o live. What will
become of the women and children of the South, if we are not here to
protect them?"

The moment had now come when the fate of the retreat was to be
decided. To General Gordon, who had proved himself, in the last
operations of the war, a soldier of the first ability, had been
intrusted the command of the advance force; and this was now moved
forward against the enemy beyond Appomattox Court-House. Gordon
attacked with his infantry, supported by Fitz Lee's cavalry, and the
artillery battalion of Colonel Carter, and such was the impetuosity
of his advance that he drove the Federal forces nearly a mile. But
at that point he found himself in face of a body of infantry, stated
afterward, by Federal officers, to number about eighty thousand.
As his own force was less than five thousand muskets, he found it
impossible to advance farther; and the Federal lines were already
pressing forward to attack him, in overwhelming force, when the
movement suddenly ceased. Seeing the hopelessness of further
resistance. General Lee had sent a flag to General Grant, requesting
an interview looking to the arrangement, if possible, of terms of
surrender; and to this end the forward movement of the Federal forces
was ordered to be discontinued.

The two armies then remained facing each other during the interview
between the two commanders, which took place in a farm-house in
Appomattox Court-House. General Lee was accompanied only by Colonel
Marshall, of his staff, and on the Federal side only a few officers
were present. General Grant's demeanor was courteous, and that of
General Lee unmarked by emotion of any description. The hardships of
the retreat had somewhat impaired his strength, and his countenance
exhibited traces of fatigue; but no other change had taken place
in his appearance. He was erect, calm, courteous, and confined his
observations strictly to the disagreeable business before him. The
interview was brief; and, seated at a plain table, the two commanders
wrote and exchanged the accompanying papers:

APPOMATTOX COURT-HOUSE, _April_ 9, 1865.

_General R.E. Lee, commanding C.S.A._.:

In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst.,
I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia on
the following terms, to wit:

Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate, one copy to
be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by
such officers a