AKMY OPERATIONS. 



65 



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 may reside. 

 Very respectfully, 



if. S. GRANT, Lieut. -Gen. 



THE SURRENDER. 



HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VA..April 9, 1865. 

 lAeut.-Gen. U. S. Grant, Command' g U. S. Armies: 

 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 instant, 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. 



At 3J P. M. the terms of capitulation were 

 signed, and the utmost gratification prevailed 

 through the army. The following is the form 

 of the personal parole given by all the officers 

 of Gen. Lee's army : 



We, the undersigned, prisoners of war, belonging 

 to the army of Northern Virginia, having been this 

 day surrendered by Gen. R. E. Lee, commanding 

 said Army, to Lieut. -Gen. Grant, commanding the 

 Armies of the United States, do hereby give our 

 solemn parole of honor that we will not hereafter 

 serve in the armies of the Confederate States, or in 

 any military capacity whatever against the United 

 States of America, or render aid to the enemies of 

 the latter until properly exchanged in such manner 

 as shall be mutually approved by the respective au- 

 thorities. 



Done at Appomattox Court-House, Va., this ninth 

 day of April, 1865. 



This parole was countersigned as follows: 

 The above officers (or officer) will not be disturbed 

 by the United States authorities as long as they ob- 

 serve their parole, and the laws in force where thev 

 may reside. GEORGE H. SHARP, 



General Assistant Provost Marshal. 



The obligation of officers for the subdivisions 

 under their command was as follows : 



I, the undersigned, commanding officer of , 



do, for the within named prisoners of war, belonging 

 to the Army of Northern Virginia, who have been 

 this day surrendered by Gen. Robert E. Lee, Con- 

 federate States Army, commanding said army, to 

 Lieut.-Gen. Grant, commanding Armies of the 

 United States, hereby give my solemn parole of 

 honor that the within named shall not hereafter 

 serve in the armies of the Confederate States, or 

 in military or any capacity whatever, against the 

 United States of America, or render aid to the ene- 

 mies of the latter, until properly exchanged in such 

 manner as shall be mutually approved by the re- 

 spective authorities. 



Done at Appomattox Court-House, Va., this ninth 

 day of April, 1865. 



The within named will not be disturbed by the Unit- 

 ed States authorities so long as they observe their 

 parole and the laws in force where they may reside. 



The surrender of Gen. Lee's army was fol- 

 lowed by the voluntary surrender of all the 

 troops in Northeastern Virginia, including those 

 in the Shenandoah valley. 



On the next day, the 10th, Gen. Lee issued 

 th'3 following farewell address to his army : 

 General, Order No. 9. 



HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VA., April 10, 1865. 



After four years of arduous service, marked by 

 unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of 

 VOL. v. 5 A 



Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to 

 overwhelming numbers and resources. I need not 

 tell the survivors of so many hard-fought battles, 

 who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have 

 consented to this result from no distrust of them, 

 but holding that valor and devotion could accom- 

 plish nothing that could compensate for the loss that 

 would attend the continuation of the contest, I have 

 determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those 

 whose past vigor has endeared them to their coun- 

 trymen. 



By the terms of agreement officers and men can 

 return to their homes and remain there until ex- 

 changed. You will take with you the satisfaction 

 that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faith- 

 fully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful 

 God will extend you His blessing and protection. 

 With an increasing admiration of your constancy 

 and devotion to your country, and a grateful remem- 

 brance of your kind and generous consideration of 

 myself, I bid you an affectionate farewell. 



(Signed) R. E. LEE, General. 



The official statement of the number of men, 

 surrendered as belonging to the Army of North- 

 ern Virginia, under the command of Gen. Lee, 

 is 27,805. It was estimated that the force of 

 Gen. Lee, on the evacuation of Eichmond, con- 

 sisted of not far from 50,000 men. Large num- 

 bers, anticipating the course of events, abandon- 

 ed the army and returned home ; to these should 

 be added the loss by killed, wounded, and pris- 

 oners taken during the retreat. The surrender 

 embraced a large number who could no? be re- 

 garded as forming a part of the efficient force 

 of his army ; thus reducing his total effective 

 force considerably below the number surrender- 

 ed. The number of muskets surrendered was 

 reported as scarcely exceeding 10,000, and 

 about thirty pieces of artillery. The total cap- 

 tures of artillery during the battles and pursuit 

 amounted to one hundred and seventy guns. 

 There were about three hundred and fifty 

 wagons surrendered. The "War Department at 

 "Washington issued the following order on re- 

 ceiving the news of the surrender : 



WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., I 

 April 9 10 o'clock, p. M. f 



Ordered : That a salute of two hundred guns be 

 fired at the headquarters of every army and depart- 

 ment, and at every post and arsenal in the United 

 States, and at the Military Academy at West Point, 

 on the day of the receipt of this order, in commem- 

 oration of the surrender of Gen. R. E. Lee and the 

 Army of Northern Virginia to Lieut.-Gen. Grant and 

 the army under his command ; report of the receipt 

 and execution of this order to be made to the Adju- 

 tant-General, Washington. 



EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. 



This surrender was regarded by the country 

 as an actual end of the war. The suddenness 

 of the close of the stupendous military opera- 

 tions of the previous four years, cannot be 

 better illustrated than by comparing General 

 Order No. 9 of Gen. Lee above, which is a fare- 

 well to his troops, with the following General 

 Order No. 2, issued just two months previous: 



HEADQUARTERS ARMIES CONFEDERATE STATES, ) 

 Tuesday, February 11, 1865. ) 



GENERAL ORDER No. 2. In entering upon the cam- 

 paign about to open, the General-in-Chief feels as- 

 sured that the soldiers who have so long and so nobly 

 borne the hardships and dangers of war, require no 



