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Lee refused; further fighting, he explained, would only inflict needless pain on regions of the South that had been spared the havoc of war. "There is nothing left me but to go and see General Grant," he said, "and I would rather die a thousand deaths." On April 9, Lee sent his aide, Lt. Col. Charles Marshall, into the nearby village of Appomattox Court House to find a suitable place for the two men to meet.
李拒绝了；他解释道，如果继续作战只会使那些没有遭受战争破坏的南方地区蒙受无须承受的战乱之苦。“我别无选择，只能去见见格兰特将军，”他说，“其实我宁愿死一千次也不愿意这么做。”4月9日，李派他的副官陆军上校査尔斯·马歇尔到附近的阿波马托克斯镇的村庄找一个适宜两人见面的地方。
My schoolboy memory was that Grant and Lee actually met in a courthouse. They didn't, as I learned on my visit; in the 19th-century southern Virginia, certain towns that served as the county seat had the words Court House appended to their name. But in fact, when Colonel Marshall rode into town it was Palm Sunday and the courthouse was closed. Almost nothing was stirring. Only about 100 people—half of them slaves—lived in the village, and many white homeowners, hearing the rumble of armies, had left. One who remained, a merchant named Wilmer McLean, was persuaded by Colonel Marshall to allow his home to be used for the surrender.
在我儿时的记忆中，格兰特和李将军是在县法院见的面。但据我在路途中得知’事实并非如此。19世纪的弗吉尼亚南部，一些作为县首府的小镇在其名称后都加上“法院”二字。事实上，当马歇尔上校骑马来到镇上的时候，正值棕枝主日，县法院大门紧闭。几乎没有什么令人兴奋的事。只有大约100人——其中半数都是奴隶——住在村子里。听到军队的隆隆炮火声，许多白人庄园主早已逃走了。留下来的人当中有一个叫威尔默·麦克莱恩的商人，他在上校马歇尔的劝说下，同意把他家作为举行受降仪式的场所。
Lee arrived first, wearing full dress uniform, with a sash and a presentation sword. Grant, who had outraced his baggage wagon, was in his customary field uniform, with muddy trousers tucked into muddy boots.
那天，是李将军先到的，他身着整齐的军装，佩戴着饰带和军剑。格兰特的行李车还未到达，因此他只穿了平常的作战服，满是泥巴的裤子被塞进了泥靴子里。
