On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered 28,000 troops to Ulysses S. Grant in Wilmer McLean's (a 47 year old farmer and merchant) home in Appomattox Court House located in Appomattox Country, Virginia. This is one of the most important events because it marks the end of the Civil War and the official win of the Union. General Robert E. Lee of the confederacy surrendered to the Union because Lee was planning to meet with additional confederate forces in North Carolina and resume fighting but Grant was able to cut off his final retreat.
Even after the surrender of Robert Lee, 175,000 Confederate soldiers were still I
in the field fighting. They were lead starving and hopeless with no commander to lead them. Only a couple of commanders were left; after news of Lee's surrender, General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered in North Carolina, General Kirby Smith surrendered at New Orleans. The final military action of the Confederacy was the Battle of Palmito Ranch.
The Civil War was finally at an end due to the The Appomattox Court House which was only held due to the fact that General Robert E. Lee did not want to attain anymore casualties because there would be a war that would probably end up in a bloody battle.
ReplyDeleteLee had surrendered his troops to Ulysses S. Grant in the Appomattox Court House; however, some of the Confederate soldiers were still trying to fight.
ReplyDeleteLee surrendered his troops in this battle yet in others he fought to defend them and the confederacy.
ReplyDeleteAlthough not the end of the war, the surrender of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia set the stage for its conclusion.
ReplyDeleteThis, I believe is when we can officially say the Confederacy has been defeated.
ReplyDeleteDuring the trench warfare at Petersburg the union successfully took over one of the Confederates' main supply centers of Richmond, their capital. They took over Petersburg and it ultimately led to this even, the surrender.
ReplyDeleteIn just over one week before the battle at Appomattox Court House, Lee had lost more than half of his army.
ReplyDeleteFunny how the war went on after the winner was decided.
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