ALS signed “O. B. Clark,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.25 x 8, April 13, 1865. Handwritten letter to his son, Lt. D. W. Clark, written from Burkes Ville, Virginia. In part: "The great agony is finally over. The last grand battle of the Army of the Potomac has been fought and Victory has perched upon our banners. Lee and his army are now ours. I had the privilege on Monday of riding through his grand army and having a fine view of the relict of the grand army of northern Virginia. You can imagine much better than I can describe the feelings of both men and officers in our army. For the time fatigue and hardship were forgotten. Most of the prisoners seemed about as well pleased as our men though some of them looked rather sullen especially among the officers. Our boys had hard marching to get the position that decided the contest. We succeeded in completely surrounding Lee and he could do nothing less than surrender. The whole army is now moving toward City Point. What or where the next move will be is impossible now to tell. There is a rumor that Johnson also has surrendered to Sherman. If so only Magruder and Smith remain. We shall be able to make short work of them. General Griffin is in command of the Corps now. He, General Ord and Genl. Wright were commissioners of surrender on our side. Longstreet and others on the other. I saw Genl. Lee night before last…with Genl. Meade. Our division is to guard the prisoners to City Point where they will be paroled and sent home. Hence the grand army of Lee will be scattered. General Bartlett commands the Division and General Chamberlain took command of the Third Brigade yesterday morning. Capt. Bartlett was severely wounded on the 31st of March. Our losses have been very small so far. The country is quite hilly in this section. Land about the same as around Culpeper." In very good to fine condition, with creasing, light staining, and a small tear to lower right corner. A remarkable letter from the close of the Civil War, offering a significant firsthand discussion of Lee's surrender plus commentary on the uncertainty and rumors that came in the war's final days.
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