Complete disorganization and demoralization seem to have taken hold of the Confederates on this fatal day, and Lee was once more in eclipse. The Federal cavalry headed the column, the infantry attacked it, and Ewell became the victim of tactical envelopment after Anderson had been defeated and Gordon had failed to save the trains of the army. Surrender or massacre being the alternatives, Ewell surrendered, and here in fact the career of the army of Northern Virginia ended, as Grant plainly saw, for at 5:30 P.M. he addressed a demand to Lee for his capitulation. But Lee clung to his diminished forces for another 48 hours. Long street in crossing at Farmville had burnt the bridges and thus delayed the pursuit ; but Gordon and Mahone, who had crossed at High bridge (the railroad bridge), failed to check Humphreys' corps (II.), and so were compelled to take up a position of de fence on the north bank until darkness enabled them to slip away. Lee was with this remnant of the army. Meanwhile Sheridan with the cavalry and two corps (V., XXIV.) had hastened along the South Side railroad, seizing the supplies waiting for Lee at Pamplin's Station, and then moving on another to Appomat tox station. At nightfall he found that he was astride the enemy's line of operation, which was also his line of supply, and so Lee would be compelled to give battle or capitulate on the morrow.
Lee, quitting Farmville heights on the night of April 7 changed the order of march during the next day, so that Gordon (8,000) was in the van and Longstreet (r 5,000) furnished the rear-guard.
Ewell's corps was now represented by 30o effectives. The cavalry still numbered some 1,600 sabres. Lee's column was pursued along the Lynchburg road by two Federal Corps (II., VI.), which marched 26m. in 181 hours, and at midnight halted within 3m. of Longstreet, who had entrenched near Appomattox Court-House, facing east and covering the road on which Gordon's corps and the cavalry was to press forward to Lynchburg at daylight. But Gordon on the morning of April 9 found Sheridan's cavalry in his front, and in accordance with plans made overnight he com menced an attack, driving the Federals back until he encountered at ro A.M. two corps of infantry (V., XXIV.) under Ord, who had marched 29m. in order to support Sheridan at the crisis; and when at the same moment Longstreet was threatened by Humphreys and Wright (II., VI.) the situation had arisen which Lee con sidered would justify surrender, an event which had been an ticipated on both sides as the result of the fighting about Farm ville on April 6 and 7.
The closing operations from March 29 to April 9 were all in favour of the Federals, but, nevertheless, the historian counts their losses during this period at nearly ro,000 in the five corps and cavalry which constituted Gen. Grant's field army. On April 9, at the Appomattox Court-House, the two leaders exchanged formal documents by which 2,862 officers and 25,494 enlisted men were paroled, all that remained in the field of some 55,000 Con federates who were drawing rations on Feb. 20 as the army of Northern Virginia. (G. W. R.)