Download Civil War Research on the Surrender at the

Civil War Research on the
Surrender at the Appomattox Court House
By Jack McKessy
The Civil War was a rough part in American History. The Civil War occurred when the
South seceded from the Union and when President Abe Lincoln tried to prevent them from
doing so. Its first battle started when Union troops occupied Fort Sumter, South Carolina.
Angry at the Union for occupying Confederate land, the Confederates fired on the fort. After
this, the Confederacy went on to win the First Battle of Bull Run. As the war continued, a man
named Winfield Scott came up with a strategy called the Anaconda Plan. First the Union navy
would create a blockade around the South. Then, they would capture the Mississippi River to
split the South in half. During the battle of Vicksburg, this was accomplished. Later, the Union
army would surround the Southern troops by coming from east to west, like an anaconda
squeezing its prey. Later the Union went on to win the battles of Shiloh, Tennessee and
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. These battles started a big turning point for the North, which
ultimately helped the North win the war. At the end of the war, Lee was fighting at the siege of
Petersburg, and finally gave up on April 2nd, 1865. Lee did not want to surrender at first.
Finally, Lee realized he needed to surrender, because the war had caused too many hardships
on both sides. He surrendered his troops at the Appomattox Court House.
After fighting the Union army from April 2nd to April 9th, in Appomattox, Virginia, the
Confederates finally surrendered at the Appomattox Court House. This surrender helped end
the Civil War. At first, Lee did not want to surrender he said, “There is nothing left for me to do
but go see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths.” However because the
Anaconda Plan had finally started to “grasp its prey” or surround Lee’s troops, the Confederates
were surrounded. The Confederates had tried to retreat, but the Union had blocked their path
on the bridge leading over the Appomattox River. Even when Lee tried to surrender, his
officers wanted to keep fighting. Lee knew the war had gone on for too long, and had caused
many hardships on both sides. It was 90 degrees when General Lee rode up to the Appomattox
Court House on April 9th, 1865, a Palm Sunday. Lee and Grant sat ten feet apart when they
came up for the terms of surrender for lee’s army of Northern Virginia. Lee didn’t surrender
the whole Confederacy, but the surrender of the Virginia Army caused the downfall of the
Confederacy. When the soldiers started celebrating, Grant told them to stop. “We cannot
celebrate the downfall of the brave men who have fought today,” he said. “The war is over,
and the Confederates…can return home as countrymen again.
There are a few reasons why the battle that took place in Appomattox, Virginia
was significant. First, it showed how hard the South was willing to fight. Even when the
Confederate troops were completely surrounded, they still wanted to keep fighting. This battle
was also significant because the surrender at the Appomattox caused the downfall of the Civil
War. On April 9th, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee
refused to surrender the Confederate States, and would only surrender the Northern Virginia
army. However, the surrender at the Appomattox led to the downfall of the Confederacy.
Another significance of this battle and surrender is that it showed how effective the Anaconda
Plan was because by surrounding the Confederates, the army was forced to surrender. General
Lee realized his surrender would probably lead to the end of the Civil War and end the four
years of hardships. Most importantly, Lee’s surrender at the Appomattox reunited the Union
and helped start Reconstruction, which was a twelve year period after the war that helped
rebuild the South.