April 9, 1865...

Appomattox Court House, Virginia:


The First Day of Peace by Stanley Arthurs from: NPS Appomattox Court House NHP

APPOMATTOX COURT-HOUSE, VA.
April 9, 1865

General R. E. LEE:

GENERAL: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th instant, 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 to be designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up 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 parked 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 his home, not to be disturbed by U. S. authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside.

U.S. GRANT,
Lieutenant-General.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
April 9, 1865

Lieut. Gen. U. S. GRANT:

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.

R. E. LEE,
General.

From The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion

The war wasn't over yet, a Confederate army still faced William T. Sherman's men in North Carolina, Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Government were on the run and there were various smaller commands that still needed to be confronted with the news.

But it was a start. Tune in for the posting of the 12th where Maj. Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain oversees the surrender of arms from the soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia.