Mike --

You already have my two cents on this. For that matter, an armistice between Johnston and Sherman was in effect from mid-April forward.

Let me add this -- a soldier had to be present to receive a parole. Soldiers who were not present at the time were paroled elsewhere, usually at home. It's not reasonable to believe that any soldier who signed a parole here in late April of 1865 didn't understand that armed conflict had come to an end.