Grant's appearance at Appomattox

[LincolnMan]

So many get it wrong it seems- from paintings to movies to television. How did General Grant look when he arrived at Appomattox Court House to meet with General Lee? Let's hear what Horace Porter wrote in his report as found in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War:

"The contrast between the two commanders was striking, and could not fail to attract marked attention as they sat ten feet apart facing each other. General Grant, then nearly forty-three years of age, was five feet eight inches in height, with shoulders slightly stooped. His hair and full beard were a nut- brown, without a trace of gray in them. He had on a single-breasted blouse, made of dark-blue flannel, unbuttoned in front, and showing a waistcoat underneath. He wore an ordinary pair of top-boots, with his trousers inside, and without spurs. The boots and portions of his clothes were spattered with mud. He had had on a pair of thread gloves, of a dark-yellow color, which he had taken off on entering the room. His felt "sugar-loaf" stiff-brimmed hat was thrown on the table beside him. He had no sword, and a pair of shoulder-straps was all there was about him to designate his rank. In fact, aside from these, his uniform was that of a private soldier."

[LincolnMan]

I just noticed that General Porter comments that Grant and Lee were sitting 10 feet apart! Boy, that was not my concept of the seating arrangement. That's a pretty good distance between them. We really can't trust the paintings and drawings of the event to determine such things.