Appomattox Court House , Virginia. This town was the site where the Civil War basically ended. On April 6, 1895, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at McLean House in Appomattox, Virginia. Although Lee refused to surrender on behalf of the entire Confederate Army, the few remaining Confederate armies soon surrendered as well following Appomattox. The terms of surrender were as written in these words by General Grant: "I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be made in duplicate, one copy to be given to an officer to be designated by me, the other to be retained by such officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged; and each company or regimental commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery, and public property to be parked and stacked, and turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be allowed to return to his home, not to be disturbed by U. S. authority so long as they observe their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside. U.S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General." The Confederate soldiers were required to surrender their weapons and given a written "parole" to facilitate safe passage home.

A painting depicting General Lee signing the terms of surrender

Reconstructed building at Appomattox

One of the terms of surrender was that The Army of Northern Virginia soldiers had to walk a gauntlet of Union soldiers and deposit their rifles in the centre of two rows

Reconstructed Appomattox building

Painting of the last words between Lee and Grant the day after signing the surrender