The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-05-23

value to the south. That act was a decla-
ration that the war was to be continued.
The Confederate troops at Richmond,
joined with those under Lees immedi-
ate command at Petersburg, marched
away in the direction of Danville, keep
ing out strong rear guard under COM
mand of General John B. Gordon. The
Appomattox river lay across their path
way, and the delay i'll crossing it had
much to do with bringing the campaign
to sudden close. The Federal army
was in close pursuit, and a running
fight was kept up between the vanguard
of the blue and the rearguard of the
gray. After desperate battle at Sail
or's Greek the Confederate corps of Gen
eral Ewell was almost destroyed, and
the latter, with several other generals,
taken. That was the first brilliant stroke
Of the pursuit 1t cost Lee Z 1000 men
and many good officers, which he could
i'll afford to spare at that stage.
That same day, the 9th of April,
there was brilliant passage of arms
between "a body of Federal infantry,
supported by about so horsemen, and
the Confederate cavalry under General
Rosser, which showed that the fighting
spirit had by no means died out on
either side. The Federals were led by
Colonel Theodore B. Read. They struck
out for the flank of Lees marching
army to find out which way the leading
Confederates were going. Rosser saw
tho eko %ol IL I,,so l.,
in pursuit. Read halted and posted his
infantry along the edge of an oak grove.
This line was attacked by dismounted
column Of Confederates, led by General
Munford, while General bearing led
column in saddle to attack the flank
The little cavalry detachment with
Read was commanded by General Wash
burn, who promptly charged Bearings
forces and gave him hand to hand bat
tie. Washburn and bearing were killed
within three feet of each other All of
the Federal cavalry officers fell, and
ROsser claimed that his men either killed
or wounded or captured the entire de-
tachment of so men. After dispOsing of
the cavalry, Rosser charged the infantry,
and after a short fight, i'll which Read
was killed, the leader raised the white
flag.
There was great confusion in the
Confederate camps, and the route of re-
treat was changed many times The
crossing of AppomattOx river by Lee
was made during the night of the 9th of
April at High Bridge and Farmville.
The bridge at Farmville he destroyed
behind him, but just as his soldiers
were giving the last stroke to the work
of destruction at High Bridge the Fed
eral advance of General Barlow APP
peared ON the scene The railroad
bridge, crossing a wide marsh on piers
go feet high, was burning. The wagon
bridge was saved by the infantry of
Barlow, who drove off the Confodorates
at that point Meanwhile the Federal
soldiers were trying to save the rail
road bridge from burning. The Con-
federates whom Barlow had driven
from the wagon bridge rushed to the
railroad bridge and tried to defeat all
efforts to save it, but Barlow's men
dashed across the bridge, which they
controlled, and the enemy was soon in
flight.
The whole of the next day, April Z,
Lees retreat was delayed by the activity
of the Federals who harassed the march
of his army westward along the Apo
mattox river During the night he put
men in motion for AppomattdS Court
House and reached it about o'clock
the evening of the 8th. Then he discov-
cred that the Federal cavalry corps I'M
der General Merritt was across his
front. He had already been for "a hours
i'll correspondence with Grant, not with