COURT-HOUSE). Farmville, on the south bank of the Appomattox, 70 miles southwest of Richmond, is noted as the place where General Grant opened his correspondence with General Lee which led to the surrender at Appomattox After the battle of Five Forks (1 April 1865) and the successful assault on the Petersburg lines (2 April), Lee retreated and Grant pur sued. Sheridan, with his cavalry and the Fifth corps, 3 April, pushed for the Danville Railroad, keeping south of the Appomattox, followed by the Second and Sixth corps in the direction of Amelia Court-house, while General Ord with the Twenty-fourth corps and a division of the Twenty-fifth, moved along the Southside Rail road for Burkesville. On 4 April Sheridan struck the Danville road near Jetersville and learned that Lee was at Amelia Court-house, eight miles northeast. He immediately en trenched the Fifth corps and awaited the arrival of General Meade with the Second and Sixth corps. Meade found the roads so obstructed with Sheridan's cavalry that he did not get up until the afternoon of 5 April. Ord reached Burkesville on the evening of the 5th. He had been directed by Grant to cut the bridges in Lee's front, to intercept his movements toward Danville and Lynchburg, and await orders at Burkesville. To cut the High Bridge, four miles east of Farmville, Ord, before daybreak of the 6th, sent two small infantry regiments (54th Pennsylvania and 123d Ohio), and 80 officers and men of the 4th Massachusetts cavalry, all under command of Col. Francis Washburn, with orders topush rapidly for the bridge and burn it. After Washburn had gone, Ord sent Gen. Theodore Read, his chief-of-staff, with a small party to overtake him and re connoitre well before moving up to the bridge. Soon after Read had gone, Ord received a dis patch from Sheridan that Lee was moving west of Tetersville and making apparently for Burkes ville, upon which he put his command in position to meet him and sent an officer to caution Read that Lee's army was in his rear and that he must return by pressing on, crossing the Appomattox, and going around by Prince Edward Court house. This last officer was driven back by Lee's cavalry. Read overtook Washburn, took the cavalry into Farmville, examined the country, returned to the infantry and pushing on, was within two miles of High Bridge, when about noon, he ran into Lee's advance, Rosser's and Munford's divisions of cavalry. Read and Washburn drew up the little band of cavalry and 500 infantry and began one of the most gallant fights of the Civil War. Again and again they led the cavalry in successive charges. Read and Washburn fell mortally wounded, and at last not an officer of the cavalry remained alive or unwounded, to lead the men, and the entire command, cavalry and infantry, was enveloped and surrendered.
At 6 A.M. 6 April, the Second, Fifth and Sixth corps moved from Jetersville up the line of the Danville road toward Amelia Court house, where it was hoped to intercept Lee, but during the night Lee had moved west, and when this was discovered, after a march of four miles, the advance on Amelia Court-house was sus pended and the three corps marched westward parallel to Lee's line of retreat and endeavoring to head him off or bring him to a stand. The Second corps came up to Gordon's corps at Flat Creek and was for a time checked but, fording the creek, drove Gordon off and fol lowed him to Sailor's Creek, where he made a stand, but was again driven with a loss of 13 colors, three guns, several hundred prisoners and more than 200 wagons. During the day the Second corps had taken about 1,700 prisoners, four guns and more than 300 wagons and ambulances. Its loss was about 400 men. While the Second corps was thus engaged,. the Sixth corps on its left, with the cavalry divisions of Crook and Merritt, had overtaken and at tacked the commands of Ewell and Anderson on Sailor's Creek, routed them with a severe loss in killed and wounded, and took many thousand prisoners, among them six general officers, in cluding General Ewell. The Confederates con tinued their retreat. Longstreet with the divi sions of Field, Heth and Wilcox marched to Farmville, crossed to the north bank of the Ap pomattox and, on the morning of the 7th, began to move out on the road passing through. Appo
mattox Court-house to Lynchburg. Fitz Hugh Lee with all his cavalry followed Longstreet. General Gordon with the other half of Lee's army, crossed at High Bridge. On the morning of the 7th the Union army continued the pur suit, the cavalry, with the exception of one di vision, and the Fifth corps moving by Prince Edward Court-house; Ord, with his command, the Sixth corps and Crook's cavalry division on Farmville ; the Second corps by the High Bridge road. With great difficulty Crook's cavalry waded the river above Farmville, and Gregg's brigade in moving out was fiercely assailed by Fitzhugh Lee and driven back across the river, Gregg and many of his men being captured. Meanwhile, Ord and the Sixth Corps had come up to find the bridges destroyed, the water too deep for fording and Lee's army in plain view on the opposite bank, drawn up for battle. The Second corps, pursuing Gordon, came to High Bridge just as Gordon's corps and Mahone's division had crossed and set fire to it and the wagon road bridge below it. Barlow, whose division was in advance, threw forward his head of column, which seized the wagon road bridge, extinguished the fire and moved across, Ma hone's division after some sharp skirmishing, retiring in a northwest direction, Gordon's corps moving along the railroad toward Farm ville. Barlow followed Gordon, while Hum phreys led Miles' and De Trobriand's divisions after Mahone and at 1 P.M. came up to Let's army in an entrenched position, its left four miles from Farrirville, on the crest of a long slope of open ground, covering the roads to Lynchburg. Poague's 16 guns opened on him, he threw forward skirmishers, and an unsuccessful attempt was made to take the position in flank. Barlow was sent for but did not get up until sunset. Meanwhile Miles saw an opening and attacked with part of a brigade and was r6 pulsed with considerable loss. Barlow, who had followed Gordon, attacked him and succeeded in cutting off a large train of wagons, which he destroyed, and then rejoined his corps, which bivouacked within 100 yards of Lee's position. The loss of the Second corps during the day was 571, and it had captured 19 guns, many wagons, and had held Lee from continuing his retreat, until such time as Sheridan and Ord were fast gaining his line of escape.
At 5 P.M. General Grant, from his headquar ters at Farmville, wrote General Lee asking the surrender of his army. This was sent through the Second corps lines at half past 8, and within an hour Lee replied, asking the terms that would be offered on condition of his sur render. During the night Lee retreated, Gordon leading and Longstreet bringing up the rear. The Second and Sixth corps followed Long street closely, and Sheridan, with his cavalry, followed by the Fifth corps and Ord's com mand, marched on the south side of the Appo mattox, captured at Appomattox Station four trains of cars loaded with supplies for Lee's army, 25 guns, and a large park of wagons, and drove Lee's advance forces back to Appo mattox Court-house. On the morning of 9 April Sheridan advanced but his cavalry was being pushed back just as Ord, who had marched all night, had formed in his rear, and the Army of Northern Virginia had made its last effort. Sheridan and Ord were in its front; the Second and Sixth corps were close on its rear, negotia tions were in progress, hostilities were suspended and about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, 9 April, the terms of surrender were agreed upon and the War of the Rebellion was practically ended.
Bibliography.— 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (Vol. IV) ; Chamberlain, J. L., 'The passing of the armies; an account of the final campaign' (New York 1915) ; General Grant's 'Personal Memoirs' (Vol. II) ; General Sheri dan's 'Personal Memoirs' (Vol. II) ; Hum phreys' The Virginia Campaign of 1864-65' ; 'Official Records' (Vol. XLVI) • Powell tory of the Fifth Army Corps' ; Schaff, M. 'The sunset of the Confederacy' (Boston 1912); Walker, 'History of the Second Army Corps.'