Postscript

The Retreat to Appomattox

April 2-9, 1865

by Chris Calkins¹

By 8:00 p.m. on April 2,1865, the dejected troops of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia began crossing the Appomattox River from Petersburg over four bridges. As the wagons following rumbled across, the various elements moved into Chesterfield County and Lee’s evacuation plans were implemented. Under generals James Longstreet (First-Third Corps, combined with A. P. Hill’s Corps after his death on April 2) and John B. Gordon (Second Corps), the troops leaving the Petersburg lines would follow routes along the River, Hickory, and Woodpecker roads, and eventually reach Amelia Court House on the Richmond & Danville Railroad. Units of the Confederate army under Maj. Gen. William Mahone would leave their positions along the Howlett Line, while others evacuate the defenses surrounding Richmond from the east and southeast. Lee hoped to rendezvous his troops at Amelia—thirty miles to the west—where he had expected supplies to be waiting for his men and animals. After issuing the rations to the army, he planned to follow the rail line 104 miles to Danville and hopefully link up with the Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston in North Carolina. Approximately 58,000 Confederate forces left the Richmond-Petersburg front and were pursued by 76,113 soldiers in the Federal army.

1 Ed Bearss did not include anything beyond the breakthrough on April 1. In order to complete the narrative of the Petersburg story, Chris Calkins, author of Battles of Appomattox Station and Appomattox Court House, April 8-9, 1865 (with Edwin C. Bearss) and Battle of Five Forks (The Virginia Civil War Battles and Leaders Series) agreed to work with Ed to research and write this short chapter. He based his research on the Official Records and other sources.

Lieutanant General Richard S. Ewell led troops out of Richmond and was followed by Naval and Marine forces from Drewry’s Bluff. South of the Appomattox River, and moving through Dinwiddie County, were remnants from the fighting along White Oak Road and the Five Forks area under generals Fitzhugh Lee and Richard Anderson who now commanded the forces of generals George Pickett and Bushrod Johnson. This element of Lee’s army would be pursued by the Federal forces of General Sheridan’s cavalry and General Meade’s Army of the Potomac. General Grant, along with Major General E. O. C. Ord’s Army of the James, would march parallel to the South Side Railroad as they headed toward Burke’s Station to cut off Lee’s advance in that direction.

On April 3, the Union Army occupied both Richmond and Petersburg, and continued to pursue and fight the retreating force at Namozine Church in Amelia County. This would become a running fight between both Northern and Southern cavalry forces with the V, II, and VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac right behind. The IX Corps followed the Army of the James and worked diligently to realign the gauge of the South Side Railroad to accommodate the rolling stock of Grant’s Military Railroad. Ord’s forces were composed of the XXIV Corps, along with units of the XXV Corps comprised of United States Colored Troops.

As the Confederate army continued its trek toward Amelia Court House on April 4, additional rear guard action took place at Deep Creek, Tabernacle Church, and Beaverpond Creek. While Lee’s forces trudged into the county seat village, staffers were sent down to the rail station to look for the expected rations which did not materialize. As more troops of the Army of Northern Virginia piled into Amelia Court House, Lee made the fateful decision to appeal to the local citizens for any surplus food rations they may have had, thus expending precious time in waiting around the county seat. Up to this point, he had had a one-day’s lead on Grant’s army but now would lose it. In his after action report of the campaign, Lee noted, “This delay was fatal and could not be retrieved.”

Realizing that Lee was concentrating his force at Amelia, fast riding Union cavalry and accompanying infantry swung around to the southwest of town and headed west for Jetersville, the next station on the Richmond & Danville Railroad. Located south of Amelia Court House and across Lee’s line of march, Federal troops began entrenching themselves to thwart any advance made by the Confederates. After receiving this distressful news, Lee decided to make a night march around the dug-in Union army at Jetersville, and head for Farmville where he was informed that 80,000 rations would be waiting for him. Before marching that evening, the general learned that a wagon train intended for his son’s soldiers—those of Gen. George Washington Custis Lee—had been pounced upon by Federal cavalry and was destroyed near Painesville. Both forces would clash at nearby Amelia Springs until nightfall.

On the morning of April 6th, word reached Humphreys’ II Corps that the tail end of Lee’s column was moving past the Amelia Springs resort north of Jetersville and along a ridge running parallel to Flat Creek. Federal skirmishers were dispatched in pursuit and now the II Corps was in motion. They would eventually be following the Confederate column which was strung out as follows: Longstreet, Anderson, Ewell, the main wagon train, and Gordon acting as rear guard. Continual fighting would take place in a running gun battle. Every so often Gordon’s men would make a stand similar to that of the hamlet of Deatonsville. Eventually the armies would come to the crossing of Little Sailor’s Creek where a final rear guard action would take place that evening.

Farther to the south, at Burke’s Station, Ord’s Army of the James moved along the South Side Railroad. Determining that Lee’s column was heading toward Farmville, and that the nearby High Bridge might be used to cross the Appomattox River, the general dispatched two infantry regiments: the 54th Pennsylvania and the 123rd Ohio, along with three companies of the 4th Massachusetts Cavalry to destroy it. Approaching the 126-foot-high and 2,400-foot long railroad structure from the south, the “bridge burners” were soon pounced upon by members of Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry. In desperate hand-to-hand fighting, the horse soldiers lost heavily in rank on both sides. The Federal losses were Colonel Theodore Read (killed) and Col. Francis Washburn (mortally wounded). The Southern forces lost Brigadier General James Dearing (mortally wounded and the last Confederate general to die in the war) along with majors John Knott and James Thomson, and Col. Reuben Boston (all killed). The High Bridge was saved from destruction for the time being.

Back at Sailor’s Creek, Sheridan’s three cavalry divisions led by generals George Custer, Thomas Devin, and George Crook, took turns attacking Lee’s wagon train along his line of march. Carrying out hit-and-run tactics at the major crossroads, the Union cavalry was able to cause a gap in the Confederate column and cut off those elements under Anderson and Ewell along Little Sailor’s Creek. To alleviate some of the pressure behind Ewell, the main wagon train and Gordon would turn onto another roadway that crossed Sailor’s Creek at Double Bridges two miles farther north. It was now near 5:00 p.m. and the battles of Sailor’s Creek were about to begin.

Sailor’s Creek would become three separate engagements, all fought simultaneously and spread out about one to two miles apart. Ewell’s Corps would be assaulted by Horatio Wright’s VI Corps at the Hillsman farm and along Little Sailor’s Creek. Anderson, with Pickett and Johnson, would make their stand a mile farther beyond at Marshall’s Crossroads. They would be attacked by Union cavalry commanded by Gen. Wesley Merritt. At the confluence of Big and Little Sailor’s Creek, Gordon protected the wagons and faced off against Humphreys atLockett’s farm. Nightfall would bring an end to the fighting at the creek with a terrific loss for Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

The toll was 7,700 Southerners who were either killed, wounded, or captured. The general officers taken prisoner were: Richard Ewell, Custis Lee, Seth Barton, Joseph Kershaw, James Simms, Dudley Dubose, Eppa Hunton, and Montgomery Corse. Federal estimates for casualties amounted to 1,180 men of which 170 were killed. The day closed with Ord’s men skirmishing with Longstreet at Rice’s Depot on the South Side Railroad.

With the Federal army now on his heels, Lee decided to make another night march as his men moved toward and into nearby Farmville. Some would cross the Appomattox on the High Bridge, while others on the wagon bridge below. Gordon’s Corps would then follow the railroad into Farmville, while another contingent, led by Mahone, marched directly to Cumberland Court House via the Jamestown Road. South of the river others would follow the direct road into Farmville while skirmishing at the Sandy and Bush river crossings. Lead elements of Longstreet’s Corps reached Farmville where they found the waiting rations at the train station. Distribution began among the hungry Confederate soldiers but soon Federal cavalry advanced upon Farmville and the trains were closed up and sent westward to Pamplin’s Depot. Lee then ordered his troops to cross the Appomattox River into Cumberland County with instructions to burn all bridges behind them including High Bridge and the lower wagon bridge, four miles down river.

Three miles north of the town of Farmville, the Army of Northern Virginia began entrenching near Cumberland Church to protect their wagon train as it continued its westward movement. Constructing trenches in a “fish hook” fashion, Mahone’s division held the left flank position while Gordon and Longstreet’s men filled in the rest of the defensive line.

The threat against this line soon came in the form of Humphreys’ II Corps. Earlier that morning, the Federals reached High Bridge as the Confederates began burning a few of the western spans. Extinguishing the fire on the lower wagon bridge over the Appomattox River, the Northern soldiers made a passage and then headed the five miles to Cumberland Church. Finding the Confederates entrenched there, preparations were made to assault the position held by Mahone. Unable to turn the flank, nightfall brought an end to the fighting as Lee’s men began their third night march in a row. Their destination was Appomattox Station—thirty-eight miles away—where more supply trains awaited them. That night, General Grant, now in Farmville and from his headquarters in the local Prince Edward Hotel sent his first dispatch to Lee concerning the possibility of surrender. Upon receiving and reading the message the Confederate commander handed it to Longstreet, who remarked “Not yet.” At the same time, President Lincoln, at City Point, received a message from Grant who informed him that Sheridan sent correspondence that “If the thing is pressed I think that Lee will surrender.” Lincoln responded “Let the thing be pressed.”

By following the various routes to Appomattox Station via Appomattox Court House, Lee’s men had a march of some eight miles farther than had they stayed south of the river and paralleled the South Side Railroad. This left that route open to the Union army of only thirty miles to the station. To pressure the Confederate line of march, both the II and VI Corps followed behind Lee’s troops while the rest of the Federal army stayed south of the river on the shorter road. Their line of march was Sheridan’s cavalry, Ord’s Army of the James, and the rear being brought up by Griffin’s V Corps.

On April 8th, both armies tramped along in their race to Appomattox Station and the supply trains waiting for them there. In the lead, Custer’s troopers received information about the location of these trains and set off to capture them before Lee’s troops could get there. Leading the Confederate line of march this day was the surplus wagon and artillery train under Brig. Gen. R. Lindsay Walker. After passing through Appomattox Court House his men went into camp about a mile from the station.

As the armies moved along this day pretty much unmolested, a series of messages were passed between Grant and Lee. In one concerning the possibility of surrender, Grant received a message from Lee asking what terms would be offered. This provoked a series of correspondence between the two until a face-to-face meeting was decided upon the next day.

Custer’s cavalry reached the four supply trains at Appomattox Station first that evening and captured them without a major incident. Seeing Walker’s artillery going into position, the Union troopers made a series of attacks on their camp, eventually scattering the Confederates and capturing 25 cannon. This engagement now placed elements of the Federal army across the route Lee had intended too follow in his march toward Danville.

Lee, now setting up his headquarters near Appomattox Court House, heard the fighting three miles away at the station and realized that the Federal army was now in his front. Earlier that day, with his army down to two corps, he switched the line of march so that Gordon now led the army with Longstreet holding the rear. Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry would support Gordon’s Corps.

Instructing Gordon to prepare for a breakthrough attempt early on April 9, preparations were made for a morning attack. Assembling his men at the edge of the village and supported on his right flank by cavalry, at dawn the Confederate battle line moved forward and encountered elements of Crook’s cavalry. These were easily pushed back but then, along a far ridge, Union infantry were seen forming in battle line. These proved to be soldiers of Ord’s Army of the James. As they began making their forward movement, Gordon’s men realized that their escape route was sealed off so they began to fall back toward the village. Soon another threat faced them as Griffin’s V Corps arrived on the scene and began to move upon Gordon’s left flank. Word was sent to Lee of the impending situation and soon white flags of truce began appearing along Gordon’s battle line. The fighting ground to a halt as it did likewise in the Confederate rear now being pressed by the Union II and VI Corps. Grant, by employing a giant pincers movement, had forced Lee’s army into submission made possible by the situation provided at Farmville. The two generals now set about to meet and discuss the terms of surrender.

The surrender proceedings took place on April 9 at the village home of Wilmer McLean. By 3:30 p.m., the Army of Northern Virginia was no longer a fighting force to be contended with. The war in Virginia was finally over and the Appomattox Campaign was successfully completed by Grant’s army.