The South Finally Surrenders
Melody

 

The South finally surrenders!
April 12 of 1865 was a beautiful crisp morning. The civil war had ended three days before, and with it fresh beginning had arrived. Today was the formal surrender of the south, General John B. Gordon, after the exhausting years of war between the North and the South of the United States. The now named Major General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was riding his horse to Appomattox, since he had been given the honor to receive the surrender of the weapons and colors of Lee’s army. He rode rhythmically on the back of his horse, the horse’s legs would gallop over the green grass, and as he approached his destiny Chamberlain could see the colorful flowers that were starting to bloom. It was like everything had been dead and asleep during the winter, and now the sunny days were gently waking the sleeping nature. The trees were getting new bright leafs, the grass was growing strong and tall, and the endormant flowers were starting to get dress as for a colorful parade. The fresh breeze was touching his face and cooling his body, the time of the year matched his feelings. After the terrible war in the heat and cold the freshness of spring had finally arrived, and the north had reached victory.
While he rode scenes flashed of the dreadful battle at Fredericksburg, it was like reading a detailed narration of the dark battle. Fredericksburg had been a devastating, awful loss for the North, and the icy winter of December 13 to 15 of 1862 had made it even harsher. Joshua remembered the dark and cold night he had to spend sleeping on the freezing snow. As he started to remember more precise details about that night, tears would role down his cheeks and splash the horse’s naked back, it was depressing to remember that painful night which cost the life of many men. Chamberlain remembered that most of his men that night had neither a blanket or and overcoat, and that they would sleep beside the dead bodies. He called that “bivouac with the dead”, he had to lay in between two dead men that were left there after several assaults fought earlier in the day. Chamberlain remembered the sensation of touching the dead body, feeling his arm hairs covered with ice, and its veins looking purple under the skin because of he because of the cold. He could smell nothing that night, except the odor of death! He could feel in his nose the rotten smell of a wounded body, it had been a frightening moment, knowing that in any time the dead one could be him. He remembered himself pulling another dead body crosswise so he could lay his head on it. Then he pulled a part of the man’s coat to protect his face from the cold and violent wind when his head rested on the man’s belly he had felt no movement. The body would just stay there, static. Chamberlain felt bad for the man, the previous hours he had seen him fight bravely, and now he was thrown over the snow, and his dead body freezing minute after minute. Even in his memories it was terrifying to listen to the moans out at the field of the wound and dying. Sadly he was unable to do much for them, since any movement could have cost him life. He had to scan his movements carefully in between the dead, otherwise he could be seen by the Southerners and rapidly be shot. He felt anger run through his veins, how could so many honorable men be dying when they were fighting for union? It was a mix of emotions, at the same time he felt confused, he had had no idea what was going to happen after this battle, would there be more? Questions had invaded his thoughts and made him think if it was worth to keep on letting men fall on a battle field for a war which seemed did not have an end.
Chamberlain remembered the experience with honor and pride, although it had been a battle in which the north had lost, it had made him stronger. Sleeping in the coldness of the snow and seeing all men freeze to death was no charming experience. Even himself almost froze in the white snow half covered with intense red. The blood of the soldiers would run down their wounds and slowly hit the snow, shortly most of the ground was marked with the red blood that represented the suffering and pain. The experience had definitely shaped Chamberlain’s character and thankfully it was now over and he had survived. He and the most lucky and brave men were still living and that certainly was an honorable thing.
 He kept on remembering that battle and how at midnight he had woken from his bivouac and with another survivor they had went to see what they could do with these abandoned sufferers. “As we advanced over that stricken field, the grave, conglomerate monotone resolved itself into its diverse, several elements: some breathing inarticulate agony; some dear home names; some begging for a drop of water; some for a caring word; some praying God for strength to bear; some for life; some for quick death.” It was severely depressing to see so many wounded soldiers, and to think how little he and his companion could do, but it was then when he saw ambulances. A wave of relief ran down his body, taking some tension away, Chamberlain felt tremendous happiness as he saw the ambulance pause here and there and rapidly pick up the dead and wounded bodies. Finally does departed bodies were going to be able to rest in peace.
Suddenly Chamberlain’s horse stopped, and as a waking warning Joshua returned to reality. He was in front of a beautiful creek his horse had stopped and was moving away from it. That was enough to make Chamberlain forget about his frightening thoughts for a while, he had to focus now on how to get his golden horse cross the creek. He got the horse’s reins and ordered him to move forward. Although the horse tried several times not to move at last he did what he was suppose to. With a long jump Chamberlain and the horse were at the other side, moving each time closer to Appomattox.
He rode happily, thinking, about his wife Frances who he had married in 1855. He remembered this woman with black hair playing the organ for the church choir. Thin, delicate fingers pressing rhythmically the keys would fill the church with harmony, Joshua was deeply in love with her and wanted to be near her, he knew that after receiving the surrender they would finally be together. He remembered his father, Joshua Chamberlain, sitting at the head of the table the day he married Fanny. And his kind mother, Sarah Dupee, sitting to the right with her soft smile, giving his four other siblings warning looks when they started to joke at the table. That had been a moment of joy, a memory that would always roam his thoughts.
It was in these moments in which everything seemed to look right that he remembered the hot battle at Gettysburg. Probably that had been the hottest summer he ever experienced, but gratefully the sun was on their side. The northern army, thanked to him won the sweaty, sticky battle. Chamberlain and his men entered the battle of Gettysburg on July 2 of 1863, the second day of the battle. He remembered how tense he had felt that day he had to make the decision that would define what would happen in the future. He would remember the sweat running down his forehead and falling on his shoulders. His head would itch of so much thinking on what to do. He remembered how afraid he felt, even his hands would produce cold sweat that would role down the palm of his hands then down the fingers and to the ground. It had all been when numerous Union officers were killed by the confederacy including Colonel Vincent. The death of this wonderful colonel and the other officers had frustrated him, since now all the weight had been left on his back. Besides he remembered seeing Vincent just few minutes before beside him giving him orders, just acting normally and positively about what could happen, and now he was just shot and dead forever. The thought gave slight Goosebumps to Chamberlain, that same thing could happen to him, and then who would look after Fanny?
Chamberlain had been given an order by Vincent to uphold the Northern position at Little Round Top, but the confederate brigades of John Bell Hood were moving up the rocky hill. Joshua thought of desperate situation he had been in since his men’s ammunition had diminished rapidly. He thought about the decision he had taken that day which had permitted the north to win, he had decided to attack, and gratefully the position of the Union was saved. The position was saved since the Southerners were defeated after a hot battle. That battle gave Chamberlain pride, although he never became arrogant. That decision he had taken was an honorable decision, it was risky but it was the only opportunity that the north had to maintain their place. By deciding to fight the life’s of many Northern men were in great danger, since they had few ammunition left at the moment. Besides they did not know very well about the position or the amount of Southerners. Galloping on his horse while remembering that joyful moment Chamberlain let go a small smile.
Scenes from previous battles kept on filling his mind, it was like a flash back of the most important battles in which he had fought. He was thinking about Gordon and how it would probably take the defeat, and he remembered how close to death Gordon had been. Gordon had been shot four times, and one of those was in the face. Chamberlain imagined the pain that he must have felt, and suddenly his own last recent wound started to hurt. It had been in Petersburg in June 18 of 1864 when he was shot with a minie ball. The wound was severe, but still he had remained calm until all the other wounded men had been attended. He did not ask or accept preference for himself, instead he insisted that other men with more serious wounds were attended first.
He definitely was an honorable man, dying from the pain of his sixth wound and just patiently waiting for his turn. That injury was so serious that he had to go to the Academy hospital at Annapolis with very few hope of being able to survive. But he had enormous hope and will that everything was going to end all right, that instead of being hospitalized for a long period of time he left the hospital in less than what it was expected by the doctors.
Generally the battle at Petersburg did not bring victory or loss for the North or South, it remained neutral just like the climate, rainy and sunny. It was then at Appomattox that the north had total success, they finally defeated the South. Chamberlain was not at Appomattox, but he was given the honor to receive the formal southern surrender, and that is why he was now galloping on his beautiful horse. He felt joy at having that honor, being chosen over all the good officers to receive the formal surrender of the South. He felt proud about himself, he knew he had done a good labor through the war and deserved this recognition.
Chamberlain had been told about Appomattox, and how the Lee’s army, army of Northern Virginia, had had no escape. Lee’s army had moved from Petersburg westward, Appomattox, looking for food, but they had found nothing. Still there was the pursuit of Ulysses Grant behind them, and although his men were also near starving when they had the engagement the men from both sides fought with desperation. “I saw numbers of men kill each other with bayonets and the butts of muskets and even bite each other’s throats and ears and noses, rolling on the ground like wild beasts.” Chamberlain had also been told that by the end of the battle one third of Lee’s army had been killed or captured by the North. Chamberlain thought on how terrible being in that battle must have felt he imagined the feeling of biting another’s man’s throat until blood came out. He imagined the taste of cold blood in the men’s mouth, just rolling down the corner of their lips. It must have felt terrible to be there, killing each other with their own hands, just squishing them to death. Chamberlain wanted to forget the descriptions he had been given, and even the hunger he was feeling vanished away with this grotesque thoughts, but still his horse’s hunger did not go away. His horse had stopped to eat some fresh grass under the shade of a big tree. Chamberlain used this opportunity to go down the horse and stretch himself, he had been ridding for a long while and was starting to feel pain in his spine. He walked a little around the tree and horse, and then, feeling like new, got on the horse and continued his rout.
He was still thinking of the same battle, but at least the horrifying scenes did not show up again. The South had had very little hope, they had no food, were surrounded, and could not get any reinforcement. On April 8 of 1865 Lee’s army surrendered. Chamberlain could not get all these thoughts away from his head, he thought about how humiliated the Southerners had maybe felt when they had to surrender. And then, he thought how had the Northern army felt by winning. He questioned himself a lot on how the Southerners were being treated now?
Chamberlain admired Grant, he had not been arrogant when accepting Lee’s surrender, he had left them keep their side arms and personal possessions. Also every man could return to its home and would not be disturbed by the authorities. Besides Grant offered Lee 25,000 rations for his hungry men, which was a very noble thing to do. In did Grant had been fair with Lee and surely the Southern army appreciated that.
By the time Chamberlain reached the Appomattox Court House, the place where the formal surrender was to take place, his thoughts started to go away, and he concentrated on what he was going to say. Chamberlain went down his horse and then called his men who dressed in blue to form a line. The Southern surrender was formal but plain, there were some people sobbing but not making much noise. The Southern army did not look to the ground, the Southerners would show no humiliation instead they looked the Northerners straight in the eyes. Chamberlain did what he was supposed to, and finally after four devastating years of war it was all over. The North had gotten victory! This was a sunny day of April 12 1865, life was smiling to Chamberlain and as well to the North. They had fought honorably and due to the destiny they had won the war, finally peace was with the USA, it was a fresh beginning for all the people living in it.
The end

 

 

Copyright © 2000 Melody
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