's army, far to the south, was burning a trail of desolation through Georgia.In the spring of 1865, Grant was ready for the final push. Sheridan's victory at Five Forks (April 1, 1865) was the beginning of the end. The next day when Grant assaulted the Confederate right, Lee was obliged to abandon Richmond and Petersburg and march west, hoping to join the army of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Grant cut off his retreat, and a series of running battles made it clear that further resistance was useless. On April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Lee capitulated. Grant's terms were magnanimous, and Lee accepted them without question. Seventeen days later Johnston surrendered his army to Sherman, and the Civil War was over. As harsh and effective as Ulysses Grant was against the confederacy during the war, he was easy to reaccept his countrymen when Lee surrendered at Appomattox courthouse, “The Rebels are our countrymen again.” (Graf, 202) Grant also truly felt that the confederacy would suffer in the next few years to come as it struggled to regain its footing in society. “The suffering that must exist in the South the next year, even with the war ending now, will be beyond conception,” (Graf, 203) Grant later predicted in a letter to his wife after the conclusion of the war.In his later years, Ulysses S. Grant served two presidential terms under the Republican banner. His presidency was filled with scandal and deceit. Most of the fault was placed on Grant himself, but the senators and cabinet members that were able to use Grant’s name against him used him as a scapegoat. Upon leaving office for the second time, Grant made a tour of the world with his wife and youngest son, during which he was treated not as a discredited president of the United States but as the triumphant victor of the Civil War. After two years of travel, he returned more than ever interested in a third term, which now seemed possible b...
