"We are going home."

A Confederate soldier.

Wednesday, April 12, 1865, Appomattox Court House

Circumstances forced me to put an early close to the last diary entry as there were more important matters to attend to. Lieutenant Williamson came around to inform all of us as to what would happen on the later that day, yesterday. He informed us that all of Longstreet's command would parade between two lines of Yankees and surrender our arms. We should have known that they would never allow us to keep our muskets. We were admonished to look and act our very best even though this act we were to perform was an act of surrender

We looked like such a sight that would put fright into a lion. There had been no new issues of clothing or equipment since we left Petersburg. Some are missing shoes, muskets, bayonets, scabbards, caps and other such impedimenta that identifies the veteran soldier. Those of us remaining Eights moved and passed a resolution without discussion that we Eights absolutely refuse to look or act the part of a defeated army. All of us, the Eights, the company, the brigade, division and the entire army vowed to let the Yankees see us at our best because that is what we are.

We mended, we polished, we shined, we cleaned everything including ourselves. Amongst the things that the Yankees have given us since the unfortunate surrender was some soap. We put the soap to good use on our clothes and ourselves. We only washed our faces and hands so as to make the soap last. There are a few of us who know how to properly cut hair and their talents were in strong demand. Some kettles were borrowed from the townspeople and great amounts of water was boiled for washing.

From the very few supply wagons that have survived we have been able to make sure that everyone had shoes, trousers, jacket and hat or cap. Some of us have no shirt or drawers underneath the uniform but at least the Yankees will never see that. Every man was armed and had a cartridge box. A few had no bayonet but it could not be helped.

Getting us all in buttons was a problem. Between the loss of buttons from the normal hardships of campaigning and our trading to the Yanks for baubles, there was a shortage. All of us with spare buttons in our housewives contributed them. The townsfolk were very good at making up the difference. Some of them volunteered to do some repairs.

Today, the officers assembled us and told us what was to happen. They told us to observe a strict martial bearing before, during and after the surrender of arms under penalty of being beat to death with clubs for disgracing all that we hold deal. When we formed up, by the beat of the drums, every man looked every inch a soldier and together, we looked every inch an army. The Army of Northern Virginia.

We were told that in the event the Yankees should act rude to us by word or deed, we should prove ourselves the better men by shedding it from our back. Our line of march was supervised by the officers. There would be no slacking, no falling out. We needed no advise from the officers to do what we knew we must do. They were just being officers.

We marched in perfect, confident order along the Lynchburg Road to a field. I cannot say in what order the brigade was in relationship to any other. The Yankees were quite reserved towards us. I saw some few looks which were scornful but ignored them. We had feared that we would be ordered to ground arms such as what defeated armies are commanded to do by the victors. We did not do this. We stacked arms and our cartridge boxes as if on a bivouac. We returned to our camp and prepared to move on the morrow with paroles in our pockets. We are going home.

One of the 28,000+ paroles issued to the surrendered Confederate soldiers.

I Send You These Few Lines


It was a matter of honor to the Southerners that they were allowed to stack arms. Grounding arms is a visual acknowledgement of complete defeat. The stacking of arms, upright with bayonets affixed, is something that happens in the normal course of everyday soldierly events. There is no stigma associated with it. This was appreciated by all the boys in grey.

Example of stacked arms.

General Longstreet refused to participate at the head of his troops during the ceremony. General Gordon, his subordinate, drew the short end of the stick.

Some of the Confederate higher officers have already started their trip home. One was General Wilcox. He was best man at General Grant's marriage to Julia Dent.

Major General Cadmus Wilcox, Tooms 'division commander.