Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 15.djvu/3

 III. This compilation has been printed from the originals of the duplicate paroles of the Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, April 9, 1865, which were retained by its commander, General Robert Edward Lee, Confederate States Army; the other duplicate being delivered to Lieutenant-General Ulysses S. Grant, commanding the Armies of the United States. The present documents passed from General Lee into the charge of the late Hon. Robert Ould, Confederate States Commissioner of Exchange of Prisoners of War, by whom they were deposited in the archives of the Southern Historical Society.

The orthography of the originals has been carefully followed in printing, although it is apprehended that there were many clerical misconceptions as to the correct rendering of proper names. Owing to the rearrangement of his command by General Lee on the morning preceding the day of surrender; the incidental disintegration of the forces; the desultory mode of parole, and the subsequent disarrangement of the documents themselves before they came into the possession of the editor, his task has been both perplexing and laborious. He has availed himself of every reference for information within his immediate attainment, and has endeavored fidelity in the entire performance of his official trust.

The achievements of the Army of the Confederate States of America have met undiminished acknowledgment in the military history of the world. Its fortitude could not be surpassed. The causes of its surrender were manifestly insurmountable. They have been fully discussed by candid and able writers. Circumstances impel brevity here. Only a presentation of authentic details may be attempted. Colonel Walter H. Taylor, the devoted and efficient Adjutant-General* of the Army of Northern Virginia, gives the following account of the disastrous last days of the Army of Northern Virginia :

" On the first day of April, General Grant directed a heavy movement against the Confederate right near Five Forks; this necessitated

.* Four Years with General Lee. New York: 1877. Page 149, et seq.