150 years ago, Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at a farm house in Virginia. At Appomatix was Major General George H. Sharpe, Rutgers Class of 1847 and head of America's first forerunner to today's CIA or FBI - the Bureau of Military Information. His secret gathering of Confederate troop strength was considered accurate enough to impact the effectiveness of Union forces vs. the Confederacy.
One article by the Daily Home News in the 1920s claimed Lee surrendered his sword to Grant and Sharpe also handled it. But letters from both Grant and Lee later on make no mention of Grant asking for Lee's sword or Lee offering it. It remains a controversy today.
Sharpe, however, was the man who paroled 28,000 Confederate Army soldiers. He was also to offer Lee a pardon but Lee refused it preferring to be treated like the rest of his forces.
Although Rutgers research is still finding more Rutgers soldiers in the Civil War, RU's Steven Glazer wrote a paper about the Rutgers and New Brunswick men who fought:
ejbe.libraries.rutgers.edu/index.php/jrul/article/viewFile/.../3298
As far as Sharpe goes, he went to Europe in 1867 at the behest of William Seward (of Seward's Folly fame) to track down possible conspirators in the Lincoln assassination. He brought back John Surratt, son of Mary who had been hung for her role. However, John Surratt's trial ended in a hung jury. He was never tried again. Sharpe moved into political roles for the rest of the century.
One last thing about George Sharpe. Just as the 1875 Rutgers cannon raid was taking place at Princeton, Sharpe lent his name to a Rutgers first. The first gathering of a Rutgers Alumni dinner was organized by George H. Sharpe '47 and took place at Delmonico's Steak House in New York City in June of 1875 where mention of the "Cannon War" was brought up during the evening.
April 9, 1865 Lee Surrenders to Grant
One article by the Daily Home News in the 1920s claimed Lee surrendered his sword to Grant and Sharpe also handled it. But letters from both Grant and Lee later on make no mention of Grant asking for Lee's sword or Lee offering it. It remains a controversy today.
Sharpe, however, was the man who paroled 28,000 Confederate Army soldiers. He was also to offer Lee a pardon but Lee refused it preferring to be treated like the rest of his forces.
Although Rutgers research is still finding more Rutgers soldiers in the Civil War, RU's Steven Glazer wrote a paper about the Rutgers and New Brunswick men who fought:
ejbe.libraries.rutgers.edu/index.php/jrul/article/viewFile/.../3298
As far as Sharpe goes, he went to Europe in 1867 at the behest of William Seward (of Seward's Folly fame) to track down possible conspirators in the Lincoln assassination. He brought back John Surratt, son of Mary who had been hung for her role. However, John Surratt's trial ended in a hung jury. He was never tried again. Sharpe moved into political roles for the rest of the century.
One last thing about George Sharpe. Just as the 1875 Rutgers cannon raid was taking place at Princeton, Sharpe lent his name to a Rutgers first. The first gathering of a Rutgers Alumni dinner was organized by George H. Sharpe '47 and took place at Delmonico's Steak House in New York City in June of 1875 where mention of the "Cannon War" was brought up during the evening.
April 9, 1865 Lee Surrenders to Grant
