Before the day was over Dick learned all that had occurred inside that unpretentious but celebrated farm house.  The two great commanders, at first did not allude to the civil war, but spoke of the old war in Mexico, where Lee, the elder, had been General Winfield Scott’s chief of staff, and the head of his engineer corps, with Grant, the younger, as a lieutenant and quartermaster.  It never entered the wildest dreams of either then that they should lead the armies of a divided nation engaged in mortal combat.  Now they had only pleasant recollections of each other, and they talked of the old days, of Contreras, Molino del Rey, and other battles in the Valley of Mexico.

They sat down at a plain table, and then came in the straightforward manner characteristic of both to the great business in hand.  Colonel Marshall supplied the paper for the historic documents now about to be written and signed.

General Grant, humane, and never greater or more humane than in the hour of victory, made the terms easy.  All the officers of the Army of Northern Virginia were to give their parole not to take up arms against the United States, until properly exchanged, and the company or regimental commanders were to sign a like parole for their men.  The artillery, other arms and public property were to be turned over to the Union army, although the officers were permitted to retain their side arms and their own horses and baggage.  Then officers and men alike could go to their homes.

It was truly the supreme moment of Grant’s greatness, of a humanity and greatness of soul the value of which to his nation can never be overestimated.  Surrenders in Europe at the end of a civil war had always been followed by confiscations, executions and a reign of terror for the beaten.  Here the man who had compelled the surrender merely told the defeated to go to their homes.

Lee looked at the terms and said: 

“Many of the artillerymen and cavalrymen in our army own their horses, will the provisions allowing the officers to retain their horses apply to them also?”

“No, it will not as it is written,” replied Grant, “but as I think this will be the last battle of the war, and as I suppose most of the men in the ranks are small farmers who without their horses would find it difficult to put in their crops, the country having been swept of everything movable, and as the United States does not want them, I will instruct the officers who are to receive the paroles of your troops to let every man who claims to own a horse or mule take the animal to his home.”

“It will have a pleasant effect,” said Lee, and then he wrote a formal letter accepting the capitulations.  The two generals, rising, bowed to each other, but as Lee turned away he said that his men had eaten no food for several days, except parched corn, and he would have to ask that rations, and forage for their horses, be given to them.