Lee & Grant at Appomattox

This is Don Holland Beck for CBS at Confederate Army headquarters in their Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. On this Palm Sunday morning of April 9th, 1865, the moment with eight million men, women and children of the Confederacy have been expecting and dreading has come.

General Robert E. Lee, Supreme Commander of the Southern Forces, has left his headquarters here for a meeting with the Commander of the Northern Army's General Ulysses S. Grant. That meeting was arranged at Lee's request, and it can mean only one thing.

The great head, Chief of the South, is prepared to ask Grant what terms he is willing to offer for the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. General Lee is recorded to be accompanied by Colonel Taylor and Marshall of his personal staff and by Sergeant Tucker, Chief Courier of the Old Third Army Corps.

Eight-year-old man, eighteen-six-year-five, leave the right to you. An anguished south looks into the face of the feet. CBS takes you back to the final moments of an unforgettable day in the making of the United States of America.

All things are, as they were then, except for one thing. When CBS is there, you are there. You are there, is based on authentic historical fact and quotation. And now, leave head court here ever since Grant forced Lee out of his defenses at Petersburg and Richmond last week, the southern position has become progressively worse.

Lee has been repeating across Virginia with 10,000 detecting 15,000 spreaders. All that is left is a once powerful army of Northern Virginia, 70,000 strong. Vance Northern forces numbered nearly 100,000, including almost three armies, the Army of the Potomac, the Army of the James, and General Sheridan's cavalry.