CHAPTER LXVI.

BATTLE OF SAILOR'S CREEK--ENGAGEMENT AT FARMVILLE--CORRESPONDENCE WITH

GENERAL LEE--SHERIDAN INTERCEPTS THE ENEMY.

The Appomattox, going westward, takes a long sweep to the south-west

from the neighborhood of the Richmond and Danville Railroad bridge, and

then trends north-westerly. Sailor's Creek, an insignificant stream,

running northward, empties into the Appomattox between the High Bridge

and Jetersville. Near the High Bridge the stage road from Petersburg to

Lynchburg crosses the Appomattox River, also on a bridge. The railroad

runs on the north side of the river to Farmville, a few miles west, and

from there, recrossing, continues on the south side of it. The roads

coming up from the south-east to Farmville cross the Appomattox River

there on a bridge and run on the north side, leaving the Lynchburg and

Petersburg Railroad well to the left.

Lee, in pushing out from Amelia Court House, availed himself of all the

roads between the Danville Road and Appomattox River to move upon, and

never permitted the head of his columns to stop because of any fighting

that might be going on in his rear. In this way he came very near

succeeding in getting to his provision trains and eluding us with at

least part of his army.

As expected, Lee's troops had moved during the night before, and our

army in moving upon Amelia Court House soon encountered them. There was

a good deal of fighting before Sailor's Creek was reached. Our cavalry

charged in upon a body of theirs which was escorting a wagon train in

order to get it past our left. A severe engagement ensued, in which we

captured many prisoners, and many men also were killed and wounded.

There was as much gallantry displayed by some of the Confederates in

these little engagements as was displayed at any time during the war,

notwithstanding the sad defeats of the past week.

The armies finally met on Sailor's Creek, when a heavy engagement took

place, in which infantry, artillery and cavalry were all brought into

action. Our men on the right, as they were brought in against the

enemy, came in on higher ground, and upon his flank, giving us every

advantage to be derived from the lay of the country. Our firing was

also very much more rapid, because the enemy commenced his retreat

westward and in firing as he retreated had to turn around every time he

fired. The enemy's loss was very heavy, as well in killed and wounded

as in captures. Some six general officers fell into our hands in this

engagement, and seven thousand men were made prisoners. This engagement

was commenced in the middle of the afternoon of the 6th, and the retreat

and pursuit were continued until nightfall, when the armies bivouacked

upon the ground where the night had overtaken them.

When the move towards Amelia Court House had commenced that morning, I

ordered Wright's corps, which was on the extreme right, to be moved to

the left past the whole army, to take the place of Griffin's, and

ordered the latter at the same time to move by and place itself on the

right. The object of this movement was to get the 6th corps, Wright's,

next to the cavalry, with which they had formerly served so harmoniously

and so efficiently in the valley of Virginia.

The 6th corps now remained with the cavalry and under Sheridan's direct

command until after the surrender.

Ord had been directed to take possession of all the roads southward

between Burkesville and the High Bridge. On the morning of the 6th he

sent Colonel Washburn with two infantry regiments with instructions to

destroy High Bridge and to return rapidly to Burkesville Station; and he

prepared himself to resist the enemy there. Soon after Washburn had

started Ord became a little alarmed as to his safety and sent Colonel

Read, of his staff, with about eighty cavalrymen, to overtake him and

bring him back. Very shortly after this he heard that the head of Lee's

column had got up to the road between him and where Washburn now was,

and attempted to send reinforcements, but the reinforcements could not

get through. Read, however, had got through ahead of the enemy. He

rode on to Farmville and was on his way back again when he found his

return cut off, and Washburn confronting apparently the advance of Lee's

army. Read drew his men up into line of battle, his force now

consisting of less than six hundred men, infantry and cavalry, and rode

along their front, making a speech to his men to inspire them with the

same enthusiasm that he himself felt. He then gave the order to charge.

This little band made several charges, of course unsuccessful ones, but

inflicted a loss upon the enemy more than equal to their own entire

number. Colonel Read fell mortally wounded, and then Washburn; and at

the close of the conflict nearly every officer of the command and most

of the rank and file had been either killed or wounded. The remainder

then surrendered. The Confederates took this to be only the advance of

a larger column which had headed them off, and so stopped to intrench;

so that this gallant band of six hundred had checked the progress of a

strong detachment of the Confederate army.

This stoppage of Lee's column no doubt saved to us the trains following.

Lee himself pushed on and crossed the wagon road bridge near the High

Bridge, and attempted to destroy it. He did set fire to it, but the

flames had made but little headway when Humphreys came up with his corps

and drove away the rear-guard which had been left to protect it while it

was being burned up. Humphreys forced his way across with some loss,

and followed Lee to the intersection of the road crossing at Farmville

with the one from Petersburg. Here Lee held a position which was very

strong, naturally, besides being intrenched. Humphreys was alone,

confronting him all through the day, and in a very hazardous position.

He put on a bold face, however, and assaulted with some loss, but was

not assaulted in return.

Our cavalry had gone farther south by the way of Prince Edward's Court

House, along with the 5th corps (Griffin's), Ord falling in between

Griffin and the Appomattox. Crook's division of cavalry and Wright's

corps pushed on west of Farmville. When the cavalry reached Farmville

they found that some of the Confederates were in ahead of them, and had

already got their trains of provisions back to that point; but our

troops were in time to prevent them from securing anything to eat,

although they succeeded in again running the trains off, so that we did

not get them for some time. These troops retreated to the north side of

the Appomattox to join Lee, and succeeded in destroying the bridge after

them. Considerable fighting ensued there between Wright's corps and a

portion of our cavalry and the Confederates, but finally the cavalry

forded the stream and drove them away. Wright built a foot-bridge for

his men to march over on and then marched out to the junction of the

roads to relieve Humphreys, arriving there that night. I had stopped

the night before at Burkesville Junction. Our troops were then pretty

much all out of the place, but we had a field hospital there, and Ord's

command was extended from that point towards Farmville.

Here I met Dr. Smith, a Virginian and an officer of the regular army,

who told me that in a conversation with General Ewell, one of the

prisoners and a relative of his, Ewell had said that when we had got

across the James River he knew their cause was lost, and it was the duty

of their authorities to make the best terms they could while they still

had a right to claim concessions. The authorities thought differently,

however. Now the cause was lost and they had no right to claim

anything. He said further, that for every man that was killed after

this in the war somebody is responsible, and it would be but very little

better than murder. He was not sure that Lee would consent to surrender

his army without being able to consult with the President, but he hoped

he would.

I rode in to Farmville on the 7th, arriving there early in the day.

Sheridan and Ord were pushing through, away to the south. Meade was

back towards the High Bridge, and Humphreys confronting Lee as before

stated. After having gone into bivouac at Prince Edward's Court House,

Sheridan learned that seven trains of provisions and forage were at

Appomattox, and determined to start at once and capture them; and a

forced march was necessary in order to get there before Lee's army could

secure them. He wrote me a note telling me this. This fact, together

with the incident related the night before by Dr. Smith, gave me the

idea of opening correspondence with General Lee on the subject of the

surrender of his army. I therefore wrote to him on this day, as

follows:

HEADQUARTERS ARMIES OF THE U. S., 5 P.M., April 7, 1865.

GENERAL R. E. LEE Commanding C. S. A.

The result of the last week must convince you of the hopelessness of

further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this

struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as my duty to shift from

myself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood, by asking of

you the surrender of that portion of the Confederate States army known

as the Army of Northern Virginia.

U. S. GRANT, Lieut.-General.

Lee replied on the evening of the same day as follows:

April 7, 1865.

GENERAL: I have received your note of this day. Though not

entertaining the opinion you express on the hopelessness of further

resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia, I reciprocate

your desire to avoid useless effusion of blood, and therefore before

considering your proposition, ask the terms you will offer on condition

of its surrender.

R. E. LEE, General.

LIEUT.-GENERAL U. S. GRANT, Commanding Armies of the U. S.

This was not satisfactory, but I regarded it as deserving another letter

and wrote him as follows:

April 8, 1865.

GENERAL R. E. LEE, Commanding C. S. A.

Your note of last evening in reply to mine of same date, asking the

condition on which I will accept the surrender of the Army of Northern

Virginia is just received. In reply I would say that, peace being my

great desire, there is but one condition I would insist upon, namely:

that the men and officers surrendered shall be disqualified for taking

up arms again against the Government of the United States until properly

exchanged. I will meet you, or will designate officers to meet any

officers you may name for the same purpose, at any point agreeable to

you, for the purpose of arranging definitely the terms upon which the

surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia will be received.

U. S. GRANT, Lieut.-General.

Lee's army was rapidly crumbling. Many of his soldiers had enlisted

from that part of the State where they now were, and were continually

dropping out of the ranks and going to their homes. I know that I

occupied a hotel almost destitute of furniture at Farmville, which had

probably been used as a Confederate hospital. The next morning when I

came out I found a Confederate colonel there, who reported to me and

said that he was the proprietor of that house, and that he was a colonel

of a regiment that had been raised in that neighborhood. He said that

when he came along past home, he found that he was the only man of the

regiment remaining with Lee's army, so he just dropped out, and now

wanted to surrender himself. I told him to stay there and he would not

be molested. That was one regiment which had been eliminated from Lee's

force by this crumbling process.

Although Sheridan had been marching all day, his troops moved with

alacrity and without any straggling. They began to see the end of what

they had been fighting four years for. Nothing seemed to fatigue them.

They were ready to move without rations and travel without rest until

the end. Straggling had entirely ceased, and every man was now a rival

for the front. The infantry marched about as rapidly as the cavalry

could.

Sheridan sent Custer with his division to move south of Appomattox

Station, which is about five miles south-west of the Court House, to get

west of the trains and destroy the roads to the rear. They got there

the night of the 8th, and succeeded partially; but some of the train men

had just discovered the movement of our troops and succeeded in running

off three of the trains. The other four were held by Custer.

The head of Lee's column came marching up there on the morning of the

9th, not dreaming, I suppose, that there were any Union soldiers near.

The Confederates were surprised to find our cavalry had possession of

the trains. However, they were desperate and at once assaulted, hoping

to recover them. In the melee that ensued they succeeded in burning one

of the trains, but not in getting anything from it. Custer then ordered

the other trains run back on the road towards Farmville, and the fight

continued.

So far, only our cavalry and the advance of Lee's army were engaged.

Soon, however, Lee's men were brought up from the rear, no doubt

expecting they had nothing to meet but our cavalry. But our infantry

had pushed forward so rapidly that by the time the enemy got up they

found Griffin's corps and the Army of the James confronting them. A

sharp engagement ensued, but Lee quickly set up a white flag.