Appomattox, General Fitz Lee, with his cavalry, bringing up the rear.

Orders were given by General Grant for the assault of the Petersburg and Richmond lines early on the morning of the 3d, but at three o'clock in the morning it was discovered that General Lee had abandoned all his intrenchments. Petersburg was taken possession of by General Willcox with his division, his troops and those at City Point being placed under the command of General Warren.

The formal surrender of Richmond was made to General Weitzel at the City Hall, at 8.15 A.M.1

1 The United States flag was raised on the Capitol at Richmond by Lieutenant Johnston L. de Peyster, and Captain Loomis L. Langdon, U. S. Artillery, Chief of Artillery, both of General Weitzel's staff. The former, the son of MajorGeneral J. Watts de Peyster, a youth of eighteen, had carried the flag upon the pommel of his saddle, with this object in view, for several days, expecting to assault.

CHAPTER XIV.

LEE'S ARMY ASSEMBLED AT AMELIA COURT HOUSENIGHT MARCH PAST MEADE'S AND SHERIDAN'S LEFT FLANK-ATTACKED WHILE RETREATING-BATTLES OF SAILOR'S CREEK-RETREAT CONTINUED DURING THE NIGHT HALTS NEAR FARMVILLE - CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN GRANT AND LEE-SURRENDER OF LEE AT APPOMATTOX - SURRENDER OF ALL OTHER CONFEDERATE ARMIES-ARMY OF THE POTOMAC DISBANDED.

Ir was well understood that General Lee would move either to Danville or to Lynchburg, and General Grant's directions for the march of the armies were such as to intercept his retreat, whichever route he might take. General Sheridan, with his cavalry and the Fifth Corps were to move in a westerly direction, south of and near to the Appomattox River, so as to feel Lee's army constantly, and at the same time to strike the Danville Railroad between its crossing of the Appomattox and its crossing of the Lynchburg Railroad at Burke's Junction. General Meade, with the Second and Sixth Corps, was to follow General Sheridan, moving westward in the general direction of Amelia Old Court House, with similar general objects in view. General Ord, with the Twenty-fourth Corps and Birney's colored troops, followed by the Ninth Corps, was to move along the South Side Railroad to Burke's Junction.

The pursuit of Lee was taken up early on the 3d, the leading brigade of Custer's division, commanded by Colonel Welles, overtaking near Namozine Church the rear of Fitz Lee's cavalry, Barringer's brigade, which suffered severely in the contest, the commander and many others being captured. At Deep Creek General Fitz Lee placed his command in a strong defensive position, Wise's and Hunton's brigades forming part of the rear guard. A sharp engagement took place about dark, Merritt's troops attacking. The cavalry halted here for the night, the Fifth, Second, and Sixth Corps well closed up.

General Sheridan having ascertained that General Lee was probably concentrating at Amelia Court House, ordered General Crook, on the 4th, to strike the Danville Railroad between Burke's Junction and Jetersville, and then move toward the latter place, and General Griffin to march direct to Jetersville. Both commands reached there late in the afternoon, when General Sheridan learnt that General Lee's army was at Amelia Court House, about eight miles northeast from Jetersville. General Mackenzie's division at the same time had got to within a few miles of the Court House, on the south approach to it. The Fifth Corps intrenched so as to hold the position until Meade's troops could be got up. General Sheridan at once sent the information he had obtained to General Meade and General Grant.

The Second and Sixth Corps had followed the Fifth Corps closely until about eleven o'clock in the morning of the 4th, when Merritt's cavalry, coming in from the right, and having precedence necessarily delayed the progress of the infantry, so that it was night by the time it reached Deep Creek.

General Meade, upon receiving the information sent him by General Sheridan, directed the Second Corps to march for Jetersville at one o'clock in the morning of the 5th and the Sixth Corps to follow; but a short distance beyond

Deep Creek, General Merritt's cavalry, which had been to the vicinity of Bevil's bridge, on the Appomattox, again came into the road from the right on its way to Jetersville, so that it was half-past two in the afternoon of the 5th, when the Second Corps began to arrive at Jetersville, followed by the Sixth Corps. Both went into position, the Second Corps on the left, the Sixth on the right of the Fifth Corps.1

But, in fact, Lee's army was not concentrated at Amelia Court House by the night of the 4th. Longstreet's command was there on the afternoon of the 4th; Gordon's, if not there, was not more than four or five miles distant. Mahone's division was near Goode's bridge, ten or twelve miles off. Ewell's command did not arrive at the Court House before midday of the 5th." Anderson's command, the rear brought up by Fitz Lee's cavalry, arrived on the morning of the 5th. General Mahone's division was now assigned to General Longstreet's command. General Ewell retained the troops that had marched with him, the Navy battalion commanded by Commodore Tucker being attached to General Custis Lee's division. General Anderson retained Pickett's and Bushrod Johnson's divisions, and General Gordon his own corps.

Rations were obtained here by a part of Lee's army, but some of his troops were already suffering for the want of food, want of sleep, and from excessive fatigue. The roads were very heavy owing to the copious rains, and in fact were nearly impassable for wagon trains.

On the 5th General Lee sent forward his spare artillery (under General Lindsey Walker) and his trains by roads on

1 Large working parties from the Second and Sixth Corps were at work on the roads during the 3d, 4th, and 5th, for they were nearly impassable for wagon trains.

2 Custis Lee's division had its subsistence and baggage wagons destroyed by Mackenzie.

the right flank of those his troops would take in moving toward Danville, or Lynchburg, and in the afternoon advanced toward Jetersville, with a view to attacking if no heavy force of infantry had reinforced Sheridan's command; but his cavalry, General W. H. F. Lee's division, advising him that Sheridan had been heavily reinforced, he turned his column northward toward a bridge across Flat Creek, some five miles from the position now held by Sheridan and Meade in force. Flat Creek, a tributary of the Appomattox, is eighty or one hundred feet wide, and so deep (in its shallowest places coming up to the armpits of infantry) that bridges are essential to its passage by an army. Just after sunset the head of Lee's column, Longstreet's corps, had crossed the creek, and had arrived at Amelia Sulphur Springs, which is on the creek near the bridge over that stream on the road from the springs to Jetersville. General Lee still hoped, by a well-conducted night march westward, to get so far in advance that he might certainly reach Lynchburg by passing through Deatonsville, Rice's Station, and Farmville, and possibly might reach Danville.

On the morning of the 5th General Sheridan sent General Davies's brigade of Crook's division to make a reconnoissance to Paine's Cross-Roads (Paineville), about five miles north of Amelia Springs, to ascertain if the enemy were making any movement toward that flank to escape. At Paineville Davies found a wagon train moving westward, escorted by Gary's cavalry brigade; it attacked, drove off the escort (taking some prisoners), burned the wagons, and captured five pieces of artillery, probably part of those in General Walker's charge. It is said that the papers of General Robert E. Lee's Headquarters, containing many valuable reports, copies of but few of which are now to be found, were destroyed by the burning of these wagons. General Fitz Lee says that his own Headquarters' wagons were