Lee, on the other hand, was fully six feet in height, and quite erect for one of his age, for he was Grant’s senior by sixteen years. His hair and full beard were a silver-gray, and quite thick, except that the hair had become a little thin in front. He wore a new uniform of Confederate gray, buttoned up to the throat, and at his side he carried a long sword of exceedingly fine workmanship, the hilt studded with jewels. It was said to be the sword that had been presented to him by the State of Virginia. His top-boots were comparatively new, and seemed to have on them some ornamental stitching of red silk. Like his uniform, they were singularly clean, and but little travel-stained. On the boots were handsome spurs, with large rowels. A felt hat, which in color matched pretty closely that of his uniform, and a pair of long buckskin gauntlets lay beside him on the table….

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General Grant began the conversation by saying: I met you once before, General Lee, while we were serving in Mexico, when you came over from General [Winfield] Scott’s headquarters to visit [Lieutenant Colonel John] Garland’s brigade, to which I then belonged. I have always remembered your appearance, and I think I should have recognized you anywhere.

Yes, replied General Lee, I know I met you on that occasion, and I have often thought of it and tried to recollect how you looked, but I have never been able to recall a single feature. After some further mention of Mexico, General Lee said: I suppose, General Grant, that the object of our present meeting is fully understood. I asked to see you to ascertain upon what terms you would receive the surrender of my army.

General Grant replied: The terms I propose are those stated substantially in my letter of yesterday–that is, the officers and men surrendered to be paroled and disqualified from taking up arms again until properly exchanged, and all arms, ammunition, and supplies to be delivered up as captured property.

Lee nodded an assent, and said: Those are about the conditions which I expected would be proposed.

General Grant then continued: Yes, I think our correspondence indicated pretty clearly the action that would be taken at our meeting; and I hope it may lead to a general suspension of hostilities and be the means of preventing any further loss of life.

Lee inclined his head as indicating his accord with this wish, and General Grant then went on to talk at some length in a very pleasant vein about the prospects of peace. Lee was evidently anxious to proceed to the formal work of the surrender, and he brought the subject up again by saying: I presume, General Grant, we have both carefully considered the proper steps to be taken, and I would suggest that you commit to writing these terms you have proposed, so that they may be formally acted upon.

Very well, replied General Grant, I will write them out. And calling for his manifold order-book, he opened it on the table before him and proceeded to write the terms. The leaves had been so prepared that three impressions of the writing were made. He wrote very rapidly, and did not pause until he had finished the sentence ending with officers appointed by me to receive them. Then he looked toward Lee, and his eyes seemed to be resting on the handsome sword that hung at that officer’s side. He said afterward that this set him to thinking that it would be an unnecessary humiliation to require the officers to surrender their swords, and a great hardship to deprive them of their personal baggage and horses, and after a short pause he wrote the sentence: This will not embrace the side-arms of the officers, nor their private horses or baggage. When he had finished the letter he called Colonel (afterward General) Ely S. Parker, one of the military secretaries on the staff, to his side and looked it over with him and directed him as they went along to interline six or seven words and to strike out the word their, which had been repeated. When this had been done, he handed the book to General Lee and asked him to read over the letter. It was as follows:

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