Joe's Daily U.S. History Lesson -- April 8

APRIL 9 1865-1:00 in the afternoon at the Appomattox courthouse, Generals Lee and Grant met face-to-face for the first time in two decades since they served in the Mexican-American war. April 9th of that morning the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse had come to a close when Robert E. Lee had no choice but to surrender his Army of Northern Virginia to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and one of the last battles in the American Civil War. Lee had given up Richmond already at this point after the Siege of Petersburg, retreated west, hoping to join his army with the Confederate forces in North Carolina. But Union forces pursued and cut off the Confederate retreat at the Appomotax court house. Lee tried to attack one more time, but faced the Union cavalry and two corps of Union infantry, and Lee had to surrender.

The meeting inside the court house was a bit awkward. Lee showed up dressed in his full attire, clean and complete with swoard and sash. Grant showed up in a muddy flannel shirt with trousers tucked into muddy boots, no sidearm. The only thing not muddy on Grant was his rank. Grant sat at the wooden table, Lee sat at the marble table The two men exchanged uncomfortable pleasantries, Grant was clearly emotional and Lee made him get to the point of the terms. The terms were surprisingly generous; all officers and men were pardoned of treason, and they would be sent home with their private property, including horses, which could be used for a late spring planting. Officers would keep their side arms, and Lee’s starving men would be given Union rations. Grant later that day told his officers “The war is over. The Rebels are our countrymen again.” Good stuff.

1881-Billy the Kid is found guilty. This is such a fascinating story with so many details it would take me all day to go over the whole things, so let me just talk about the shooting of Sheriff Brady during the Lincoln County War. William Brady may have been corrupt, but an outlaw is an outlaw nonetheless. In the late 1880s ranchers and businessmen were fighting for economic control over Lincoln County, New Mexico. When Brady shot and killed Billy the Kid’s boss, rancher John Tunstall, Billy looked to avenge his death.

This led to a bloody battle with men and horses getting killed. In December 1880, local bartender and buffalo hunter Pat Garrett and his posse surrounded Billy the Kid and his Regulators. In the morning, Garrett invided Billy to come out, and Billy invited Garret to go to hell. The Regulators surrendered, Billy was eventually transferred to a Santa Fe prison where he tried to get Governor Lew Wallce’s pardon, but Wallace didn’t want any part of this. On April 9th, after two days of testimony, Billy the Kid was found guilty of the murder of Sheriff Brady, the oinly conviction ever to stick onto Billy. On April 28th, Billy miraculously escaped after a guard took him to the jail outhouse, and eventually was gunned down by Pat Garret.

1959-First astronauts were introduced, ...after years of the US was trailing the Soviet Union in the space race. Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the U.S., running from 1959 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goat was to put a solo human into Earth orbit and return the person safely. On a side note, 36 years later in 1998, one of Project Mercury’s original astronauts John Glenn went back into space at the age of 77 as part of the Space FShuttle Discovery crew.

1997 Soundgarden breaks up. One of the most important bands in grunge music and the first grunge band to sign onto a major label, A&M. After a number one album and winning Grammys for the singles Black Hole Sun and Spoonman, they broke up due to internal strifle over its creative direction.