A tremendous day Part 1

Woke up excited to start the journey west to follow Lee's Retreat, which is an official tour along the route to Appomattox.

To summarize what had been happening since the fall of Richmond. When Lee's army left Richmond, Lee intended to go south to meet up with Johnston's army being hotly pursued north by Sherman after the famous Sherman's march [south] to the sea.

Appomattox River

Lee had requisitioned food and supplies to be sent to Amelia courthouse just west of Richmond, but instead of food, munitions arrived (some Union spies dressed as Confederates had a hand in causing this mixup). Lee then sent his men west again to Farmville because his way south was blocked. On the morning of April 6, his men were attacked by the Corps of Humphreys, Wright and Custer (yes, that Custer). Throughout the day the Union would continue to squeeze the vice until it was too dark to pursue. Lee lost roughly one-fourth of his army, many of them captured. The Federals claimed 7,700 prisoners that day, including six generals, among them Ewell, Kershaw, and Robert E. Lee's eldest son, Custis. Lee wrote to President Jefferson Davis, "a few more Sailor's Creeks and it will all be over." Lee surrendered three days later.

So, this could be an exciting place to hear talks. Turns out with only one ranger on duty at the visitors center, there was nothing special going on. I must admit to feeling deflated, like what am I going to do all day. What indeed!

I noticed two men at one of the exhibits who seemed to know what they were talking about, or at least talked as if they knew what they were talking about.  I inserted myself into their conversation when I heard them talking about going to High Bridge.  The one with the Confederate cap, took me over to the exhibit maps to show me hour by hour the battles of Sailors Creek (it was really 4).  Then he gave me the scoop-at 2:00 some people were meeting at the North End of High Bridge Park the battle that took place on April 7 for a special tour. 'Here's how to get there and we'll see you there, right?'

You betcha, yeah, let's bag this joint and go where the action is. But what would I do between 11:00 and 2:00. Read emails?  Eat? I decided to take the self guided car tour for the park which does include radio/audio segments at each stop.
The tour includes a stop at the Hillmans house which became a makeshift hospital where both Union and Confederate soldiers lay side by side. The Locketts house, like many others in the war was a peaceful sight until it unceremoniously got in the way of two warring armies.
But it was the Double Bridges at Sailors Creek  that holds a story that may become my next song. There the Confederate wagons were bogged down so badly that they were overcome by the Union soldiers and where most of the prisoners were taken.

That was enjoyable enough, but it was still only 12:30, so I decided to wend my way to Farmville, the site of the next chapter.  Every so often there is a Lee's Retreat Road market that signals an event or battle action. At one of these I see my new 'friends' who I learn are John and Phil. They love to take pictures of everything, so we take turns swapping cameras and looking at the maps. An aside is that the maps and explanatory signs at all the sites are excellent and the audio tours that work well are worth listening to. For some parks there are also online Civil War podcast.

But I digress.

From then on I was welcomed to join them as we drove to different stops. The one I would never have thought to visit, Cumberland Church, was Lee's last 'success' in fighting off the Union might. If he had lost, then we would be commemorating the 150th anniversary of the end of the war at Cumberland Church. Instead, it is where Grant sent his first message to bring the war to an end.
Grant presented Lee with the facts of the situation as he saw them:
General
The results of the last week must convince you that the hopelessness of further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this struggle. I feel that it is o, and regard it as my duty to shift from myself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood, by asking you the surrender of that portion of the CS Army known as the Army of Northern Virginia.”
Very Respectfully,
Your obedient servant
US Grant, Lt. General, Commanding Armies of the United States

Lee showed the letter to General Longstreet who replied “not yet.” They left their lines around Cumberland Church at 11pm for a night march westward towards Appomattox Station.

So ends the morning!

A tremendous day Part 2 Meeting for the tour of High Bridge

I didn't know what to expect when I turned into the parking lot at 2:00 oclock to meet up with John and Phil. After all, they did seem to intimate that this was an unusual location and a privately set up tour, and that as Phil said 'You are about to see the dark side of Civil War tours'.

Bob and John

There were some 15 people (mostly men) milling about, vaguely talking with each other. And me.

The ranger, Bob Pifflen arrived and immediately the group coalesced into one, clearly all there for the same reason.  He was almost in tears as he introduced himself and the importance of taking this walk/hike on this day.



Who in the world were these people?

Standing underneath the current steel bridge

They are a group of self described 'realtimers' a term I had never heard. They had to the best of their abilities gone to events since 2011 on the actual anniversary dates. To arrange this on this date was particularly important and rewarding to them as well. Their enthusiasm was infectious (not that I needed much of a nudge).

A tremendous day Part 3 The tour of High bridge

Lee's goal: To burn the bridge over the 2200 foot Appomattox River Valley so that there would be a river between him and Grant's army.

The reality: Though the Confederates had found food in Farmville, they needed to move out quickly with many men still hungry. Both armies were exhausted from marching, marching, evading, fighting.
Men walk, or more likely stumble across the bridge that is 100s of feet above the valley, hand on shoulder to keep upright.

The reality: Officers depleted, those who still stood made faulty decisions that cost them the goal and men's lives. Remember, Grant had reached out to Lee to surrender at Cumberland Church, who still had the illusion that he could make it south.

The officer charged with the plan to burn the bridge does his job to set up the plan, collect the supplies. But he doesn't light the fire because no orders have been given. He waits overnight, then is worried (!) when Union calvary is heard coming close.

And so the battle of High Bridges begins. 

I've joined this group of a dozen or so 'Realtimers', many of whom have spent the last FOUR years travelling all over the country to attend the realtime events of the 150th. To say they are knowlegable is an understatement, but Bob Pifflin, a native of the area with an obvious passion clearly can hold his own. He brings copies of photos, documents, drawings from his vast collection as a way to illustrate the drama and despair as the Confederates try to hold off the enemy.

They fail. But enough escape. Lee is still adamant to fight one more time, to the death if need be. And so the battle of Appomattox is tomorrow's story.

The Crater at Petersburg

This is one of the most astonishing stories of the Civil War, that but for the disaster that it became, would have been seen as one of its most heroic triumphs

After the stupendous disaster of Cold Harbor, where Grant sent his men into frontal attacks that turned to frontal slaughter, Richmond was still in Confederate control. The year is 1864 and Grant decides to go south to the hub of transportation that supplies the capital-Petersburg. If he can block of Petersburg and its railroads, then Richmond will literally be starved out.

The first assault goes well, but as with many before, with no follow through falls short of total success. Lee sends men to reinforce the city with a thin line of defense that spans 30 miles.

It is then that a Pennsylvania soldier, a miner, remarks that they should just build a mine underneath and blow up the whole line.  One commander, Pleasants takes him quite seriously and encourages his men who have the skills to do just that. For one month they dig deep underneath a shaft with an expert ventilation system, a tunnel 511 feet long that ends at the Confederate picket line. Rumors swirl through Petersburg, but it seems absurd that such a venture could ever be accomplished.

The tunnel finished, fuse is lit. Fuse dies out. Lit again.  Bam!!!###*@#####

The earth explodes, men buried head first feet first. The Union soldiers stop in confusion at the scene in front of them, then leadership chaos breaks out as they rush into the crater both to save the rebel soldiers and to save themselves from rebel fire.

It is a disaster.

What can be seen today is the entrance to the tunnel, the demarcated picket lines, just 100 yards apart, and a depression about 100 feet in diameter.

It would take another year for Petersburg to fall, leading to the eventual evacuation of Richmond.

Saylors Creek and beyond

From the Saylors Creek website

On April 6, 1865, nearly a quarter of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's army, more than 7,700 men, were killed, wounded or captured here. Lee surrendered 72 hours later at Appomattox Court House.

Today begins my own retreat from Richmond to chase Lee's army west across the state. Saylors Creek, Jetersville, Amelia CourtHouse, Farmville. The weather is overcast and predictions are for rain.