Daily Times

The war memoirs of General Grant are considered second in importance, only to those of Julius Caesar. Not only do they provide a detailed account of the American Civil War, they are also ‘a great, unique and unapproachable literary masterpiece,’ to quote Mark Twain.

Grant’s claim to fame is that he led the Union forces against the Confederacy to victory in the American Civil War. In his book, The American Civil War, John Keegan says that the total body count of the Civil War “exceeds that of the American fatalities of the Second World War.” In the Civil War, 200,000 were killed and a million injured, making it the bloodiest war fought on American soil, ironically between two democracies.

The losses of the Civil War bear ‘comparison with the European losses of the Great War and Russia’s in the Second World War.’ Keegan, who studied at Oxford and taught at Sandhurst, says that “in many respects, the Civil War was and remains America’s Great War, in the way it is commemorated nationally in so many towns and battlefield cemeteries and subjectively and collectively in the American conscious.”

The South had gone to war against the North to preserve the institution of slavery. But by April 1865, four years into the war, General Robert E Lee, the commander-in-chief of the Confederacy, had realised that his forces were outnumbered several times over by the North and he had no food remaining to feed his troops.

Magnanimous in his victory, Grant thought it would be an unnecessary humiliation to call upon the surrendering army to turn over their side arms

At that time, says Keegan, an exchange of letters took place between Generals Grant and Lee, “characterised by an unusual tenderness.”

The letters are reproduced in Grant’s memoirs. He sent a letter to Lee encouraging him to surrender, since that ‘will hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives, and hundreds of millions of property.’ Lee replied in the affirmative, and requested an ‘interview.’

Grant says his generals cautioned him on approaching Lee. They sensed a trap had been laid for him by the armies of the South. But Grant, not doubting ‘the good faith of Lee,’ proceeded to meet his counterpart at the Appomattox Court House. Interestingly, the big question in his mind was whether Lee would recognise him.

“I had known General Lee in the old army, and had served with him in the Mexican War; but did not suppose, owing to the difference in our age and rank, that he would remember me; while I would more naturally remember him distinctly, because he was chief of staff of General Scott in the Mexican War.”

When they met and shook hands in the courthouse, Grant was dressed in ‘rough garb,’ and was without his sword. Lee, by contrast, was dressed formally in a new uniform and was with his sword. Grant noted, ‘The suit of a private with the straps of a lieutenant-general must have contrasted very strangely with a man so handsomely dressed, six feet high and of faultless form.’

Of course, Lee’s better appearance did not change the fact that Grant was the victor and Lee the loser. Yet Grant could not help putting himself in Lee’s shoes.

“What General Lee’s feelings were I do not know. As he was a man of much dignity, with an impassable face, it was impossible to say whether he felt inwardly glad that the end had finally come, or felt sad over the result, and was too manly to show it… but my own feelings… were sad and depressed. I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause.”

Lee opened the proceedings by asking, “I suppose, General Grant, that the object of our present meetings is fully understood. I asked to see you to ascertain upon what terms you would receive the surrender of my army.”

Grant said yes but says that the two generals “soon fell into a conversation about old army times. He remarked that he remembered me very well in the old army… Our conversation grew so pleasant that I almost forgot the purpose of our meeting….General Lee called my attention to the object of our meeting.”

So Grant dictated a letter asking Lee’s army to turn over the arms, artillery and public property in their possession, but “this will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, not their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to their homes.”

Magnanimous in his victory, Grant thought it would be an unnecessary humiliation to call upon the surrendering army to turn over their side arms. Lee was very pleased and said, “With some feeling… that this would have a happy effect upon his army.”

With the papers signed, ‘Lee and I then separated as cordially as we had met.’ Grant was puzzled that in their discussions Lee kept referring to the United States as if that was a separate country.

At 4:30 pm on April 9, 1865, Grant dictated the shortest of letters to the War Secretary, EM Stanton; “General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia this afternoon on terms proposed by myself. The accompanying correspondence will show the conditions fully.”

When news of the surrender reached Grant’s army, they began to fire a “salute of a hundred guns in honour of the victory.” But Grant “at once sent word … to have it stopped. The Confederates were our prisoners, and we did not want to exult over their downfall.”

After that, the soldiers of both armies came out in great numbers and ran toward each other like long lost friends. They seemed to enjoy the reunion as much as Grant and Lee had enjoyed theirs. “For the time being it looked very much as if all thought of the war had escaped their minds.”

At some point, Lee took the train to Richmond and Grant took the train to Washington. The American Civil War was over. To paraphrase TS Eliot, the war ended ‘not with a bang but with a whimper.’

Grant was now a larger-than-life hero. Unsurprisingly, the Republicans nominated him for president in 1868. He was elected in 1869 and served for two terms as the 18th US president. His primary focus was on the ‘Reconstruction’ of the South. He worked hard to reconcile the North and South.

Unfortunately, despite his honesty, Grant’s administration was tarnished by scandals. Toward the end, he was just wanted to exit the White House, never to return again.

Within a couple of months after stepping down as president, Grant embarked on a world tour. He met with Queen Victoria, Count Otto von Bismarck and Pope Leo XIII, among others, and visited China, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Egypt, the Holy Lands, India, Italy and Scotland, among other places. Wherever he went, he was treated as a state guest.

A journalist who travelled with Grant recorded in his diary, “The general just kept talking about the Civil War regardless of who he met.” He wrote the memoirs to pay off his debts. He died of throat cancer, 20 years after the war ended.

The writer loves military history and can be reached at Ahmadfaruqui@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, May 7^th 2018.