iles of road near the village of Appomattox Court House. Lee waited for the return of his Lieutenant to give him the message that would tell him whether further fighting would be useless. He pondered the consequences of the choice must soon make. If he surrendered these men now, the other armies of the Confederacy would soon follow and it would mean the end of the war. Lees Lieutenant returned with news that Lee had feared. He could not receive any more reinforcements or men. There is nothing more left me but to go and see General Grant, said Lee, and I would rather die a thousand deaths (Flood 4). Lee met with Grant at the Appomattox Court house on April 9, to discuss terms for the surrender of his army. Grants terms were very generous. All soldiers would be allowed to return from to their homes and be fully pardoned as long as they agreed to give up their weapons in surrender. Lee could do nothing but agree and sign the terms.It was irony enough that Lee could on this day have been the victor instead of the vanquished (Flood 7). Like Lee, Grant had been at West Point but was forced to resign due to habitual drunkenness. The war had given Grant the opportunity to re-enter his profession and the demonstrate a courage and resolve that strengthened with every crisis. Like Lee, he never lost sight of his objectives; unlike Lee, he had the resources to attain them (Flood 7). When Lee returned to his troops, he was flooded by a mass of soldiers with fear and terrible thoughts in them. General, they said, General? General, are we surrendered? Lee took off his hat and looked down into the hungry sleepless faces that surrounded him as he sat astride his horse. Men, we have fought the war together, and I have done the best I could for you. You will all be paroled and go to your homes Tears flooded his eyes. He tried to continue, but all he could manage was Good bye. (Flood 16).In the years following the war, Lee helped to su...
