ations, and only
such forage as the poor country afforded.

Some detachments and small bands of Lee's army escaped, but there
were paroled 2781 officers and 25,450 men, aggregate 28,231.(29)

Lee's army was not required to march out, stack arms, and surrender
according to the general custom of war, but the men, quietly, under
their officers, stacked their guns and remained in camp until
paroled. They soon dispersed, never to reassemble. The Army of
Northern Virginia then ceased to exist.

The Union Army, on learning of the surrender, commenced firing a
salute of one hundred guns. Grant ordered the firing stopped, not
desiring to exult over his captured countrymen. General Meade and
others protested in vain that it was due to the Army of the Potomac
for its sacrifices and gallantry in the years of war that it should
have the honor of a formal surrender and a day of military
demonstrations.

The wildest scenes of rejoicing, however, took place in the Union
Army on learning of the surrender. It did not take on the form of
boasting over the captured. It was a genuine exultation over the
prospect of the end of the war, the overthrow of the Confederacy,
the restoration of the Union, and the destruction of slavery in
the Republic. Officers, however high of rank, were not safe from
the frenzied rush of the excited soldiers. Some eloquent, joyous
speeches were made.

The little wild-cherry tree under which myself and staff were
seated, drinking a cup of coffee and chewing "hard tack" when word
of the surrender came, was torn down for mementoes. Meade and
Wright did not escape, being almost dragged from their horses in
the mad rejoicing.

The enlisted men of the two armies met on the guard lines, where
many of the Union soldiers gave their last cracker to hungry
Confederates. The gentlest and kindest feeling was exhibited on
both sides. Not an ungenerous word was heard.

Grant at 4.30 P.M. telegraphed the Secretary of War: "_General
Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia this afternoon on
terms proposed by myself_."

President Lincoln had the news of Lee's surrender to cheer his
great soul for five days before the assassin's bullet laid him low.

Grant retired to an improvised camp, and immediately announced his
intention to leave the army in the field and start for Washington
the next day. He rode within the Confederate lines at 9 A.M. on
the 10th, and held a half hour's talk with Lee about the p