Spoilers for ‘Grant’ Episode 2 ‘Lincoln's General’
Ulysses S Grant and Confederate General Robert E Lee were both masters in the making, connected through a weird bond that was built through the Civil War. In History Channel's ‘Grant’, the threads of history are connected in time to bring the stories from the past that are now forgotten.
One question that reverberates through our minds is what was the connection between Grant and Lee and how did the latter surrender? On March 2, 1864, Grant was promoted to Lieutenant General by president Abraham Lincoln, giving him command of all Union Armies. Did you know the only other person before Grant to hold that rank was George Washington?
After Grant's 13 months long valiant battle with Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865 and the historic moment is documented for generations to see. The two were deeply connected through their Mexican–American War bond, where they met and worked with each other. But how much did Lee and Grant have in common? Both held the highest rank in their armies but other than that, their backgrounds were widely different.
During the war, the Army of Northern Virginia was stripped of food and supplies and Union cavalry forces had blocked their retreat and taken 6,000 prisoners at Sayler’s Creek. By April 8, it was clear the soldiers had no way to escape and on April 9, Lee expressed his willingness to surrender. It is said that the two met in the parlor of the Wilmer McLean home at 1 pm. While Grant turned up in a muddy uniform, Lee had his sash and sword intact. The terms were laid out and the rest of the Confederates were spared. Soon after, Grant announced to his men, “The war is over. The Rebels are our countrymen again.”
Lee, had in a farewell message to his troops, explained his decision to surrender. Lee—whose army was just 35,000 men compared to Grant’s total of 113,000—wrote he was "compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources" and that continuing the fight would be a "useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their Countrymen."
While Lee was among the bluest of Virginia blue blood, Grant grew up in Ohio into a mediocre household. His father was a tanner and merchant. While Lee graduated second in his class at West Point and was known as the “Marble Model” at the military academy, Grant was an average student with brilliant horseman skills. His schoolmates teased him as Uncle Sam, for his initials "U.S". While Lee rose in his career continually, Grant had to struggle to attain his position.
In 1864, Lee penned a letter to Grant, writing, "General: In my proposition of the 1st instant to exchange the prisoners of war belonging to the armies operating in Virginia I intended to include all captured soldiers of the United States of whatever nation and color under my control. Deserters from our service and negroes belonging to our citizens are not considered subjects of exchange and were not included in my proposition. If there are any such among those stated by you to have been captured around Richmond they cannot be returned." It was signed as "Very respectfully, your obedient servant."
People often wonder why Lee, being the superior one surrendered to Grant and became known as the self-sacrificing soldier. In his memoir, Grant wrote about the surrender, “I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse.”
In the face of huge obstacles, Grant reunified a fractured nation, battled the Ku Klux Klan and emerged as a champion of civil rights and equality for all Americans. Grant’s meteoric rise is one of the unlikeliest stories in American history.
With gritty depictions of brutal battles, risky gambles, crushing setbacks, and triumphant victories, 'Grant' takes viewers inside the moments that defined Grant and forever changed the nation. The miniseries premiered on Memorial Day and air over three consecutive nights beginning Monday, May 25 at 9 pm ET on History Channel.