What were Grant's generous terms of surrender and how were they important steps toward reconciliation?

The terms of surrender were that the men were free to go home, they could keep their horses to use for farming, and they were permitted to keep their sidearms. A sidearm (sWord or pistol) is generally a defensive weapon- and it meant that Gen. Lee would not surrender his sWord to Gen. Grant- a symbolic act of surrender. The men surrendering realized they were being given good treatment.