The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1908-04-03
The Battle Of Sailors Greek, April b,
1868.

D
on the 9TH Of April Ewell, 300 com
mand at Richmond, being the last g,
arrive. The small army va, now Ill
yided into four small infantry corp, or
commands and a cavalry corps, com
manded respectively by Lone,treet-
Ewell, X. II. Anderson, Gordon aud
Fitzhugh Lee. Mahone'- division
was assigned To Long,treet'- corps.
and the naval battalion OF t0mmo-
dore Tucker To Cu-tis Lees division,
Ewell's corps. In pursuit of General
Lees army there followed South of
the AppomattoX river the second
Fifth and Sixth corps Of the Army Of
the Potomac, with sheridan cavalry.
The double object was 20 attack Lee
at the earliest possible moment aud To-
cut him of from the Dan, lille railroad
at BurkeNille. Had General Lee found
the supplies he expected at Amelia
Courthouse he could have attacked
Sheridan early on the morning OF the
9TH at JetersVille and reached Burke
vile before Ord's Fifth corps arrived
there late that night. Instead, Gen
Lee was forced TO spend twenty-four
hours trying to collect subsistence. He
says, "lhe delay va, fatal and could
not be retrieved. " There wa, some
mystery about those promised sup
plies.
Cut of IN this way from Danyille
the army was directed ON Farm,ille
and the SUuthside road with Lynch
burg a. the object. Longstreet, iu the
advance, reached Rice station ON the
morning of the 9Th and formed line of
battle. He was followed 10y the COM
mands of X. II. Anderson, Eweil and
Gordon and W. H. +. Lees cavalry
division in the order named. The re-
msinder of the cavalry, under io~~rr,
had been passed Ia the front io pro-
tect the High Bridge. A. u. Amber
son ; advance was much impeded toy
the attack of the Federal cavalry ON
his flank Hating To- repel them and
save his trains, gap was made
between the head of his column and
the rear of l.Ongstreet'~ Into this
gap, after Anderson had crossed
Sailors Creek, the large force OF at
lacking cavalry wa, thrust Mounted
and dismounted cavalry stopped IN
derson aud compelled him to deploy
in their front. Ewell followed Ander-
son across the creek Gordon guard
ing All immense wagon train turned
of To the right down the creek to
wards the High Bridge. The sixth
corps getting up on Ewells rear, made
him face his two divisions about
X ershaw on the right of the road
aud GUSTS Lee on the left. the navy
battalion in the rear of long>irect
Thus Anderson and EWell were fac
Ing in opposite directions aud neither
had any artillery.
General Ewell report run, a- fol-
lows: General Anderson informed
me In at he would make The attack in
front if would hold in check those
in my rear, which did until his
troops were broken and dispersed.
had no artillery, all being with the
train. All Of Custi, Lee, and part OF
Kershaw's division were posted he
hind rising ground that afforded
some shelter from artillery. The creek
was perhaps 900 yard, in their front
with brush pines in between and "a
cleared field beyond In thi, the enc
my's artillery took a commanding
position and finding We had none o.
reply soon approached within 500
yards and opened terrible fire. After
nearly half an hour Of this their in-
fantry advanced, crossing the creek
above and below u at the same time
Just as it attacked, General Anderson
made his assault, which was rcpulsed
i'm five minutes. had ridden zap near
his lines with him To see the result.
when a staff officer, who had followed
his troops in their charge, brought
him word Of ill., failure General
Anderson rode rapidly towards hi,
command. returned To- mine To see
il it was yet too late To try the other
plan Of escape. I'm riding past my
left | came suddenly upon "a strong
line Of the enemy's skirmi,hers adj
vancing upon my left rear This clos
ell the only avenue, a. shells and even
bullets were crossing each other from
front and rear over my troops and my
right was completely enycloped. ]
surrendered myself and stall iO "a
cavalry officer who came 900 hy the
some road General Anderson had gone
out. Before my messenger reached
General Custis Lee he had been capt
ured As had General Kershaw and the
whole of my command. My two di-
visions at the time numbered about
5000. was informed at General
Wright's headquarters commandlng
Sixth corps that 5000 men were en-
gagged with Us when We surrendered,
namely: two infantry corps Second
and Sixth and Clusters and Merritt s.
divisions of cavalry
The Federal commanders 300 their
reports make such statements a. "Ihe
contest was very severe The Con
federate Marine Battalion fought with
peculiar obstinacy our lines, some
what dsordered by crossing the creek,
were repulsed in the first ons'i' M
ter severe engagement, during which
my command was several times driN-
Ell back. the Confederate line was