What did Grant say after Lee surrendered?

General Grant began the conversation by saying 'I met you once before, General Lee, while we were serving in Mexico, when you came over from General Scott's headquarters to visit Garland's brigade, to which I then belonged. I have always remembered your appearance, and I think I should have recognized you anywhere.

What happened after Lee surrendered to Grant?

After Lee's surrender, the Army of Tennessee remained in the field for over two weeks, until Johnston finally surrendered the army and numerous smaller garrisons to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman on April 26.

What did Grant say to Lee?

Grant, realizing that Lee's army was running out of options, sent a letter to Lee on April 7 requesting the Confederate general's surrender. "The result of last week must convince you of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this struggle," Grant wrote.

What does Grant say the Confederate soldiers will do after the surrender?

The heart of the terms was that Confederates would be paroled after surrendering their weapons and other military property. If surrendered soldiers did not take up arms again, the United States government would not prosecute them. Grant also allowed Confederate officers to keep their mounts and side arms.

What did Grant say at Appomattox?

At once, Grant sent out the order, “The war is over; the rebels are our countrymen again; and the best sign of rejoicing after the victory will be to abstain from all demonstrations in the field.” Other Southern forces remained in the field further south, but few would continue fighting when they learned of the outcome ...

U.S Grant - Appomattox Lee surrender - History

What were Robert E Lee's last words?

The morning of October 12, he developed a “feeble, rapid pulse” and “shallow breathing.” Lee's reported last words were, “Tell Hill he must come up!” “Strike the tent!” Yet, his daughter at the bedside recalled only “struggling” with “long, hard breathes,” and “in a moment he was dead.” CONCLUSIONS: Lee suffered ...

Did Lee and Grant respect each other?

For years, Lee got more respect than Grant both as a military leader and as a personality. In recent decades, historians have demoted Lee and promoted Grant on both counts. For Grant's reputation, it's a welcome corrective.

Did Grant and Lee ever meet?

Grant, who remembered meeting Lee once during the Mexican War, asked the Confederate general if he recalled their meeting. Lee replied that he did, and the two conversed in a very cordial manner, for approximately 25 minutes.

Where is Robert E Lee's sword?

Lee's descendants permanently loaned the sword to the Museum of the Confederacy in 1918. The family bequeathed the sword and scabbard to the museum in 1982. The museum is sharing its collection — a fraction of which is on display at the Richmond facility, which will remain open — at three planned centers in Virginia.

Did Grant and Lee ever meet after the Civil War?

Grant learned of Lee's wish and offered the invitation himself. The two men never met again. Lee died 17 months later. Lee is believed to be the only person to visit the White House after having their United States citizenship revoked. Copyright 2019 WWBT.

What advantage did Grant have over Lee?

While Robert E. Lee was strictly a Virginia-focused, one-theater commander who constantly sought reinforcements for his theater and resisted transfers to other theaters, Grant had a broad, national perspective, rarely requested additional troops from elsewhere, and uncomplainingly provided reinforcements to locations, ...

Did Grant accepted Lee's sword?

Despite romantic press accounts that spread after the war, Lee never offered his sword, and Grant, obviously, never refused it or returned it. In his memoirs, Grant wrote, “The much talked of surrendering of Lee's sword and my handing it back, this and much more that has been said about it is the purest romance.”

Why was Grant a better general than Lee?

His strategic vision enabled him to maximize his advantages and Lee's disadvantages. He forced Lee to fight and continue fighting without rest. Grant could replace his losses, Lee could not. In the end, this is what proved the difference.

What happened five days after Lee surrendered to Grant?

Answer: five days after the surrender of General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant, on the day of President Lincoln's assassination, General William T. Sherman received a request for cease-fire from Confederate opponent General Joseph E. Johnston.

How did Robert E Lee feel about the Civil War?

As practical issues, Lee did not oppose either slavery or secession. Although he felt slavery in the abstract was a bad thing, he blamed the national conflict on abolitionists, and accepted the pro-slavery policies of the Confederacy. He chose to fight to defend his homeland.

Who was the greatest general of the Civil War?

Ulysses S Grant was the supreme Union general during the civil war and then later 18th President of the United States. Grant was instrumental in the battlefield defeat of the Confederacy and then as President worked to implement Reconstruction.

Are there still descendants of Robert E. Lee?

This first hand account remains a valuable source of information on day-to-day life at Arlington House. Through Rob and his older brother Rooney, there are over twenty direct descendants of Mary and Robert E. Lee alive today. Mary Anna Custis Lee and Robert E. Lee, Jr.

Who owns Robert E. Lee's sword?

It is now part of The Peabody Art Collection, which is owned by the state of Maryland. Although Richard's politics are not known, his commissioning of such an expensive sword as a gift to General Lee suggests Confederate sympathies.

Did the South have a chance at winning the Civil War?

There was no inevitability to the outcome of the Civil War. Neither North nor South had an inside track to victory. The war was a classic case of two strong and justifiable wills at odds. It was one of the few instances in history involving an armed conflict between two democracies.

Was Lee or Grant better?

Lee is considered the better commander. He scored huge victories up until Gettysburg in 1863, while fighting against bigger and better supplied troops.

Were Robert E. Lee and Grant friends?

After decisively defeating Lee's army and thereby ending the Civil War, Grant treated the Confederates magnanimously. Many had attended West Point together, fought together in the Mexican War, and had been friends.

Did Lee and Grant shake hands?

The generous surrender terms avoided potential trials of Confederate leaders and served as a blueprint for other surrenders that followed. After the papers were signed, Lee and Grant shook hands. After Lee mounted his horse, Grant and his officers saluted Lee, who returned the gesture.

Who lost more soldiers Grant or Lee?

Appendices I and II facilitate a comparison of the casualty records of Grant and Lee. Lee's army incurred 55,280 more casualties than Grant's armies (208,922 versus 153,642). Lee's army imposed 49,562 more casualties on the enemy than Grant's armies imposed on their enemies (240,322 versus 190,760).

Did Lee ever beat Grant?

On May 8, 1864, Yankee troops arrive at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, to find the Rebels already there. After the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5-6), Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac marched south in the drive to take Richmond.

What tactics did Grant use against Lee?

The final victory was achieved using maneuver, not traditional siege tactics. Moreover, Grant used his superiority in numbers to maintain a constantly high tempo of operations. Lee and his men had no time to rest, and Lee had no troops free to support other Confederate armies.