Final answer:
After the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, General Grant's parole ensured that Confederate soldiers would not face treason charges, fostering national reconciliation. Confederate President Jefferson Davis, on the other hand, was charged with treason but eventually released without trial.
Step-by-step explanation:
By giving Confederate troops parole after Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, General Grant guaranteed that they would not be prosecuted for treason and could return home in peace, provided they would not take up arms against the United States again. This clemency was an essential part of beginning the process of reconciliation and healing for the nation after the Civil War. In contrast to the treatment of Confederate soldiers, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who was not a military member, was captured and charged with treason.
He faced harsh treatment and imprisonment. However, echoing the leniency shown to soldiers, the charges against Davis were eventually dropped without a trial. This highlights a broader policy of magnanimity adopted by the Union leadership to restore unity rather than perpetuating further division after the war had ended.