On this day in history in 1865, the American Civil War came to an end when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Grant arrived in a muddy uniform, while Lee appeared in full dress attire. Lee agreed to the surrender terms, which included pardons for officers and men, who would be allowed to return home with their private property, most importantly, their horses. Officers were permitted to keep their sidearms, and the starving Confederate soldiers were given rations. This day is remembered as a turning point in American history: the end of the bloodiest war on U.S. soil and the beginning of rebuilding a fractured nation.