Surrender+at+Appomattox

= Surrender at Appomattox, April 9 1865 =

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What: The remnants of John Broun Gordon’s corps and Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry formed line of battle at Appomattox Court House. General Lee was determined to make one last attempt to escape the closing of the Union. At dawn the Confederates started to gather to surprise the Union. The Confederates surrounded the Union on all three sides. General Lee surrendered to General Grant on April 9.=====

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What:The federal artillery in the front of the Union line began to open cannon fire, at which point the Confederate signal for attack was sounded. This Confederate advance lasted from about 7 AM till 9 AM, at which time the troops were forced into the village. The Confederate line retreated, at which time Gordon sent word to General Lee that he could no longer hold his line. General Lee realized he could no longer go forward to Lynchburg, and sent a flag of truce to Sheridan.Negotiations began between General Robert E Lee and General Ulysses S Grant in the McLean House near Appomattox Court House, and the terms of surrender were agreed upon. The papers were signed, at which time Lee left for his headquarters in the court house.=====

The lasting legacy of the Surrender at Appomattox changed the Civil War and American history. The course of the Civil War changed because the surrender spared many lives of the Confederate soldiers, proving that if the Confederates did not surrender then they would lose the battle and their army would be very small and weak. The Confederates were in no condition to fight; they were sick, starving, exhausted, and outnumbered by General Grant's men. General Grant could have taken advantage of his weak opponents, but he did not. He maintained his class and was very respectful to Lee and after the surrender, he did not let his army cheer for victory. He let Lee leave that courthouse with the dignity he had left. If General Grant had been cruel and merciless then Lee would have fought back no matter what the conditions his men were in. If the war continued it would have just killed more people and causing tension between two sides and the conflict would not have been resolved for a long time. The Surrender at Appomattox changed American history because of how respectful General Grant was. The whole event was respectful, the letters that Lee and Grant exchanged from the final meeting at the courthouse. Today students are shocked about how "civil" this part of the Civil War really was.

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[|Historical Website] The Surrender at the Appomattox is a historical site that is located in Virgina. This site is open to anyone in the public to visit. When you visit it you can see the court house in which General Lee surrenders to General Grant, like in the picture above.



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This link is a website that gives you the same letters from both General Lee and General Grant but this website gives different information between each letter.
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A time line of the civil war is in this link it shows all the events during the civil war. When you click on a specific event it gives you the explanation on what happened during that time.
[] This link gives you background information on the battle it also gives you pictures and maps.



Works Cited "Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)." //U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America//. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. < http://www.nps.gov/apco/index.htm >.

"Appomattox Courthouse Robert E Lee Surrenders to Ulysses S Grant." //American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures//. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. < http://americancivilwar.com/appo.html >.

"Civil War Timeline / Chronology for April 1865." //The Blue and Gray Trail - America's Civil War//. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. < http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186504 >. Porter, Horace, and Brevet Brigadier, General.

"The Surrender At Appomattox Court House." //The American Civil War Home Page//. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. < http://www.civilwarhome.com/surrender.htm >.

"Surrender at Appomattox, 1865." //EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It//. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. < http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/appomatx.htm >.