评论
打印
And he should have been nervous because, throughout history, as he knew all too well, defeated generals and revolutionaries and traitors were typically beheaded, or they were hanged, or they were imprisoned or, like General Napoleon, they were exiled.
他的紧张完全事出有因，因为历史上战败的将领、革命者和叛徒一般都要被砍头、绞死，或被囚禁，或像拿破仑将军那样被流放，对此他再清楚不过了。
In fact, that very morning, the Chicago Tribune editorialized: "Hang Lee." And just days earlier, in the Union capital of Washington, D.C., Andrew Johnson, the vice president of the Union, went out with several senators and before a thronging crowd of hundreds, maybe over 1,000, gave a rousing speech in which he said, "We must hang Davis, we must hang Lee. We must hang them twenty times." So, in fact, Lee didn't know what to expect. Grant would treat him with such tenderness and dignity, and it's such a rich scene. Grant was carrying out Lincoln's vision at City Point of no bloody work, no hangings. But it is really unique in the chain of history.
事实上，就在那个上午，《芝加哥论坛报》发表社论：“绞死李。”此前几天，在北部首府华盛顿特区，北部联邦副总统安德鲁·约翰逊和几位参议员，面对几百，也可能是一千多名蜂拥而至的民众，发表了一次煽动性的讲话，他说：“必须绞死戴维斯，必须绞死李，把他们绞死20遍也不为过。”因此李确实不知道会发生什么事。而格兰特却以仁慈和尊严待之，此景象寓意极深。格兰特执行了林肯在锡蒂波因特做出的“无血腥之举、无绞刑”的决策。这是历史上真正的罕见之举。
Interestingly enough, when they first walked into Appomattox Court House, Lee was wearing his finest uniform because, as he said, "Now I must become General Grant's prisoner," and Grant, came in in a mud-spattered private's blouse.
有趣的是，当他们俩首次走进阿波马托克斯时，李穿着他最好的军服，他说我肯定会成为格兰特的战俘。”格兰特却穿着一件溅满泥浆的列兵夹克衫来了。
In fact, later on in history, he would apologize for how he was attired.
后来，据历史记载，他对这般穿着深表歉意。
Picture this scene for a second: this small, little home, Wilmer McLean's house, in Appomattox Court House, a little village of about eight structures or so, and rolling hills. Outside in those rolling hills were thousands of men, who were standing at rapt attention to watch this amazing piece of historical theater take place.
想象一下这个场景：一个小小的、可爱的家——那是威尔默·麦克莱恩的房子，在阿波马托克斯的小村庄，那里有八幢左右的建筑和延绵起伏的丘陵。雇外绵延起伏的丘陵里，上千的士兵全神贯注地站着，观赏着这一幕令人惊叹的历史剧。
