Finally, after four long, exhausting years of Civil War, on April 9 (Palm Sunday), 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. The war had ended! The meeting was held in the rural town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. It took place in the parlor of Wilmer and Virginia McLean’s home and was attended by Galena’s Brig. Gen. John Rawlins and Lt. Col. Ely Parker.
Lee arrived at approximately 1:00 p.m. and true to character was dressed in an immaculate uniform. Grant arrived a half hour later wearing a mud-spattered uniform—a government-issue sack coat with trousers tucked into muddy boots and with only his tarnished shoulder straps showing his rank. The two men hadn’t seen each other face to face in almost two decades and Grant was overcome with sadness, finding it hard to get to the point of the meeting. The two generals briefly discussed their only previous encounter, which occurred during the Mexican-American War until Lee brought the attention back to the issue at hand.
Unlike the war itself, its resolution was brief with the meeting lasting under 2½ hours. Lee’s surrender ended the bloodiest conflict in the nation's history, which resulted in an estimated 630,000 deaths and over one million casualties. Throughout the delicate procedure of surrender, Grant maintained a respectful and generous demeanor. His reply to Lee concerning horses for his private soldiers is a fine example of Grant’s compassion. Lee asked if his men, many of whom owned an army horse, would be allowed to keep them. Grant said that the terms as written did not provide for that, but since the war was nearly over, and these men would need a horse to plant a crop to feed their families, he would direct the officers in charge to see that each soldier might have one to take home. Once again, when Lee indicated that his soldiers had been without food for several days, Grant gave orders that 25,000 rations be supplied immediately. In these actions the Lieutenant General of the Federal armies rose to a high level of gentlemanly respect for the treatment of those whom his army had so recently been bitterly fighting. Grant also allowed the officers to keep their weapons, and did not prosecute confederate soldiers for their involvement in the war. After the nation had been so bitterly divided, Grant sought to unify the people, and did so by treating the confederates with compassion and respect. (The famous “Peace in Union” painting is pictured on your screen.)
Shortly after Lee’s surrender, Grant suffered a major loss. General and Mrs. Grant had been invited by President and Mrs. Lincoln to accompany them to Ford’s Theatre. Grant politely declined the invitation as he and his wife had already made plans to visit their children, who were attending school in New Jersey. They received the news of Lincoln’s assassination while they were changing trains in Philadelphia. Overcome with sadness, Ulysses left Mrs. Grant with the children and hurried back to Washington via a special train.
Grant’s return to Galena after the Civil War, was one of Galena’s greatest days. He arrived August 18, 1865 after a triumphant journey from Chicago, during which he was given ovations at every station and village along the route. Minute guns were fired as the train passed. Grant and his family arrived on a special train made up of the finest private cars. They were accompanied by a cross-section of the nation’s leading statesmen, military leaders and journalists. Twenty-five thousand people eagerly awaited Grants home-coming. An arch was erected over Main St. with the message “Hail to the Chief Who in Triumph Advances”, as seen in the photo.
To honor his earlier comment about his political ambitions, a second arch stretched across Main Street bearing the message, “General, the Sidewalk is Built!” (This arch is also shown in the photos.) He undoubtedly was even more surprised by another gift. A small group of Republican citizens led by Congressman Elihu Washburne presented the Grant family with a beautiful brick home as a token of their gratitude for his service during the Civil War. The home was located on the east side of the river and had a large living room, dining room, and a bedroom for each of the children. It also featured a spacious library where the General could read or receive visitors with privacy. And, true to their word, it came with a beautiful pine-board sidewalk connecting the home to the Railroad Depot. (You will see this home on the East Side Tour.)
The following month, General Grant was honored with an elegant ball held at the Desoto Hotel. It was the finest event of its kind ever held in Galena. Around 2,000 guests attended, celebrating until the early hours of the morning. Grant and his family reportedly left around one o’clock in the morning while others stayed past 3:00 a.m. The following day, September 12, Grant and his family left for Washington D.C. so that Ulysses could carry on his duties as General of Armies and Secretary of War.
