CHAPTER XXVII.

END OF A STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY.

Symptoms of a Collapse of the Confederacy-Lee Seeks a Parley with Grant-The Fall of Richmond-Flight of the Rebel Government -Lincoln in the Former Rebel Capital—He Goes to the FrontThe Surrender of Lee-Great Joy of the People The National Capital in a Frenzy of Delight-Lincoln's Last Public SpeechHis Death and Funeral-Conclusion.

HE spring of 1865 opened with every prospect of a speedy and complete ending of the rebellion. Sherman's march to the sea had once more rent the dying Confederacy, even morc disastrously than the opening of the Mississippi had previously split it into two large fragments. Everywhere, on land and sea, the arms of the Union had been crowned with victory. Sherman's movements in the Carolinas had compelled the abandonment of Charleston. The capture of Fort Fisher by General Terry had virtually closed the last Atlantic port against possible supplies from abroad for the Rebel forces. The scattered remnants of their armies were forced to concentrate and rally around Lee for the defence of the Rebel capital, and on the 3d of March, the day before the second inauguration of Lincoln, news reached him that Lee had at last sought an interview with Grant for the purpose of seeing if any terms of peace could be considered. True to their settled

purpose, and desperate to the last, the Rebels sought to make peace for themselves and retain something more than would be exacted by a conqueror. Lincoln ordered the Secretary of War to send a message to Grant, directing him to hold no conference with Lee, except for the purpose of receiving a capitulation of his army, or on some other purely military matter. There must be no discussion of any political question. Such matters the President would hold in his own hands; and, meantime, Grant must press to the utmost his military advantages.

On the 27th of March a conference of Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman was held on board of a steamer lying in the James River, near Grant's head-quarters, at which the final and decisive measures of the campaign were discussed. Lincoln was informed that one more fierce and bloody battle would be necessary; at that prospect his humane spirit revolted, and he exclaimed: "Must blood be shed? Cannot this bloody battle be avoided?" It was avoided, as Lincoln had hoped and prayed, by Lee's despairing and unconditional surrender. Sheridan, who had been manoeuvring far to Grant's left, by dint of ten days' rapid marching and almost incessant fighting, had cut off the last avenue of Lee's escape southward with the Army of Virginia, the last prop of the Confederacy, and had made its surrender merely a matter of a few days, at the furthest. Closely followed by Grant, Sheridan had now drawn a line completely around Lee's army. Lee sent an imperative message to Richmond ordering three hundred thousand rations for his starving army. The message fell into

Sheridan's hands, and he sent it on with the intention of waylaying and capturing the supplies. This was accomplished, and the Rebel forces were without food. The Rebel lines were everywhere drawn in, their forces operating to the north of the James being now joined to the main army. Petersburg fell into the hands of the victorious Union troops, and on Sunday morning, April ad, the tolling of the bells of Richmond sounded the kneli of the rebellion, while the rolling of the drums called the citizens of the Rebel capital t› rally and take the places of soldiers withdrawn forcver. J fferson Davis, seeing that all was lost, fled in disguise southward, but was subsequently captured and sent to Fortress Monroe, a prisoner.

On Monday morning, April 3d, the Federal troops, under command of General Weitzel, hoisted the flag of the Union over the building in Richmond that had been occupied by the Rebel congress, and the political power of the Confederacy vanished. Lincoln was at City Point, near Grant's old head-quarters, waiting for the final and great result of all these military movements. Accompanied by Tad, he entered the fallen capital of the Confederacy as soon as possible after the news of its downfall reached him. The scene of his entry has been often described as a triumphal one; but no representative of a conquering force ever moved with less ceremony and pomp. Unattended, save by a boat's crew from a gunboat near at hand, and leading his little boy by the hand, Lincoln entered the late capital of the Rebel Confederacy, over which the national ensign now

peacefully waved. He walked as one in a dream. Richmond, so long and so painfully the object of Union hopes and desires, was in the hands of the United States, its Congress and bureaus dispersed, and the members of its exploded government fugitives.

Multitudes of colored people, apparently the only persons left in the city flocked around the Liberator. They rent the air with their frenzied shouts. They danced, they sang, they prayed for blessings on the head of their deliverer; they wept, kneeling at his feet. In that supreme moment Lincoln was speechless. He wore no look of triumph over a fallen foe, evidences of whose poverty and great trial were thick about him. The tears streamed down his cheeks, furrowed with many cares, and, simply bowing his thanks, or raising his hat to the jubilant and almost hysterical crowds of freed person, he passed on to the interior of the city. The statesman reared by God's wonderful providence and disciplined in the rough school of adversity, with the memories of his hard struggle in life still upon him, was in the last stronghold of the broken slave power. His lifework was done.

Meanwhile, Grant and Sheridan were drawing their lines more closely about the Rebel army under Lee, who, like a hunted fox, vainly turned this way and that to escape the net in which he was enveloped. Grant tarried at Petersburg long enough to meet the President, who pressed on to see him for a moment. The two men met. Lincoln seized Grant by the hands, and poured forth his thanks and congratulations with a glowing radiance on his counte

nance. Lincoln had hardly expected that the end would have come so suddenly, and that the "one more bloody battle" could have been thus mercifully averted. He had thought that it would be necessary to bring up Sherman's army, now operating to the southward, before the final surrender of Lee's army could be made certain and Richmond captured. But the collapse of the Confederacy had come without much bloodshed at the last.

Leaving the President, who returned to Washington, Grant hurried on westward, following the leading columns of infantry, and on the 7th of April, 1865, from the little village of Farmville, Virginia, he opened with General Lee the correspondence that resulted in the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, April 9th, in the village of Appomattox Court-House, Virginia. The two great and famous generals met face to face. There were no impressive doings at the surrender. The terms were unconditional. The number of men surrendered was over 28,000; and as they were in sore need of food, General Grant ordered that they be supplied at once with rations from the Union army commissariat. It was now the opening of the agricultural year, and many of the Rebel soldiers were in haste to go home and prepare the ground for seeding, so soon did the pursuits of peace follow in the trail of war. Grant permitted them to take with them their own horses to work in the long-neglected fields. The Rebellion

was over.

The North was delirious with joy. First came the news of the capture of Petersburg, announced in a