Gen Edmund K Smith |
Confederate
General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered what was left of his troops on June 2nd
1865 at Galveston, Texas.
The
Confederacy was reduced by the end of May to the Department of Trans
Mississippi including the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma,
and Texas. Some this territory was even
held by the Union at this point. The
commander of this Department was Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith. Smith had a few thousand troops, most of them
located in Texas. On May 20th
1865 Smith moved his headquarters to Houston, Texas from Shreveport, Louisiana
in preparation of defending Texas.
However he lost hundreds of men to desertion every day, as people felt
the war was over.
Smith could
see the end was coming and May 26th 1865 he agreed to terms proposed
by Union General Edward R S Canby. With terms similar
to those offered to other Confederate military leaders, Smith agreed to
surrender his Department on June 2nd 1865 at Galveston, Texas. Following the surrender Smith went into exile
in Mexico and Cuba.
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