Because the Civil War was an internal conflict, the actions taken during surrender at the end of the war were different than what may happen when different nations are battling. The Civil War is often explained as "brother fighting against brother," and those familial and cultural ties were important to preserve in the wake of the conflict to reunify the nation.
As such, when Lee surrendered at Appomatox Courthouse, General Grant was very generous, essentially offering a hand of friendship to smooth over relations. He offered to let the men return home and lay down their weapons as opposed to being taken prisoner and granted them safe passage as well as a generous offering of food and other provisions to get them there. By doing so, he generated goodwill among the competing groups and prevented further tensions from arising.
By April 1865, General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was badly overstretched; there was simply no way it could hope to break through Union lines. Trapped by Union forces and dangerously low on rations, Lee felt he had no choice but to surrender. Some of his officers wanted the Army of Northern Virginia to disperse, return to the states, and engage in guerrilla resistance against the forces of the North. But Lee thought better of the idea, fearing that this would turn his beloved troops into little more than bandits and marauders, feeding off the land.
Grant offered Lee fairly generous terms during the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. Instead of taking Lee's men prisoner, he let them return home. Officers, cavalrymen, and artillerymen were allowed to keep their swords and horses if they laid down their weapons and agreed to abide by Federal law. For good measure, Grant also gave some much-needed provisions to the defeated Confederates.
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