Ends of War - A Review of Caroline Janney's Latest
Many recognize the surrender of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia as the end of the Civil War. The image is indelible: Lee impeccably dressed signing the terms of surrender in Wilmer McClean’s parlor at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia in the presence of Ulysses S. Grant and his staff. The date – April 9, 1865. For fun, just Google “end of the Civil War” and see what dominates your search results. Alas. Lee’s capitulation was the end of the road. It wasn’t of course, the Union and Confederate armies had a good deal of blood yet to shed; Yanks found plenty of Rebs yet to vanquish on the battlefields of North Carolina and elsewhere throughout Dixie Land…at least for a few more weeks.
But I will go with the idea that symbolically, Lee’s surrender closed the book on the Confederate States of America. After all, we should acknowledge that the ANV was the physical representation of Confederate national existence. So long as the army functioned in the field, the Confederacy lived. Lincoln knew it, Lee knew it, Grant knew it. So, if one follows the logic, Lee’s surrender wrapped things up for good.
Appomattox Surrender by Louis Guillaume - 1892
Or did it? Maybe things were a little messier than all that. Janney’s title should suggest as much, offering a plural “ends.” Does this mean there were several? Does this mean that some people surrendered, and some didn’t? Like with any number of historical events that at first blush seem neat and tidy, maybe the “ends” of the war in Virginia created a landscape of confusion and uncertainty. So…if you are curious about what happened when the principal Confederate army ceased to exist in any official capacity – when things fell apart, as it were – then this is certainly a book you should read at once.
One area of confusion that Janney considers is the terms of parole, written in broad language and open to interpretation. Grant’s terms, often portrayed as a “gesture of benevolence,” sought to avoid a “protracted and irregular-style war.” (27) It is clear that Grant, in accordance with President Lincoln’s wishes, avoided punitive terms. To underscore this desire, he included the provision that Confederates were allowed to return to their homes undisturbed, provided they not take up arms against the United States – but with the additional caveat, “until properly exchanged,” an edit upon which Lee insisted. Is this just Lee saving face in an honorable way? One might consult David Silkenat’s Raising the White Flag: How Surrender Defined the Civil War to better unpack how the so-called “laws” of war intersected with a culture of honor. But suffice it to say, this minor stipulation left some avenues open.
And what of defeat? After all, many Rebel soldiers surely adhered to what Lee had noted in his final address: Confederates had not been defeated on the field of battle but had been “compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.” Further, Lee reminded his men that they might return to their homes “and remain until exchanged.” As Janney points out, it is no wonder that soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia such as Eugene Henry Levy could record in his diary that “hope yet remains” for the Confederate cause. (57)
There are a number of other particular circumstances that Janney thoroughly investigates (I don’t want to give away too many spoilers…) such as the status of those regular soldiers who were not present at Appomattox and thus did not have a parole in hand. Similarly, she examines the situation of irregular forces still operating in the field after April 9 such as those serving in the command of the storied Gray Ghost, John Singleton Mosby.
In my estimation, a book that deals specifically with the liminal period between war and peace in Virginia is a welcome addition to the field. Janney provides a fresh and insightful look at chaos and the anxieties associated with loyal Americans’ need to “quell the Confederate spirit.” (186) So much of this work notes how former Confederate understood chivalry, fortitude, and even how receiving a parole did not admit guilt. Janney shows us how the confusion and ambiguities of surrender, indeed the many “ends” in 1865, provide a much more complicated story of the last days of the Confederacy in Virginia.
I think we all understand, if we are to widen our lenses to cover the entirety of the conflict, that the war didn’t end at Appomattox. But reading this book will have one noting the fight in Virginia culminating at Appomattox didn’t end at Appomattox either. Well then. I am looking forward to bringing this to my students to see what they think - they love complicating things anyway so I am quite sure they will enjoy hashing this one out in class. Once you have read the book, hit me up…I would like to know what you think too.
With compliments,
Keith