On April 2, 1865 Union troops broke through the line. General Grant and General Lee were engaged in fighting in Petersburg, Virginia. Petersburg is 24 miles south of Richmond, Virginia. Lee and his soldiers escaped to the west. General Lee then sent a message to President Jefferson Davis.
He said that they could no longer protect Richmond. That was the capitol city of the Confederacy. Davis and his cabinet escaped for their lives. Before they left though, they burned everything of military value. Then, mobs took to the streets and burned even more. The next day the Northern troops arrived.
Lee’s troops retreated. Their numbers were getting smaller and smaller. They were starving too. At that time Lee had 50,000 troops. Grant had 120,000. It was time for the South to surrender.
Grant and Lee came together to end the war at Appomattox Courthouse. They met in a house. General Grant offered kind terms of surrender. Confederate officers and soldiers could go home. They could take their horses, their sidearms, and personal items. They would also be protected against charges of treason. Then Grant sent three days of food rations to the Confederate soldiers.
Three days later Lee’s troops stacked their rifles and battle flags. It was time for the soldiers to go home. The Civil War was over.
Text Credits:
http://www.ushistory.org/us/33i.asp