army of Northern Virginia. As he passed his men with tears streaming down his face, Lee said, “Men, we have fought through the war together. I have

done the best that I could for you.” He then tells them: “Go to your homes and resume your occupations. Obey the laws and become as good citizens as you were soldiers.” Although scattered resistance will continue for several weeks, for all practical purposes the Civil War had come to an end. It is learned over the next several days, that the Confederate Army might have surrendered sooner, but for the mistaken belief that all their prominent officers would be executed as traitors. The generous conditions of surrender as outlined by Grant are unexpected, and undoubtedly have a strong influence on the opening of negotiations between Sherman and Johnston over the next several days. Saved from being hanged as a traitor by a forgiving Lincoln and Grant, Lee returned to his family in April 1865. He eventually accepted a job as president of Washington College in western Virginia and devoted his efforts toward boosting the institution's enrollment and financial support. In late September 1870, Lee suffered a massive stroke. He died at his home, surrounded by family, on October 12, 1870. Shortly afterward, Washington College was renamed Washington and Lee University. With the fall of Spanish Fort on Mobile Bay, the order to assault Fort Blakeley is issued. Major General Edward Canby (U.S.) orders a Union force of 16,000 men against the 4,000 Confederate defenders of this dirt fortress. The sheer numbers breach the Confederate earthworks, compelling the Confederates to either surrender or die. The Southern casualties were about 2,900 to 629 for the Union. Some historians say this is the last major battle of the war. As a result of this battle, Union forces would finally be able to occupy the city of Mobile, Alabama.