Parker did not spend much time publicly wrestling with that question during the war.

He had work to do.

What Happened in the McLean House

The events of April 9, 1865, at Wilmer McLean’s house in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, have been described and analyzed in hundreds of books and articles.

The basic outline is documented: Lee and Grant met in the early afternoon, negotiated the surrender terms, and signed the documents.

Grant’s terms were notably generous — Confederate officers and men would be paroled rather than imprisoned, and officers could keep their sidearms and horses.

Lee accepted.