1865 Blog

April 21, 1865

Dear Mary,

The Union army has inflicted many casualties on our army. Leaving us with only 25,000 men. Our men are hungry and are low on supplies. This is why I made the decision to surrender to Grant. I guess it was the right decision. We are now a part of the United States again. It was quite a casual event, he wore tattered clothes while I wore my last best uniform. He was very courteous and reminded me that we had known each other in the Mexican-American War. He gave us 25,000 rations. We had to hand over our weapons, our flags and our will to fight them. Luckily I was able to keep Traveler and the musket I brought from home- just like the other soldiers. I will be home very soon. All I need is one more train ride.

With love,
Robert