Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Chapter
LXIX explained
Grant describes the aftermath of Lee's surrender, including Sherman's negotiations with Johnston, the controversy over the terms Sherman offered, Grant's intervention to correct the terms, and the final surrenders of Confederate forces.
What happens
Grant describes the aftermath of Lee's surrender, including Sherman's negotiations with Johnston, the controversy over the terms Sherman offered, Grant's intervention to correct the terms, and the final surrenders of Confederate forces. He also recounts the late expeditions under Canby, Stoneman, and Wilson, and offers assessments of Generals Thomas and Canby.
Themes in this chapter
Reconciliation and Magnanimity
Grant's desire to offer generous terms to Johnston, mirroring those given to Lee, and Sherman's attempt to extend a political settlement reflect the theme of magnanimity in ending the war.
Leadership and Humility
Grant's quiet, behind-the-scenes handling of the Sherman controversy, allowing Sherman to negotiate without public knowledge of Grant's presence, demonstrates humble and effective leadership.
The Horrors and Cost of War
Grant notes that the late expeditions caused loss of life and property after the war was effectively over, highlighting the tragic cost of delayed operations.
Characters to notice
- Ulysses S. Grant
Narrator and commander; orders Meade to Burkesville, sends dispatches to Sherman, travels to Raleigh to oversee Johnston's surrender, and reflects on the war's end.
- William T. Sherman
Negotiates conditional surrender terms with Johnston; initially denounced but later restored to confidence; carries out Grant's instructions to obtain Johnston's surrender.
- Joseph E. Johnston
Confederate general in North Carolina; surrenders to Sherman after Lee's capitulation.
- Abraham Lincoln
Mentioned for his meeting with peace commissioners at Hampton Roads and his authorization of the Virginia legislature; his views influence Sherman's terms.
- Edwin M. Stanton
Secretary of War; denounces Sherman's terms and orders Grant to take charge in North Carolina.
- George Stoneman
Leads a raid from East Tennessee; destroys railroad bridges near Lynchburg and operates in Johnston's rear.
- James H. Wilson
Leads an expedition from Eastport, Mississippi; captures Jefferson Davis.
- Edward R. S. Canby
Commands the expedition against Mobile; captures Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely; later killed in the Modoc War; praised for his character and efficiency.
Key passages
“The country is familiar with the terms that Sherman agreed to conditionally, because they embraced a political question as well as a military one and he would therefore have to confer with the government before agreeing to them definitely.”
Sherman's conditional terms included political matters, so he needed government approval before finalizing them.
Explains why Sherman's terms were controversial and required higher authorization.
“If Sherman had taken authority to send Johnston with his army home, with their arms to be put in the arsenals of their own States, without submitting the question to the authorities at Washington, the suspicions against him might have some foundation.”
Had Sherman acted unilaterally to dismiss Johnston's army, the accusations of treason might have been plausible.
Grant defends Sherman by noting he did not exceed his authority without seeking approval.
