THE RETREAT AND SURRENDER OF LEE'S ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA. END OF THE REBELLION. TRANSFER OF THE 21ST VETERANS TO THE 56TH MASS. VOLS. - MUSTER OUT OF SERVICE. WHEN Lee determined to abandon Petersburg and Richmond, he sent orders to forward supplies to Amelia Court House, about forty miles to the west of Richmond. Reaching this point on the 4th of April, with a starving army, Lee learned with anguish that the precious rations had by a stupid blunder been sent to Richmond and destroyed in the conflagration. While he was thus compelled to wait at Amelia Court House until the night of April 5th, to enable his foragers to gather a scanty supply of food, the impetuous Sheridan, far in advance of the rest of our army, cut his line of retreat, by occupying Jetersville, on the Danville road, seven miles southwest of Amelia Court House. Sheridan occupied Jetersville on the afternoon of the 4th with his cavalry and the 5th Corps, in all about eighteen thousand men, and immediately intrenched his army across the rebel path. Late in the afternoon of the 5th he was joined by General Meade with the 2d and 6th corps. Lee's army was still at Amelia, and Sheridan had been operating with his cavalry well to the left, watching against any attempt to escape by that flank. On the night of April 5th and 6th, Lee, with great secrecy and address, withdrew his army from Amelia, and moved past the Union left. His last remaining hope was to win in a race to Farmville (thirty-five miles to the west), and, crossing the Appo mattox at that point, escape into the mountains beyond Lynchburg. Early on the morning of the 6th of April, the Army of the Potomac moved from Jetersville to Amelia, to give battle to the enemy, and discovered that Lee had escaped. Without delay the Union army started in pursuit. Sheridan with his cavalry, of course led in the hot chase, and taking a route to strike the rebel left flank, was supported by the 6th Corps, while General Meade, with the 2d and 5th corps, pressed hard after the retreating enemy. Sheridan, early in the af ternoon, struck the rebel wagon train near Deatonsville (about seven miles due west of Amelia), escorted by cavalry and Ewell's Corps of infantry; the finest troops left in Lee's army. Instantly attacking the train, to hold back the escort, Sheridan, with the principal part of his force, pressed fiercely along their flank until he found their weak spot near Sailor's Creek; then, fighting his way across the rebel line of retreat with his cavalry alone, he captured sixteen pieces of artillery and many prisoners, and destroyed four hundred wagons. Sheridan had, however, caught a lion, for Ewell's whole Corps was following behind the wagons; yet, knowing that he could depend on the gallant 6th Corps to come up if he could hold the rebels back a little while, he boldly charged that veteran infantry with a brigade of cavalry, and brought it to a stand. 1 Sailor's Creek is a small stream emptying into the Appomattox, about ten miles east of Farmville. ED. Scarcely had this been done, when the head of the 6th Corps came in sight, and soon were engaging the slowly retreating enemy in front, while the cavalry maintained their position on the rebel flank and rear. The environed rebels, though weak and gaunt with hunger, still made a gallant and desperate fight; and more than once with their deadly fire brought to a halt and broke the veterans of the 6th Corps; but they were fighting fate; and close upon sunset, broken by a simultaneous assault by the infantry and cavalry in front, flank, and rear, Ewell's seven thousand men threw down the arms which had so often, during the last four years, made havoc in the Union ranks, and, with their gallant chief, surrendered to the victorious Sheridan. During this day (April 6th) also occurred one of the most heroic engagements of the war, in which the head of Lee's column received a fatal check at High Bridge (across the Appomattox), some five miles east of Farmville. General Ord, with the Army of the James, having reached Burkesville (some fifteen miles southeast of Farmville), advanced towards Farmville on the morning of the 6th, sending in advance two regiments of infantry and a squadron of the 4th Massachusetts cavalry, to destroy High Bridge, on which Lee depended to secure his retreat. The detachment was commanded by Brevet Brigadier-General Theodore Read; the squadron of cavalry numbering, all told, but eighty men, was led by Francis Washburn, the heroic colonel of the regiment (4th Massachusetts cavalry). About noon, the detachment reached the bridge, and found the head of Lee's column moving to cross it. The infantry hung back, but Washburn with his cavalry attacked Lee's advance, and held it back until his small force was overpowered, and he himself fell with a mortal wound. In this attack, General Read was also killed. General Grant states in his official report that the delay occasioned to General Lee by this attack was sufficient to enable General Ord to get up the rest of his troops, and prevent the rebel army from continuing its retreat that day. The Southside Railroad crossed the Appomattox River on bridges both at Farmville and at High Bridge, and there was also a highway bridge at each place. As the river is not fordable, it was a matter of great importance to Lee, not only to use the bridges himself but to destroy them afterwards, to delay pursuit. He completed the crossing of his army at High Bridge during the night of the 6th and 7th, but it was nearly dawn when his forces were over and the rear-guard fired the bridges; but they were too late, for Barlow's Division of the 2d Corps was near enough to save the highway bridge, beat off the rebel rear-guard, and cross the river, followed by the rest of the corps. The 6th Corps and a division of cavalry, supported by General Ord's command, were ordered to cross the river at Farmville, while the never-flagging Sheridan and his cavalry, supported by the 5th Corps, moved to Prince Edward's Court House, about five miles south of Farmville. Brought to bay by two divisions of the 2d Corps, Lee at once intrenched himself in a strong position, covering the road to Lynchburg, about five miles north of Farmville. The position was too formidable to assault in front, and was so well extended that an attempt to flank it met with a bloody repulse. The bridges having been burned at Farmville, although Crook's Division of cavalry succeeded in wading the river, the infantry were unable to get across it until night. General Crook, on crossing with his cavalry, attacked a well-defended rebel wagon train north of the river, but after a sharp skirmish was beaten off. Except the mishap of losing High Bridge in the morning, Lee's weak and starving men had made a glorious day of it, and night found them maintaining a bold front against the advance of their pursuers. General Grant, now feeling that Lee's chance of escape was hopeless, late in the day sent him the following communication from Farmville: April 7, 1865. GENERAL: The result of the last week must convince you of the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood by asking of you the surrender of that portion of the Confederate States army known as the Army of Northern Virginia. U. S. GRANT, Lieutenant-General. General R. E. LEE. The rebel chief, desperate as if he and his army were fighting with halters around their necks, writing a tricky reply, put a long night's march between his army and its pursuers before his answer was delivered to Grant on the morning of the 8th. It was as follows: April 7, 1865. GENERAL: I have received your note of this date. Though not entertaining the opinion you express on the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia, I reciprocate your desire to avoid useless effusion of blood, and therefore, before considering your proposition, ask the terms you will offer on condition of its surrender. R. E. LEE, General. Lieutenant-General U. S. GRANT. The Union forces were now left some distance behind, and started at once on a vigorous pursuit: General Meade with the 2d and 6th corps followed north of the Appomattox; and Sheridan with all the cavalry, followed by Ord's command and the 5th Corps, pushed straight for Appomattox Station, on the Southside road, a point five miles south of Appomattox Court House. Grant accompanied Meade's column, having sent the following reply to Lee's communica tion: April 8, 1865. GENERAL: Your note of last evening, in reply to mine of same date, asking the condition on which I will accept the surrender of the army of Northern Virginia, is just received. In reply, I would say that peace being my great desire, there is but one condition I would insist upon, namely: that the men and officers surrendered shall be disqualified for taking up arms again against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged. I will meet you, or will designate officers to meet any officers you may name for the same purpose, at any point agreeable to you, for the purpose of |