Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.
Chat with a librarian, Monday through Friday, 12-2 pm Eastern Time (except Federal Holidays).
Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
Follow @ChronAmLOC External and subscribe to email alerts and RSS feeds.
Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
After the surrender of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia following the Battle of Appomatox Courthouse, the Cleveland Morning Leader declared, “The rebellion is not only hopeless but it is dead.” Although Lee’s surrender did not mark the surrender of all Confederate forces, the Confederates lost their ablest general and their forces would soon be devastated by the subsequent surrender of many of its armies and widespread desertion. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| April 3, 1865 | General Ulysses S. Grant captures Richmond, VA, which had served as the capital of the Confederacy. |
|---|---|
| April 9, 1865 | While retreating to Lynchburg, Lee’s army is overwhelmed by Union forces at Appomatox Court House. Lee accepts Grants terms of surrender. |
| April 12, 1865 | The formal surrender of Lee’s forces takes place. |
| May 10, 1865 | Confederate President Jefferson Davis is captured in Irwinville, GA. |
| November 3, 1868 | Grant’s popularity as a war hero helps him to win the Presidential election of 1868. |
