实际上，林肯是在说：“这里决不允许发生法国大革命。”这是有卓识有远见的决策，这是林肯最明智的举措之一，是他最伟大的时刻之一。在随后的阿波马托克斯受降过程中，格兰特完美地执行了这一决策，他没有把李当成已被打败的、应该蒙受耻辱的敌人对待，而是给了他极大的尊严与仁慈。阿波马托克斯的受降是我们历史上最感人的场景之一。
想象一下李作出投降这个重大决定的那个上午。在那一刻，他挺直身躯，说，“现在我必须去见格兰特将军，我宁愿死一千次也不愿这么做。”历史往往压缩并简化所发生的事件，先说李的投降是他无望的、堂吉诃德式的撤退，之后又说阿波马托克斯一事体现了尊严，标志着内战的结束，也标志着那段历史的结束。 prescient ['pr?s??nt]
adj. 预知的；有先见之明的
visionary ['vi??n?ri]
adj.
1. 幻想的；不实际的 2. 好幻想的
3. 幻觉的，想像的，幻想中所见的 4. 假想的，非真实的 5. 理想的；空中楼阁的 6. 有眼力的；有先见之明的 n.
1. 好幻想的人，空想家；理想主义者 2. 有眼力的人；有预见的人 3. 专门认知映像的人工智能研究者
foe ['f?u]
n.
1. 仇敌，敌人
2. (战争中的)敌兵；敌舰；敌军；敌国；敌国人 3. (竞赛、比赛中的)对手，敌手 4. (感情、原则性问题的)反对者 5. 危害物，有害物 短语
1. foe worthy of someone's steel 劲敌，值得某人与之一斗的强敌 2. our (或 arch) foe 【宗教】恶魔 3. sworn foe 死敌，不共戴天的敌人
poignant ['p?inj?nt; 'p?iɡn?nt]
adj.
1. 辛辣的；刺激嗅觉(或味觉)的 2. 尖锐得伤人感情的
3. 痛切的；深刻的；深深打动人心的 4. 锐利的；生动的；强烈的 5. 尖刻的；切中要害的，恰当的
straighten oneself up 挺直身子 more often than not 通常 telescope ['t?l?skop] vt. 压缩；使套叠 vi. 套叠；变短
n. 望远镜；缩叠式旅行袋
vain [vein]
adj.
1. 没有真正意义的，没有真正价值的，无关紧要的 2. 自负的，自高自大的；爱虚荣的 3. 徒劳的，无益的，无效果的 4. [古语]愚蠢的 短语
1. in vain 无效地，徒然，白费力，轻慢，不尊敬
quixotic [kwik's?tik]
adj.
1. [常作 Q-](堂)吉诃德的；(堂)吉诃德式的；愚侠的 2. 空想的；不切实际的[亦作 Quixotical]
retreat [r?'tri?t]
n. 撤退；休息寓所；撤退 vt. 退（棋）；使后退 vi. 撤退；退避；向后倾
10 In truth, it's far richer. Let's ask the first question: How would Lee be
treated when he went to meet U.S. Grant? He didn't know. What we do know is that Lee, that morning, was actually quite nervous, uncharacteristically so. He was speaking in mumbled half-sentences. And he should have been nervous because, throughout history, as he knew all too well, defeated generals and revolutionaries and traitors were typically beheaded, or they were hanged, or they were imprisoned or, like General Napoleon, they were exiled.
11 In fact, that very morning, the Chicago Tribune editorialized: \And just days earlier, in the Union capital of Washington, DC, Andrew Johnson, the vice president of the Union, went out with several senators and before a thronging crowd of hundreds, maybe over 1,000, gave a rousing speech in which he said,\times.\such tenderness and dignity, and it's such a rich scene. Grant was carrying out
Lincoln's vision at City Point of no bloody work, no hangings. But it is really unique in the chain of history.
实际上，在阿波马托克斯发生的事要远远复杂得多。让我们问第一个问题：当李去见U.S.格兰特时，格兰特会怎样对待他？李并不知道。我们所了解的是，那天上午李实际上一反常态地非常紧张。他说话语无伦次、吞吞吐吐。他之所以紧张是因为他心里非常清楚，历史上战败的将领、革命者和叛徒一般都要被砍头、或被绞死、或进监狱、或像拿破仑将军那样被流放。
事实是，就在那个上午，《芝加哥论坛报》发表社论：“绞死李。”此前几天，在联邦首府华盛顿特区，联邦副总理安德鲁.约翰逊和几位参议员，面对几百，也可能是1000多涌动的民众，发表了一次煽动性的讲话。他说，“我们必须绞死戴维斯，我们必须绞死李，我们要把他们绞死20遍。”因此事实上李不知道面临的会是什么。格兰特能够待之以仁慈和尊严，此举意义深刻。格兰特执行了林肯在城角镇作出的“无绞刑、无血腥之举”的决策。这在历史上是非常罕见的。
uncharacteristically [,?n,k?rikt?'ristikli] adv. 不典型地；非同寻常地；反常地 mumble ['m?mb(?)l] n. 含糊的话；咕噜 vi. 含糊地说话
vt. 含糊地说；抿着嘴嚼 all too
1.太，过；十分 2.实在很，太
traitor ['treit?]
n.
叛徒，叛逆者，背叛者；卖国贼 —turn traitor 成为叛徒 adj.
叛徒的，背叛的
exile ['eksa?l; 'egz-]
n. 流放，充军；放逐，被放逐者；流犯 vt. 放逐，流放；使背井离乡
Tribune ['tr?bjun] n. 论坛报（报刊名）
editorialize ['?d?'t?r??'la?z]
vi. 发表社论；（在报纸等的文章中）加编者按语 vt. （就某事）发表社论；插入主观评论
senator ['sen?t?]
n.
1. 议员，参议员；上议员 2. [S-] [用作称呼]参议员先生 3. 【罗马历史】元老院议员 4. (大学的)理事
thronging adj. 一大群的 rousing ['ra?z??]
adj. 活泼的；使奋起的；使感动的 v. 唤醒；激怒；唤起（rouse的ing形式）
12 Interestingly enough, when they first walked into Appomattox Court House, Lee was wearing his finest uniform because, as he said, \General Grant's prisoner,\spattered private's blouse. In fact, later on in history, he would apologize for how he was attired. 13 Picture this scene for a second: this small, little home, Wilmer McLean's
house, in Appomattox Court House, a little village of about eight structures or so, and rolling hills. Outside in those rolling hills were thousands of men, who were standing at rapt attention to watch this amazing piece of historical theater take place. In fact, when the surrender was over-I'm going to digress for a
second--everything would be ripped apart from the Wilmer McLean house: the desk, the pens, the floorboards, the wallpaper. Even a tree that Lee himself leaned against that morning would be ripped apart because everybody knew that history was taking place that day, and they wanted a piece of it.
有趣的是，当他们俩首次走进阿波马托克斯县府时，李穿着他最好的将军服，他说：“我肯定会成为格兰特的战俘。”而格兰特却穿着一件溅满泥浆的士兵夹克衫来了。后来，据历史记载，他对他当时的着装深表歉意。让我们定格一下这个画面：一个小小的、温馨的家---那是威尔默.麦克莱恩的房子，一个名为阿波马托克斯的小村庄，那里有八幢左右的建筑和延绵起伏的丘陵。在屋外这些延绵起伏的丘陵里，上千的士兵全神贯注地立正站着，观赏着一部令人惊叹的历史剧。事实是，受降仪式过后---请允许我跑题片刻---威尔默.麦克莱恩房子里的所有物品都被抢走了：桌子、笔、地板和壁纸，就连李那天上午倚过的树也未能幸免。因为每个人都知道那天发生的事将载入历史，每个人都想保留一些见证物。
spatter ['sp?t?]
n. 溅；洒；泼溅的污迹；少量 vt. 溅；洒；污蔑 vi. 洒落；溅出水滴
private ['pra?v?t]
adj. 私人的；私有的；私下的 n. 列兵；二等兵
attire [?'ta??] n. 服装；盛装
vt. 打扮；使穿衣
rapt [r?pt]
adj.
1.欣喜若狂的 2.全神贯注的 3.着迷的；销魂的 4.[罕用语]心驰神移的
standing at attention
立正
digress [dai'ɡres]
vi.
1. 离题，(谈话或写作中)暂时离开主题：偏离，撇开，漫笔，漫谈，闲聊(from)： to digress from the point at issue 从论点上岔开
Let me digress for a moment and tell you a short story. 请允许我暂时离开话题一会儿，我给你讲个小故事。 2. 背离，离开；转向，转到一边： to digress to a new field 转向另一领域
rip [r?p] vt. 撕；锯
vi. 裂开，被撕裂 n. 裂口，裂缝
rip apart
1. 撕开；扯破：
Last night a bomb ripped apart the train in which we had been travelling. 昨天夜里一颗炸弹将我们乘坐的火车炸得四分五裂。 2. 把(一个地方)搞得乱七八糟：
The thief ripped the room apart but found no jewels. 小偷把房间折腾得乱七八糟，也没找到珠宝。 3. 伤害，使陷入极度痛苦
14 But inside this small, little home, rather than talk about the surrender, they talk about the old days … Grant said, \