END OF A TRAGEDY THE ROAD TO APPOMATTOX The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the events surrounding the end of the American Civil War. This war was a war of epic proportion. Never before and not since have so many Americans died in battle. TheAmerican Civil War was truly tragic in terms of human life. In thisdocument, I will speak mainly around those involved on the battlefield inthe closing days of the conflict. Also, reference will be made to theleading men behind the Union and Confederate forces. The war was beginning to end by January of 1865. By then, Federal(Federal was another name given to the Union Army) armies were spreadthroughout the Confederacy and the Confederate Army had shrunk extremely insize. In the year before, the North had lost an enormous amount of lives,but had more than enough to lose in comparison to the South. General Grantbecame known as the "Butcher" (Grant, Ulysses S., Personal Memoirs of U.S.Grant, New York: Charles L. Webster & Co.,1894) and many wanted to see himremoved. But Lincoln stood firm with his General, and the war continued. This paper will follow the happenings and events between the winter of1864-65 and the surrender of The Confederate States of America. All ofthis will most certainly illustrate that April 9, 1865 was indeed the endof a tragedy. CUTTING OFF THE SOUTH In September of 1864, General William T. Sherman and his army clearedthe city of Atlanta of its civilian population then rested ever so briefly. It was from there that General Sherman and his army began its famous"marchto the sea". The march covered a distance of 400 miles and was 60 mileswide on the way. For 32 days no news of him reached the North. He had cuthimself off from his base of supplies, and his men lived on what ever theycould get from the country through which they passed. On their route, thearmy destroyed anything and everything that they could n...
