copious notes (many verbatim) of conver-
sations between Lee and Grant.
The proceedings were brief and busi-
nesslike, but cordial. No word of bitterness
passed between the two commanders.
Porter handed Grant a manifold book from
which he read the articles of surrender.
After discussing some of the language, Lee,
who was attended by only one other offi-
cer, reached for a pen or pencil. Seeing that
neither Lee nor his aide had one, Porter
offered his own lead pencil to the Confed-
erate general. Lee accepted the instrument
and used it for the rest of the proceedings.
At the conclusion of the meeting, he
returned it to Porter.
Following the surrender, the mood was
quietly excited. With the surrender of theSouth’s principal army, there was indeed
reason to celebrate. But the human cost of
the war had been so great and the end so
sudden that both sides reacted almost
numbly to the cataclysm at Appomattox.
Even Grant was addled. After presiding at
the surrender, he neglected to communicate
the news to Washington. Riding back to
camp, Porter realized the oversight and
reminded Grant to report the surrender
and its terms to the capital. Exclaiming that
he simply had forgotten to do so, Grant
immediately drafted and dispatched a
telegram to the capital.
Grant asked Porter to accompany him
to Washington on April 13, 1865, and
from there to Philadelphia. Lincoln invited
Grant to remain in Washington on theevening of April 14 to attend Ford’s The-
atre. Mrs. Grant, however, was anxious
to catch the 4 o’clock train, so Grant
declined the invitation. Porter later wrote
that when Grant returned to his hotel
after meeting Lincoln, Mrs. Grant told
him that during lunch “a man with a wild
look” followed her into the dining room
and stared at her. Grant was accustomed
to people staring at him, so he gave the
incident little weight until the Grants were
riding along Pennsylvania Avenue to
Union Station.
A man on horseback riding in the same
direction peered into their carriage. Mrs.
Grant claimed it was the same man who
had watched her at lunch. Before they
reached the station, the man reversedQ-Spr16 Horace Porter_Layout 1 1/14/16 12:26 PM Page 66