Appomattox

At twenty-two, he had gone into the rebel army as a private and carried his musket modestly through a campaign or two, after which he slowly rose to the rank of senior captain in his regiment and closed his services on the staff of a major general, always doing scrupulously enough what he conceived to be his duty and never doing it with enthusiasm.

When the rebel army surrendered, he rode away to his family plantation, not a difficult thing to do, for it was only a few miles from Appomattox, and at once began to study law.

Then, leaving his mother and sisters to do what they could with the worn-out plantation, he began the practice of law in Washington, hoping thus to support himself and them.

He had succeeded after a fashion, and for the first time the future seemed not absolutely dark.

Poor Sybil was quite overcome and found a deadly fascination in the horror.

As they sat together on the steps with the glorious view spread before them, her attention was so closely fixed on his story that she saw neither the view nor even the carriages of tourists who drove up, looked about, and departed, envying Carrington and his occupation with the lovely girl.

She was in imagination rushing with him down the valley of Virginia on the heels of our flying army, or gloomily toiling back to the Potomac after the bloody days at Gettysburg, or watching the last grand debacle on the road from Richmond to Appomattox.

They would have sat there till sunset if Carrington had not at length insisted that they must go, and then she rose slowly with a deep sigh and undisguised regret.

The pitiless drive told at last.

General Lee, on April 9, 1865, seeing the futility of further conflict, surrendered an army still capable of hard fighting, at Appomattox, not far from the capital of the Confederacy.

abraham lincoln the services of lincoln to the cause of union defy description a judicial scrutiny of the war reveals his thought and planning in every part of the varied activity that finally crowned northern arms with victory is it in the field of diplomacy does seward the secretary of state propose harsh and caustic measures likely to draw england's sword into the scale lincoln counsels moderation He takes the irritating message and with his own hands strikes out, erases, tones down, and interlines, exchanging, for words that sting and burn, the language of prudence and caution.

Is it a matter of compromise with the South, so often proposed by men on both sides, sick of carnage? Lincoln is always ready to listen, and turns away only when he is invited to surrender principles essential to the safety of the Union.

Do you know after World- after the Civil War, where they were firing weapons at each other and trying to kill each other, uh, thanks to Abraham Lincoln, he, he, he, he said to them, "Let them down gently." That's, I think, a quote from Lincoln.

He said, "Let them down gently," to, uh, to Grant when he was at Appomattox.

That's why Grant said, "Okay, uh, your troops can have, uh, they can, they can leave their weapons, but if they have a horse, they can go back with their horse," you know, because they may need to, to work the farm.

He, he was gentle.

The Republicans were successful, but not by such a decisive majority as in the congressional election of 1866.

In fact, if all the Southern states that took part in that election had gone Democratic, the hero of Appomattox would have been defeated.

It was the Southern states, giving Republican majorities through the votes of their colored men, that saved that important national election to the Republican Party.

To the very great surprise of the Republican leaders, the party lost the important and pivotal state of New York.

The Republicans were successful, but not by such a decisive majority as in the congressional election of 1866.

In fact, if all the Southern states that took part in that election had gone Democratic, the hero of Appomattox would have been defeated.

It was the Southern states, giving Republican majorities through the votes of their colored men, that saved that important national election to the Republican Party.

To the very great surprise of the Republican leaders, the party lost the important and pivotal state of New York.