Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1885-04-15
GRANT AND LEE.
The Interesting Story Of Appomat-
tox Retold.


the evacuatton Of yeeeree1sN 14e moHo-
mentwes conducted with wondeyfHl RddreeA
Anos the march being pushed vt90t0u9iy AL
ns8nh IRee army now reduced n eNUOO
mem hed by dawn put stxtecn miles betwcct
le ana Petofebutgs On April 3 squad Of
fO0cral cavalry rode into Richmond without
{ fm0toetati0n, and thus the COnfeder1te capi-
Ieit Whens morning revealed the night
oI beee army, Grant made haste 70 Follow.
fursued ana pursuers marched ny parallel
lines Lee ~ the north side OF tho Appomat-
0x en0 Grant ~ the south bank. In . south
westerly direction: 1t was Lees desire TO
reacn the nountamA An the Businesses of
wnicn ne hoped 70 recruit tho strength ana
epirits OF has army. H was . terrible race
i0r l1e. Inc Confederatee began the retreat
with but one ration, and the country through
which they pAesed had no supplies. Hun.
ureQe ~ men droppod from exhaustion nnd
& en0nyAnas let iAA the1es mtleh1ts from iii-s
!.sH % Nrsy thona anIz 4lirt44E. Wnen
niooy 0smes exnAueted 4198 M kngs IN
\ q 1qn 1f4E0nEgs WI hsAvs 49,
~ 49, q s,s,s,s s h. u ~. ss & Il. y
nAd 70 rlse and hasten away rs fast as their
weary limbs would carry thom
was Lees hope to reach the Danv1iie
halway at Amelia Court'House, concentrate
ct that point, then fall back southwestward
TO Danvilie and make junction with the
army OF Joseph +. Johnston. 1t was the de-
termination OF Grant and sheridan that he
snouid DO no hing or the kind Lee expected
to race and head him off. At Amelia Court
House Longstreet, Gordon, and Ewell united
tnelr wearied and hungry troops. Here was
the railway. but where were the hoped Tor
suppliesS . Sheridan had seized the road ten
miles to the southwest OF them and he Id and
barred the way. Meade was but a short dis
tance behind him; Grant, with Ord and the
twenty fourth Corps farther to the south,
along the South-side railway. Leo found
that he could not reach Danville; but there
N n fhnr n 1,I. .ltt,
west-Lynchburg and the neighboring
mountains. Thitaer he turned his weary
eyes, and, with sheridan hang ng 10
his bleeding TANKS and worrying the co..
umn over every mile OF road, the Southern
leader strove 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 from, hank and rear; small de-
tachments Of cavalry leaped upon his bat
teries or trains, looping OFT Few guns,
score of wagons, or n hundred prisoners Mt
ever cross-road. while behind him and on his
left pushed relentlessly ahead the now en-
thnsiastic infantry of the Army Of the Poto-
mac. Night and day, for five successive
days. it was one vehement, never-reisxing
pursuit, varied only by the savage combats
that attended Lees every halt for
breath. At Sailors' Creek, at Farmville,
at High Bridge where again they strobe
along the banks of the Appomattox, there
was bloody fighting; but never could the
Sheridan, He had fully forty thousand men
at Amelia on the 5th, and at least one-fourth
of these were gone when his staggering co..
umns pushed on for the last march of al
April s. He had succeeded in crossing to the
north side of the Appomattox now, leaving
| Ewells corps, with Ewcll himself, Kershaw,
Custs Lee, Dubosc. Hunton, and Corse us
prisoners loss of fully eight thousand men
sustained in one day; and now, with Hum
phreys and Wr ght close behind h III on the
!
Grilins corps on the south side and even
with his leading columns, Lee was striking
for Appomattox Court House, whc re Supplies
were awaiting him. ON the 9TH Grant had
written few words to Gen. Lee pointing
out the hopclessnes of further resi- lance.
and asking his surrender, as the only means
OF avoiding further boods sced. Leo replied
that he did not regard his position as hope
less, but inquired what terms would be
offered. On the 9Th Grant had offered most
ienient terms the mere disqualification of
all surrendered officers or mon from
again taking up arms until properly
exchanged, but lee still hoped to es-
cape. He counted ON getting those
supplies at Appomattox and then
breaking for hynchburg, only long days
march away, and he declined. This corre-
spondence was really conducted on the run,
for both armies were pushed to the utmost in
the race. But Lee stopped twice on the 'th
and sth TO fight Humphreys, who was cling
!
to pull him to earth, aud the delay was fatal.
Stopp ng for nothing, Sheridan's cavalry
shot forward along tho lower road, sprfnV
upon theraway station beyond the Court
House, Clusters troopers rode in among the
coveted trains, and long before the morning
OF the 9Th had whiskcd every ycstl2e OF
supplies out OF sight; brigade after brigade
came trotting ZIP from the southeast. ana
deploying its skrmish lines up the Richmond
road toward The Court House. 1--WE miles
vsyi,; f-ftSf hal .I.,..
advance guard OF Lees army, sent forward
with empty wagons Tor tiose desperately
needed rations Lee knew that Sheridan's
cavalry had 'heaiei him, and that now he
must not only Eight back the fierce pursuers
SO close at his roar-hc must cut through
those daring troopers in front.
When Leo perceived his inability to force a
passage through Shcridan's lines hn was con-
scious that unless he quickly submitted to
Whatever terms Grant chose to i'm
pose, hc and every man in his army would
DO annihiatcd. With Sheridan. Crl, and
Grifhn in front, ana Meade with Humphreys
and Wright in the rear, tEcrc was no possible
avenue OF escape. ono solitary road over
the hills was indeed stillOpcn TO LynchburS.
AMI by this route one OF Lees ncphcws, GEN
Fitz z-Hugh Ice, even now led a few hundred
cavalrymcn, in oppos ition, tits sad, 10 tho
! wish of his uncle. but 1t was impossible for
Ice to save his army by this road, and al
! that was left OF the host that had so long de-
I ittluCu WIZ III Ictlity HElbScu III
the lines OF the conaucror. A dispatch that
Ice wrote to Grant OH he 9th was In these
! words: ~ received your note of this morning
on the picket line, whittier ] had come to
meet you, anil ascertain definitely what
1 terms were embraced in you proposal OF yes
/ ,crday, with refcrcpcc TO the surrender OF
1 III army. now ask an IN or, lew in accord
! Aree with the Offer con, aimed in your lctior
/ :. Yesterday for that purpose Grant had
/ started for SheiiJan's front at an early hour,
md :h' communication was sent by the way
J Of MeaAe's com u srid. IL, therefore. did not
| reach him, the encraiin-ch rnt nearly
| IN nidday. He Immediately replied: Your
note of this date is but this moment III 80 a.
m.) re eivcd. In consequence of my having
/ passed from the Rjchmond and Lynchburg
| ht d to the Earmvillc and yiichburg Road
| am Mt this writing about four miles west
| OF waltcr's Church, and will push forward to
| the front for the purpose or meeting you
| Not:ce sent 70 me on this road where You
sish the interview to take pace will meet
me-" This note was carried forward by Col
/ l,apcock, Of Grants staff, who "a sscd tho
| enemy's pickcts. and was conducted to &C.
The great rebel was sitting by the roadside