Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-01-30
Surrender Of Gen. Lees Army.
BY JOHN EsrEN COOK.
From the Old Guard for February.

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Such was the force-some 10000 "ef
fective'' troops-with which Lee faced 'tht
100, 900 men Of Grant, hurrying forward
to Burksville junction, on the Danvillt
Railroad, to cut off and destroy him.
To this point had all things come or
Apri! 5ih. And now what was Lees de-
sign? What had been his intention II
evacnating Petersburg? Was he out-gen
eralled. checSmated- out-thought as out
fought by Grant?
A few words will separate the truth, ir
regard to these questions, from the mists
of ignorance which have obscured them -
Lee never had the least intention to sur
render; let that be stated first He fore
saw the almost mortal blow at Petersburg
the shadow Of the approaching fate ran on
before, and he prepared for the ordeal
The first great question was that of rations
There never was at Petersburg as much as
three days supply of bread and meat for
the army; now, when it was going tomake
a rapid retreat, that little supply of a day
or two would fail Rations must be sent
from the South to meet the army on Its
march. The order was given. Amelia
Court House was the point to which the
supplies were ordered Lee would march
thither, provision his army from the rail
road trains sent up from North Carolina,
destroy his surplus baggage, mass his little
handful of tried veterans, march straight
toward johnson, and woe to the detached
Federal division, or corps d'armee, which
crossed his path
This was his plain and simple program
me. To provisan his army at Amelia G,
Il attack the scattered Federal forces. not
yet massed across his line of retreat, burst
through them, and forming junction with
johnson, retreat into the heart of the Gnlt
States. The rest was left to the future.
If the war could be carried on, he would
carry it on. IF not, he would be able to
make terms of peace, and surrender, EN-
regle, at the head Of his army Better that
than to be tracked like wild beast, torn
at every step, and die-panting, bleeding,
starving circled by enemies
Two foes reversed this entire programme
man and the elements The freshet in
the Appomattox delayed his crossing until
Tuesday, April 4th. Grant was hurrying
by the straight road to cut him off, but
there was still time, when the last, the ia
tai, the irresistible blow fell. Reaching
Amelia Court House, with an army, stag
gering and starving for want of food, Lee
looked around, and saw nothing but trace
of flour, bacon or corn-nothing. The
trains from the South, loaded with rations,
had duly arrived. At the Court House. a
telegram from Richmond said: Bring on
the trains!" They continued their way,
reached Richmond; the rations were thrown
Into the street; the cars were loaded with
the rubbish of the departments, hurried
southwark, and when the Army of North
ern Virginia reached the Court House,
starving, falling by the way, and perish
ing with exhaustion, they found nothing.
Then despair must have knocked at the
doors of that stout heart Those who saw
Gen. Lee at this moment will not soon for
get his expression. The hope and. defiant
courage OF soul which nothing could bend
had not deserted him, but that instant was
enough to test the fibre of the strongest
heart
All his plans were thus overthrown -
lie could no longer advance; he must stop
/ to collect provisions for his men, He could
no longer form line of battle; he must GU
up his army into foraging parties--haH
going out into the country to collect bread
and meat for the other half. Starving
men do not Gght-starvng horses do not
pull artillery. There is something which
paralyzes courage. hope, skill, nerve. he
roism--it is famine.
From all these circumstances, thus mar
rated briefly, resulted that terrible delay
On Wednesday, April 5th-that is to say,
/ three day after the evacuation Of Peters
burg-Lee was still at Amelia G. Fl. His
veterans were scattered around him, in the
field; his trains halted, wagons, artillery
carriages, and caissons, because the horses
could no longer draw them Parties were
penetrating everywhere to the houses, APP
pealing to the inhabitants with bread,
bread, the army is starving n-and all this
/ time Gen Grant was fastening forward
over the line of the Southside Railroad to
Burksville Junction concentrating corps
after corps Of his superbly equipped and
provisioned army, to meet the little hand
full of Lee, when they attempted to contin-
ue their retreat.
One course only was left to Lee-to
change his line of retreat, and make for
/ the Virginia mountains. If he could at
tain Lychburg, he was out of the enemy's
clutch. That sole hope renamed to him,
fand placin G himself at the head Of his vet
Grams. he sresolutely began his march. to-
l wards Farmville.
From that moment commenced the hor-
] rors OF a retreat which will remain forever
famous in history-fa nous for the balefull
tragedy of the subject, but more famous
still for the heroic nerve of the little band
! Of southerners who marched on, fighting
= day and night, and starved and sunk down
and died without murmur
Who can paint 1t? What man of the
South has the heart to describe the retreat