Page 17 - March 2017 Rev E_Neat

ISSUE NUMBER 165 MARCH 2017
THE TOWN CRIER

Lincoln’s Advent of Total War
By Bill Hunt
Article 26

After Gen. Lee and his army had abandoned the trenches at Petersburg on
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the night of April 2 , 1865, his objective was to reassemble and resupply
his soldiers at the Amelia town Courthouse. However, as fate would have
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it, when they arrived there on April 4 they found no provisions awaiting
them. General Lee’s disillusioned and dwindling army then turned west
towards the Appomattox Station where a supply train awaited them there.
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In route to the station on April 6 at Sailors Creek nearly one fourth of
Lee’s retreating army was cut off by U. S. Gen. Sheridan’s Calvary. In spite of their gallantry in battle,
7,700 Confederate soldiers were captured or surrendered including Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell and eight other
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general officers. Then on April 7 following both the battles of Cumberland and High Bridge, Gen. Grant
sent a note to Gen. Lee by way of a lone rider under a white flag of truce suggesting that it was time to sur-
render the army of Northern Virginia. In a return note, Gen. Lee refused Grant’s request but did ask him
what terms he had in mind. I have no information as to whether or not Grant responded to Lee’s follow-up
question.
The above mentioned battle delays prevented Lee’s army from reaching the Appomattox Station and his
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waiting supplies there until April 8 , only to find that Gen. Sheridan had both captured his desperately
needed supplies and was now also blocking his path. Gen. Lee, not having received any renewed supplies at
either the Amelia town Courthouse or the Appomattox Station, now looked west to the railway at
Lynchburg, where more supplies awaited him. Gen. Lee believing that only a single battalion, consisting of
1,000 to 1,500 troops, of Gen. Sheridan’s Calvary stood in his way, decided to try for Lynchburg hoping to
break through the U. S. Calvary lines before Union infantry troops arrive.
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However, unbeknown to Gen. Lee, the Union infantry would arrive on site at 4 a. m. on April 9 , just two
hours prior to Gen. Lee’s planned attack and break through. At dawn as scheduled, Gen. Lee’s Calvary at-
tacked quickly breaking through the first line of Sheridan’s Calvary. The next line only slightly slowed the
Confederate advance. Then again, for the third time, the Confederate Calvary charged through the last re-
maining Union Calvary line taking the ridge; but as they reached the crest, the sight they beheld literally
took their breath away.
Two complete Union infantry corps, each consisting of from 25,000 to 50,000 troops, stood in line of battle
as far as their eyes could see. Upon seeing the unexpected two corps of Union infantry, they withdrew back
to their line telling Gen Lee’s staff what they knew he did not want to hear. Upon hearing it, Lee finally
stated the inevitable: “Then there is nothing left for me to do but to go see Gen. Grant, and I would rather die
a thousand deaths.”
To be continued next edition

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