Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Chapter
Morale of the Two Armies—President Lincoln Visits Richmond—President Lincoln's Assassination—President Johnson's Policy explained
Grant contrasts the high morale of the National troops with the deep depression of the Confederates after Petersburg and Sailor's Creek, leading to Lee's surrender at Appomattox with only 28,356 men paroled.
What happens
Grant contrasts the high morale of the National troops with the deep depression of the Confederates after Petersburg and Sailor's Creek, leading to Lee's surrender at Appomattox with only 28,356 men paroled. He analyzes the relative strengths of North and South, arguing that the South's total mobilization and lack of rear-guard obligations offset the North's numerical advantage. Grant then recounts President Lincoln's visit to Richmond, his assassination, and the shift in policy under President Johnson, which led to Congressional radicalization and the push for immediate black enfranchisement.
Themes in this chapter
The Horrors and Cost of War
Grant details the disintegration of Lee's army, the throwing away of arms, and the immense human and material costs of the conflict.
National Union and Constitutional Crisis
The chapter discusses the preservation of the Union, the post-war struggle between President Johnson and Congress, and the constitutional debates over Reconstruction and black suffrage.
Slavery and Racial Justice
Grant analyzes the role of enslaved people in the Southern war effort and describes the political battle over enfranchisement, ultimately supporting immediate black suffrage.
Characters to notice
- Ulysses S. Grant
Author and narrator; describes the morale of both armies, the pursuit of Lee, and his evolving views on enfranchisement.
- Robert E. Lee
Surrendered at Appomattox with 28,356 men; his army's disintegration is detailed.
- Abraham Lincoln
Visited Richmond after its fall; his assassination is mentioned as a pivotal event.
- David D. Porter
Accompanied President Lincoln to Richmond on his flagship.
- Godfrey Weitzel
Commanded troops in Richmond after the city's fall; not present when Lincoln arrived.
- John H. Morgan
Confederate partisan officer who operated in the rear of the Army of the Ohio, causing significant damage.
- Nathan Bedford Forrest
Confederate cavalry commander who operated farther west, tying down Union forces.
Key passages
“After the fall of Petersburg, and when the armies of the Potomac and the James were in motion to head off Lee's army, the morale of the National troops had greatly improved.”
Following the capture of Petersburg, as Union forces moved to intercept Lee, the spirits of the Northern soldiers rose significantly.
Grant contrasts the improved Union morale with Confederate despondency.
“As a result of these and other influences, when Lee finally surrendered at Appomattox, there were only 28,356 officers and men left to be paroled, and many of these were without arms.”
Because of these factors, when Lee surrendered at Appomattox, only 28,356 soldiers remained to be paroled, many unarmed.
Official figures on the size of Lee's surrendered army.
“The whole South was a military camp. The colored people, four million in number, were submissive, and worked in the field and took care of the families while the able-bodied white men were at the front fighting for a cause destined to defeat.”
The entire South functioned as an armed camp, with four million enslaved people laboring in fields and homes while white men fought.
Grant describes the total mobilization of Southern society.
“It became an absolute necessity, however, because of the foolhardiness of the President and the blindness of the Southern people to their own interest.”
Enfranchising black men became unavoidable due to President Johnson's recklessness and the South's failure to see its own best interests.
Grant explains why Congress pushed for immediate black suffrage.
