Lee Surrenders to Grant April 9th 1865 at Appomattox Court House

From Britannica: Battle of Appomattox Court House. And yes, I do hate it when I miss important dates.

Lee's retreating army had stopped near the village of Appomattox Court House on the evening of the 8th. On the morning of the 9th, Lee ordered Gen. John B. Gordon's cavalry to attack the Union cavalry under the command of General Sheridan which was blocking the road they needed for their retreat. It was a futile effort.

The Army of Northern Virginia was only about 27,000 strong at this time, while Grant commanded a force of 63,000. Lee agreed to negotiate terms of surrender.

The meeting was at the home of Wilmer McLean on the afternoon of the 9th.

While Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House marked the end of the war in Virginia, it was not the end of the Civil War as a whole. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee was still being chased by Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. Smaller Confederate armies continued to fight throughout the Deep South and west of the Mississippi River. The war would not be officially declared won for the Union until August 20, 1866.

I recommend that anyone who hasn't seen it, watch The Civil War by Ken Burns. It was televised by PBS in 1990, and is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. It consists of nine 1-hour episodes, but it is worth it.

The Civil War was a turning point in the history of the United States. Before the war, one would say, "The United States are." We were a collection of states. After the war, one says "The United States is." We are a united (mostly united) country.

Gettysburg has its problems, but it a good story about that famous battle. And Glory is a great movie about one of the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer companies, 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

The flag that most people think of when they think of the term, The Confederate Flag, is not the Stars and Bars which was the flag of the Confederate States. What they think of is the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.

The image above is 'Peace in Union' The surrender of General Lee to General Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, a painting by Thomas Nast, which was completed thirty years after the surrender. Click on the image for a larger view, and more information on the image, which is in WikiMedia.