The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the events surrounding the end of the American Civil War. This war was a war if epic proportion. Never before and not since have so many Americans died in battle. The American Civil War was truly tragic to our human life. In this paper, I will tell you mainly about those involved on the battlefield in the closing days of the conflict. I will also tell you about some of the men behind the Union and Confederate forces.The war was beginning to end by January of 1864. By then, Federal armies were spread throughout the Confederacy and the Confederate Army had shrunk extremely in size. In the year before, the North had lost an enormous amount of lives, but had more than enough to lose in comparison to the South. General Grant became known as the "Butcher" and many wanted to see him removed. But Lincoln stood firm with his general, and the war continued. This paper is mainly focused on the happenings and events between the winter of 1864-65 and the surrender of the Confederate States of America. All of the will certainly illustrate that April 9, 1865 was indeed the end of a tragedy.The Color Bearer TraditionThe War Between the States was the heyday of American battleflags and their bearers. With unusual historical accuracy, many stirring battle paintings show the colors and their intrepid bearers in the forefront of the fray or as a rallying point in a retreat. The colors of a Civil War regiment embodied its honor, and the men chosen to bear them made up an elite. Tall, muscular men were preferred, because holding aloft a large, heavy banner, to keep it visible through battle smoke and at a distance, demanded physical strength. Courage was likewise required to carry a flag into combat, as the colors drew lead like a magnet. South Carolina's Palmetto Sharpshooters, for example, lost 10 out of 111 of its bearers and color guard at the Battle of Seven Pines, the flag passing through fou...
