The Passing of the Armies: An Account of the Final Campaign of the Army Of The Potomac

The Union Army under Grant is pursuing Lee across a battle-scarred Virginia. Amongst them is Brigadier General J. L. Chamberlain, commanding the 1st Brigade of the Union Army's V Corps. At Appomattox, Lee, his line of retreat cut and his army surrounded, was left with little choice but to surrender. On April 12, Chamberlain presided over the formal parade marking the surrender of the Confederates' arms and colours. Impressed by the demeanor of Lee's soldiers, and recognizing the day's significance, he had his men salute their former foes; it would prove a controversial, yet defining moment. Treating troop movements, the storm of battle, the army's spirit and an unusual respect for the enemy with equal eloquence, this is a very human account of a war that divided a nation.