Swords Uncrossed: Grant and Lee at Appomattox

Swords Uncrossed: Grant and Lee at Appomattox—

There are many memorable moments we have read about or watched. Churchill sternly noting: “We will fight them in the air, on the sea and on land. We will ‘nevah’ give up…..,” Picasso completing Guernica, the discovery of DNA, and the disaster of the Hindenburg in 1937. In each of these there must have been charged emotions rushing full steam ahead; sometimes slipping around corners and popping up years later. For example, what ran through Johann Gutenberg’s mind when he began to sense what his invention, the printing press, could mean in 1448? Imagining the feelings around any one of these events, one mines a treasure. As we know in our own lives, emotions can elevate or intensify any moment, whether we seek to keep them inside –or not.

Two of America greatest generals waged unrelenting war against each other in the months leading up to April 1865. The Union’s Ulysses S. Grant was pushing his campaign through Virginia to bring an end to a devastating Civil War, while Robert E. Lee was doing all he could to save his army and allow it to fight another day for the Confederacy. Although the end seemed inevitable, the stakes could not have been larger. Finally, when Lee’s Army of North Virginia was completely boxed in, these two powerful leaders met to discuss Grant’s terms of Unconditional Surrender. Appomattox Courthouse was the historic venue, April 9th, 1865—was the pivotal moment.

Both men must have been filled with every kind of emotion as they strained to stay within the professional confines, cognizant of the dignity both wanted to maintain. Lee devastated; Grant triumphant but feeling his own measure of pain. How to capture such a moment? Swords Uncrossed addresses that very issue, reaching into deep reflections and agonizing truths. The heart of these two men is on display, along with measured awareness of how vital the exchange was for the future health of our country.

Grant’s sense of fairness and “Let ‘em up easy” approach was supported by President Lincoln, who, devastatingly, would be killed by an assassin’s bullet on Good Friday, just five days later. On that previous Palm Sunday, Lee, his troops and officers were treated with decency-- respect extending through all of Grant’s forces. Still, this no-negotiation surrender was a bitter pill to swallow for the Virginia leader, whose military family was so closely connected to the founding fathers.

While the actual interchange and agreement holds true to accurate details, the private introspection of both men lets the viewer catch a glimpse of the depth of feeling, pride and anguish shifting back and forth. The spirit of deep care held back the desperation and mitigated any arrogance of victory. Compassion paired with professionalism welcomed a better tomorrow for a deeply wounded land.

Despite being the fiercest of competitors in battle, Grant and Lee trusted each other. They believed in the integrity of the promises and in each man backing them up. Would we have been able to meet the moment with such grace, even as sorrow and uncertainty was spinning around us? Thankfully, these two giants in history did.