評論
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In the French Revolution, the revolutionaries started out with the best of intentions, and before everybody knew it, they were guillotining the opposition, and they were guillotining each other. Before everybody knew it, violence engulfed all of a continent.
法國大革命時期，革命者懷著極好的目的發動這場革命，但人們尚未弄清楚這一點，他們就將對手送上了斷頭臺，并相互殘殺。人們還沒弄清楚這一點，暴力活動就席卷了整個歐洲大陸。
In effect, what Lincoln said was, "There must be no French Revolution here." It was prescient, and it was visionary and it was one of Lincoln's finest acts and finest moments. And Grant would carry it out brilliantly at Appomattox during the surrender, where rather than treating Lee like a defeated, dishonored foe, he treated him with great dignity and grace. It was one of the most poignant scenes in our history.
林肯這番話的實質就是：“這里決不允許發生法國大革命。”這是一個有卓識有遠見的決策，這是林肯最好的舉措之一，是他人生中最美妙的時刻之一。之后在阿波馬托克斯受降過程中，格蘭特完美地執行了這一決策，他沒有把李當成被打敗的、應該蒙受恥辱的敵人來對待，而是給予了極大的尊嚴與體諒。那是我們歷史上最感人的場景之一。
Just think about it, the morning that Lee had made this fateful decision that he's going to surrender. At that point, he straightened himself up, and he said, "Now I must go meet General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths than do that." History has, more often than not, telescoped and simplified what happened, said that Lee was vain and quixotic in retreat, and then said there was the dignity of Appomattox, the end of war, end of history.
想想李做出重大的投降決定的那個上午的情況。在那一刻，他挺直身軀說道現在我必須去見格蘭特將軍，我寧愿死一千次也不愿這么做。”歷史記載往往壓縮并簡化所發生的事，把李的投降說成是無望的、堂吉訶德式的撤退。但之后又說，阿波馬托克斯一事體現了尊嚴，標志著戰爭的結束、那段歷史的結束。
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.
實際上發生在阿波馬托克斯的事件，其內涵要豐富得多。第一個問題是：當李去會見U.S.格蘭特時，格蘭特會怎樣對待他？李自己并不知道。我們所了解的是，那天早晨李其實非常緊張，出乎尋常地緊張。他說話含含糊糊、語無倫次。
