The Falling Flag: Evacuation of Richmond, Retreat and Surrender at Appomattox — John Shaqi
The Falling Flag: Evacuation of Richmond, Retreat and Surrender at AppomattoxBoykin, Edward M.
History
The Falling Flag: Evacuation of Richmond, Retreat and Surrender at Appomattox
Boykin, Edward M.
Richmond (Va.) -- History -- Siege, 1864-1865
It was not until the fourth day from Richmond, at the high bridge on
the "Appomattox," the battle of Sailor's Creek was fought, in which,
with overwhelming masses of cavalry, artillery and infantry, our
starved and tired men were ridden down, and General Grant destroyed,
in military parlance, the divisions of Kershaw, Ewell, Anderson and
Custis Lee.
The fighting next day was of the same desultory character as before,
and the day after there was no blow struck until we encountered with
the artillery Custar's cavalry, at the depot of Appomattox
Court-house, as has been described--all their energies being directed
toward establishing their "cordon" around that point.
The terms of the surrender, and all about it, are too well known to go
over in detail here--prisoners of war on parole, officers to retain
side arms, and all private property to be respected, that was
favorable to our cavalry, as in the Confederate service the men all
owned their horses, though different in the United States army, the
horses belonging to Government.
General Gary, true to the doctrine he had laid down in his discussion
with the irate captain, that "South Carolinians did not surrender,"
turned his horse's head, and, with Captain Doby and one or two others,
managed to get that night through the "cordon" drawn around us, and
succeeded in reaching Charlotte, North Carolina, which became, for a
time, the headquarters of the "Southern Confederacy"--the President
and his Cabinet having established themselves there.
Colonel Haskell, who had been separated from us the night before,
while gathering up the horses of the brigade, by the charge of cavalry
on the turnpike, and had joined and been acting with General Walker
and his artillery, came in about two o'clock. All the Confederate
cavalry at Appomattox, some two thousand or twenty-five hundred, were
under his command as ranking officer.
The brigade crossed the road and bivouacked in the open field near the
creek, within a few hundred yards of the town. Our infantry, and what
was left of the artillery, was scattered along the road for two or
three miles toward Richmond--the enemy swarming in every direction
around us, and occupying the town as headquarters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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