Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-04-23


was driven back. These were the last
blows struck by the confederate army in
defense of Richmond and it is note
worthy that in one of these last strug-
giles fell Gen. A. Z. Hill, who during
the entire war had borne conspicuous
part in the insurgent army.
THE SURRENDER.
On the night of April 2 Gen. Lee or
dered the evacuation of Petersburg.
The movement was conducted with won
derful address. and, the march being
pushed vigorously all night, Lees army,
now reduced to $4,000 men. had by
dawn put sixteen miles between it and
Petersburg. On April a squad of fed
eral cavalry rode into Richmond with
out molestation, and thus the confeder-
ate capital fell. When morning re-
vealed the flight of Lees army Grant
made haste to follow. Pursued and
pursuers marched by parallel lines.
Lee by the north side of the Appomat-
tox and Grant by the south bank, in
southwesterly direction. 1t was Lees
desire to reach the mountains, in the
businesses of which he hoped to recruit
the strength and spirits of his army. 1t
was terrible race for life. The con-
federates began the retreat with but one
ration, and the country through which
they passed had no supplies. Hundreds
/ OF men dropped from exhaustion and
thousands let flll their muskets from
inability to carry them any further.
Dark divisions sinking in the woods for
few hours repose would hear sudden
ly the boom of hostile guns, and they
had to rise and hasten away as fast as
their weary limbs would carry them.
1t was Lees hope to reach the Dan
concentrate at that point. then fall
back southwestward to Danville and
make junction with the army of JOS
eph f. Johnston. 1t was the determin-
alton of Grant and Sheridan that he
should do nothing of the kind. Lee
expected Grant to follow on his track;
Grant decided to race and head him off
At Amelia Courthouse Longstreet,
Gordon, and Ewell united their wearied
and hungry troops. Here was the rail-
way, but where was the hoped-for sup
! plies? Sheridan had seized the road
ten miles to the southwest of them, and
held and barred the way. Meade was
but short distance behind him; Grant,
with Ord and the Twenty-fourth corps
farther to the south, along the South
side railway. Lee found that he could
not reach Danville; but there was an
other hope; Lynchburg, fifty miles west
-Lynchburg and the neighboring
mountains. Thither he turned his
weary eyes, and, with Sheridan hang
ing to his bleeding TANKS and worrying
the column over every mile of road, the
southern leader stroye to keep his men
together and still push ahead. Almost
every hour he had to turn and fight;
first on one side, then on the other, in
| front, flank, and rear; small detach-
ments of cavalry leaped upon his bat
teries or trains, looping off a few guns.
a score of wagons, or hundred pris-
oners at every cross-road, while behind
him and on his left pushed relentlessly
ahead the now enthusiastic infantry of
the Army of the Potomac. Night and
day, for five successive days, it was one
vehement, never relaxing pursuit, var
led only by the savage combats that at
tended Lees every halt for breath. At
Sailor creek, at Farmville, at High
bridge, where again they strobe along
the banks of the Appomattox, there
was bloody fighting; but never could
the southern general shake off the death
grip of Sheridan. He had fully forty
thousand men at Amelia on the 9Th, and
at least one-fourth of these were gone
when his staggering columns pushed on
for the last march of all-April s. He
had succeeded in crossing to the north
side of the Appomattox now, leaving
Ewell's corps, with Ewell himself, Ker-
shaw, Gusts Lee, Dubose, Hunton, and
Corse as prisoners, loss of fully eight
thousand men sustained in one day; and
now, with Humphreys and Wright close
behind him on the north side, and Sher-
| idan's cavalry, Ord and Griffin's corps
| on the south side and even with his
leading columns, Lee was striking for
Appomattox Courthouse, where sup
plies were awaiting him. On the 9TH
Grant had written Il few words to Gen.
Lee pointing out the hopelessness of
further resistance, and asking his sur
render as the only means of avoiding
further bloodshed. Lee replied that he
did not regard his situation as hopeless,
but inquired what terms would be offer
ed. On the 9Th Grant had offered most
lenient terms the mere disqualification
of all surrendered officers or men from
again taking up arms until properly ex-
changed but Lee still hoped to escape
He counted on getting those supplies at
Appomattox and then breaking for
Lynchburg, only long days march
away, and he declined. This cores
pondence was really conducted on the
run, for both armies were pushed to the
utmost in the race. But Lee stopped
twice on the 9TH and Sth to fight Hum
phreys, who was clinging to the rear
with grasp that threatened to pull
him to earth, and the delay was fatal.
Stopping for nothing, Sheridan's cav
airy shot forward along the lower road,
sprang upon the railway station beyond
the Courthouse. Clusters troopers
rode in among the coveted trains, and
long before the morning of the 9th had
whisked every vestige of supplies out
of sight; brigade after brigade came
trotting up from the southeast, and, de-
ploying ats skirmish lines up the Rich
mond road toward the Court House,
five miles away, whittier Custer had al
ready driven the advanced guard of
Lees army, sent forward with empty
wagons for those desperately needed
rations. Lee knew that Sheridan's cav
airy had headed him, and that now
he must not only fight back the fierce
pursuers so close at his rear-he must
cut through those daring troopers in
front.
When Lee perceived his inability TO
force a passage through Sheridan's
lines he was conscious that, unless he
quickly submitted to whatever terms
Grant chose to impose, he and every
man in his army would be annihilated.
With Sheridan, Ord, and Griffin in
front, and Meade, with Humphreys
and Wright in the rear, there was no
possible avenue of escape. One soil
tary rough country road over the hills
was indeed still open to Lynch
burg, and by this route one of
Lees snephews, Gen. Fitz-Hugh
Lee, even now led few hundred cav
alrymen, in opposition, it is said, to the
wish of his uncle. But it was impos-
sible for Lee to save his army by this
road. all that was left of the host
that had SO long defended Richmond
was in reality Enclosed in the lines
of the conqueror. A dispatch that
Lee wrote to Grant on the 9th was in
these words: ii received your note
OF this morning on picket line, whittier
| had come to meet You, and ascertain
definitely what terms were embraced
in your proposal of yesterday, with