.ther this winter of 1803-64. in which the pri vations that the Confederates suffered were well compared with those of the camp at Valley Forge, the final Campaign opened with General (leant in command of the Federal forces. Be recog nized that the way to defeat Lee was to 'ham mer' him out. Lee had only about (10,000 against Grant's 120.1100, but he was lighting on the de fensive in a very dillieult country. From May Slit to June 121h there was terrible and almost con tinuous fighting in the 'Wilderness' (q.v.). and along the line of nrant's movement to the James River, Lee using his veterans with consummate skill. and Grant his constantly filled ranks with a persistenee that. NVIIA peenliarly his own. In this short time the Federal. lost 00,0o0 men and the Confederates 14.000. and in the siege of Petersburg from June, 1S(1-1. to the beginning of April. 1805, the fighting was almost as terrible, save for the fact that now the Federal,: were defended by their works and the Confederates were almost without food. On April 2. 'SOS. Lee's position became untenable, and he resolved to try to lead the 30.000 men left to him south ward. lle abandoned Richmond and Petersbitrg, which were oeeupied by the Federal-. on April 3d: anal Lee, pressing on to Amelia Court flimsy. found that by some mistake his provisions had been sent on to the capital, and that he could neither fight nor retreat with any prospect of success.
On April 9. 18115. he surrendered to General I Grant at Appomattox Court Douse. The devo tion of Lee's soldiers to their leader was never more strikingly shown than at the surrender. Lee remained in Richmond until June, 1865, when he retired to a quiet country place. In October of the same year lie was installed as president of 'Washington College at Lexington. Va., now Washington and Lee University. The five years of his service were marked by steady re cuperation from the utter desolation of the war. New chairs were founded, the scheme of study was enlarged, and from the moral side it would have been impossible to secure liner results. In 1870 his health began to fail and a visit to the farther South was tried with only tempo rary results. On the morning of oetober 12th he (lied. Lee ranks as the greatest of the South ern commanders, his humane conduct through out the war and the magnanimous way in which he stood defeat and urged the Southern people loyally to accept the result having contributed !reatly to his fame. Consult: Cooke, The Life of Robert E. Lee (New York, 1871) : Long, Mem dirs of Robert E. Lee (New York, 1886) : Fitz hugh Lee, Robert E. Lee (New York. 1894), in cite "Great Commanders Series:" White, Robert S. Lee (New York, 1897), in the "Heroes of the nations Series:" and a sketch by Trent, Robert E. Lee (Boston. 1899), one of the "Beacon Biog. faphies."