April 9, 1865Reputable sourceWell documented
Lee's Surrender at Appomattox
On the timeline · around April 9, 1865 ·
What happened
With his army surrounded and starving, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant at the McLean House in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Grant offered generous terms, paroling the Confederate soldiers to return home.
Why it matters
Lee's surrender effectively ended the Civil War and set a tone of reconciliation for the peace.