Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-20
SIEGE OF RICHMOND
DID NOT BREAK SPIRIT
OFSOIJ7TzERlN7ROOPS

On car of parched corn and the buds
OF sassafras trees until Yanke.
cavalryman dividch his rations with
me on the battlefield OF Sailor .,
creek the night OF The 9Th OF April.
Rctrcnt From Rirhmond.
Troops from the Richmond lines
united with those from the Peters
surg lines at Amelia Court House
where We expected to lind Il supply OF
provisions. but we were sadly die
appointed. There had been an order
issued for concentration of supplies
! AT this point, but on our arrival VIC
found not thing for the men or
horses General Lee. in his report
/ says Not finding the supplies ordered
TO be placed there. nearly twenty
| four hours We're lost In cndeavoring
TO collect subsistence for men and
horses" This delay was fatal.
We had trouble in crossing the
| Appomit;ox. and the courier whom
Lee sent To Ewcll rode ali night, blu,
tcruld not and him, and on remaining
headquarters. the general made this
postscript on the Communication and
sin. 1880 AIN the ~As eourie9 has ap rel
turned with this note. having been
able 20 hear nothing from you am
about to cross the river. Get to
Amelia Court House as soon as pos
sibie and report TO me. r. L. L.
From the heavy rains that had re-
Gently fallen. the Appomattox River
was raging torrent. The position
OF the troops not yet in the vicinity
% the court house. and the progress
MS army had made in concentrating
| there. are indicated by aIettcr dated
At o'clock At night which General
Lee wrote to Ewci! saying that no
Was much Sratifed Sto learn OF his
favorable prospect of crossing the
river on the railroad bridge at Mat
| tox. that he hoped that he was safely
over at that time. The last of the
| column. however. did not cross until
after midnight. Gordon, who brought
np ihe rear Of the Petersburg forces,
was at SCOTS Shop. and Malone was
between Gordon and the bridge
Ia the forenoou of Wednesday, NIL
the surplus artillery was assembled
andsr comnaBd pt Genera Walter
! ana after number OF caissoAs were
des;ro?ed, struck of on the road TO
armvtilc. II was not unit. ! o'clock
hat Lee. with Longstreet at his side.
Eut himself at the head OF infantry
tEweli's and Cus,is Lees columns
mad not yet srrived) and started for
ietersviile, some eigh. or ten miles
beyond Amelia. The troops were pre-
cedcd b. W. IL. +. Lees division OF
station. found Itself close up against
'Arr!dln. who. as early as halr-past
! on the day before. had thrown
CoUk'S division OF cavalry across the
Zinc OF retreat al that point. and by
dark had reinforced II with the
Fifth Corps
Not Strong Enough.
During the night these forces had
built strong line of works and Lees
cavalry was not strong enough to
fully develop Scridan's position. Sher.
'dan wrote TO Meadc--"The Rebel
army are In my front. with all its
trains. TX the Sixth Corps can hur-
~ up we Will have sufficient strength.
viii hold my ground unless l am
driven from It. My men are out of
Tations and some should follow
quickly. Please notify Genera!
Grant" No one whom General Lee
sent to rcconnoitcr these lines
brought back single hope OF car
rying them. they were too grimly
strong.
Notwithstanding. however. had Lee
had all his army there, ! have no
doubt nc would have assaulted; but
Ewell was not up. Longstreet drew
the command off and fled to the RICH,
to cross Flat Run to march to Farm
vile. The infantyay trains and ar
tillery followed and kept the march
up until late hour. The road from
Amelia Springs, by which the weary,
sieep-ionging, hungry. yet dauntiess.
Confederate army moved toward
Rice's Station and FarmvilIe, is mar
row. winding and lonely.
One who never before that fatal
day had seen a battle flag. heard the
gathering march of cavalry or felt
the heavy tread and jar OF thunder
ing guns. nor had il ever dreamed OF
the sound it, was TO hear before the |
sun went down; the shrek OF dis
embowclcd horses; tho piercing cries
OF the wounded and the faint inter-
mittcnt mutterings. delirious speech /
OF the dying. The main road changes
little to the southwark and goes
by Captain Ifillsman's plantation,
which slopes into the narrow valley
OF sailors Creek. Such is the gem
eral character of the road Lees army
took' hoping to pass around Grants
ieft on Thursday the 9th OF April.
Near the End.
Longstrcct got back to it from
eheridan's and Mcads fronts toward
midnight. Anderson fell in behind
i'ohfstreet with the forces he had
brought up on the south side OF the
Malone in tho lead fol.
.oWch ny Pickett. aud he by Rushrod
'ohhson- Ewc!l came next with Gus.
us Lee. then Kershaw. who had been
on the move all night. Bringing up
inc rear was heroic Gordon, and n
was after O'clock as he rose above
inc NH west.of Amelia Springs. Toll
On veteran heroes of so many folds
q lew moro days and 1t will be over
fhose arc Gordon's guns You hear
The Army of tho Potomac strange.
~ enough did not know OF Lees re-.
treat until they moved In battle ar.
ray at 6 o'clock to engage him.
irifiin on the right. Humphreys ON
I'm 1nff q nj |