Surrender of General Lee and his Whole Army.

The New York TimesVol. XIV-No. 4225. New York, Monday, April 10, 1865

Price Four Cents.

UNION VICTORY PEACE!

Surrender of General Lee and his Whole Army.

Official.

War Department, WashingtonApril 9, 1865 - 9 O'clock P.M. }To Maj-Gen Dix: This department has received the official report of the SURRENDER, THIS DAY OF GEN. LEE AND HIS WHOLE ARMY TO LIEUT. GEN. GRANT. On the terms proposed by Gen. Grant.

Details will be given as speedily as possible.

Edwin M. Statton

Secretary of War.

~~~~Headquarters Armies of the United States 4:30 P.M. April 9

Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War:

Gen. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia this afternoon upon the terms proposed by myself. The accompanying additional correspondence will show the conditions fully.

(signed)

U.S. Grant, Lieut.-Gen'l

~~~~Sunday, April 9, 1865 General - I received your note of this morning, on the picket lines, whither I had come to meet you and ascertain definitely what terms were embraced in your proposition of yesterday with reference to the surrender of this army.

I know request an interview in accordance with the offer contained in your letter of yesterday for that purpose.

Very Respectfully, your obedient servant,

R.E. Lee, General

To Lieut-Gen. Grant, Commanding United States Armies.

~~~~Sunday, April 9, 1865 Gen. R.E. Lee, Commanding Confederate States Armies.

Your note of this date is but this moment 11:50 A.M. received.

In consequence of my having passed from the Richmond and Lynchburgh road to the Farmville and Lynchburg road, I am at this writing about four miles West of Walters church, and will push forward to the front for the purpose of meeting you.

Notice sent to me, on the road, where you wish the interview to take place, will meet me.

Very respectfully, your ob'dt servant,

U.S. Grant

Lieutenant General.

~~~~~

Appomattox Court-House, April 9, 1865

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

In accordance with the substance of my letters to you of the 8th Inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia on the following terms, to wit:

Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate, one copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such officers as you may designate.

The officers to give their individual paroles not to take arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands.

The arms, artillery and public property to be packed and stacked and turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them.

This will not embrace the side arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage.

This done, Each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe their parole and the laws in force where they reside.

Very Respectfully,

U.S. Grant, Lieutunant-General

~~~~

Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia

April 9, 1865}

Lieut-Gen. U.S. Grant, Commanding U.S.A

General: I have received your letter of this date, Containing the terms of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, as proposed by you: As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th last, they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect.

Very Respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

R.E. Lee, General

~~~~

The Primary Correspondence

The following is the previous correspondence between Lieut-Gen. Grant and Gen. Lee, referred to in the foregoing telegram to the Secretary of War;

Clifton House, VA., April 9, 1865

Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War:

The following correspondence has taken place between Gen. Lee and myself. There had been no relaxation in the pursuit during its tendency.

U.S. Grant, Lieutenant-General

~~~~

April 7, 1865

Gen. R. E. Lee, Commanding C.S.A.

General: The result of the last week must convince you of the hopelessness of further resistance of the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is so and regard it as my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of further effusion of blood, by asking you the surrender of that portion of the Confederate States Army, known as the Army of Northern Virginia.

Very Respectfully,

Your obedient Servant,

U.S. Grant

Lieutenant-General

Commanding Armies of the United States.

~~~~

April 7, 1865

General: I have received your note of this date.

Though not entirely of the opinion you express of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the army of Northern Virginia, I reciprocate your desire to avoid useless effusion of blood, and therefore, before considering your proposition, ask the terms you will offer, on condition of its surrender.

R. E. Lee General

To Lieut-Gen. U. S. Grant, Commanding Armies of the United States

~~~~

April 8, 1865

To Gen. R. E. Lee, Commanding C.S.A

General: Your note of last evening in reply to mine of 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 first desire, there is but one condition that I insist upon viz.,:

That the men surrendered shall be disqualified for taking up arms again against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged.

I will meet you or designate officers to meet say 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.

Very Respectfully, your obedient servant,

U.S. Grant, Lieut-General

Commanding armies of the United States

~~~

April 8, 1865

General: I received at late hour, your note of to-day, in answer to mine of yesterday.

I did not intend to propose the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, but to ask the terms of your proposition. To be frank, I do not think the emergency has arisen to call for the surrender.

But as the restoration of peace should be the sole object of all, I desire to know whether your proposals would tend to that end.

I cannot, therefore, meet you with a view to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia, but as far as your proposition may affect the Confederate States forces under my command and tend to the restoration of peace, I should be pleased to meet you at 10 A.M. to-morrow, on the old stage road to Richmond, between the picket lines of the two armies.

Very Respectfully, your obedient servant,

R.E. Lee

General, C.S.A

To Lieut-Gen. Grant, Commanding Armies of the United States

~~~~

April 9, 1865

General R.E. Lee, commanding C.S.A.

General: Your note of yesterday is received. As I have no authority to treat on the subject of peace, the meeting proposed for 10 A.M. to-day could lead to no good. I will state, however General, that I am equally anxious for peace with yourself, and the whole North entertain the same feeling. The terms upon which peace can be had are well understood. By the South laying down their arms, they will hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, and hundreds of millions of property not yet destroyed.

Sincerely hoping that all our difficulties may be settled without the loss of another life, I subscribe myself,

Very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

U.S. Grant

Lieutenant-General United States Army.

 

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