Did General Lee consider surrendering before Appomattox Court House? Yes, General Robert E. Lee did consider surrendering before the official surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. As the Confederate Army faced increasing hardships and losses, Lee recognized the diminishing chances of a successful continuation of the war. The Confederate forces were significantly weakened by the time they reached Appomattox, and Lee’s situation became increasingly desperate.

In the days leading up to the surrender, Lee attempted to escape and join forces with General Joseph E. Johnston’s army in North Carolina, but Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant successfully cut off his escape routes. By early April, Lee’s army was surrounded and running out of supplies. Facing these dire circumstances, Lee acknowledged that further resistance would only result in unnecessary loss of life.

Lee’s consideration of surrender was influenced by his sense of responsibility to his men and his recognition that the war was effectively lost. This led to his decision to meet with General Grant to discuss terms of surrender, culminating in the formal surrender at Appomattox Court House.