On March 29, 1865, Union General Ulysses S. Grant began to maneuver around the Confederate General Robert E. Lee's forces, entrenched at Petersburg, VA. Lee's men were forced to abandon the city and began a march westward, hoping to join up with General Joseph E. Johnston's forces in North Carolina and to get supplies for his army. Lee's army never made it.
Lee became bogged down in Dinwiddie County, where several battles occurred: Lewis' Farm, White Oak Road, and Dinwiddie Court House. The culminating battle was at Five Forks (April 1, 1865), where Union General Philip H. Sheridan defeated Confederate General George E. Pickett. The Confederates suffered a humiliating defeat, and Wikipedia relates General Pickett's role in the battle: "Pickett's unfortunate military career suffered another humiliation—he was two miles away from his troops at the time of the attack, enjoying a shad bake with some other officers. By the time he returned to the battlefield, it was too late" (Wikipedia). On April 2, the Siege of Petersburg ended, with the Confederate trench lines finally giving way to a concentrated Union assault.
Lee began moving, with General Grant in hot pursuit. Grant's objective was to keep the pressure on Lee's already battered forces, hoping to get them in a position to force a surrender. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was the majority of the Confederacy's military forces, and a surrender from it would effectively be a surrender of the Confederacy.
Lee's men, rigorously chased by a relentless General Grant, traveled next through Amelia County, stopping at Jetersville, where Lee nearly decided to engage Grant's men in a final battle. Lee realized that he had one last chance to divide and conquer Grant's men; Grant had sent part of his force ahead of the main army, and Lee felt that his troops could take this force on. However, another Confederate officer convinced him that the odds of success were not in his favor. Indeed, the timing was off by a few hours, and if Lee had gone through, he would have met both a much stronger Union force than he would have wanted.
Lee's army made it to Rice, VA, located in Prince Edward County. On the night of April 5, General Grant and his men camped at Nottoway Court House, and Grant spent the night in the oldest church in the county, Old Brick Church. A Union force was sent ahead of Grant's main army, and it engaged in skirmishes at High Bridge, a railroad bridge that was a key entrance to the town of Farmville. Lee's men fought savagely to keep the railroad under their control. Meanwhile, Confederate General James Longstreet fought a small Union force at Rice's Depot.
On April 6, Union General Sheridan's forces cut off Confederate General Ewell's forces near Sailor's (or Sayler's) Creek. The ensuing battle was among the bloodiest of the war, with nearly 10,000 men total injured or killed. Reports from the aftermath say that the creek ran red with blood. The most vicious fighting of the battle occurred at Marshall's Crossroads and near the Hillsman House, an eighteenth century house that was used as a Union hospital.
Among the officers at Sayler's Creek were Union Generals Philip Sheridan and George A. Custer. Grant himself was still in Nottoway County. The most valiant fighting on the part of the Confederates came from an unlikely source: Naval Commander John R. Tucker and his men were present at Sailor's Creek, and they held their ground longer than the Confederate infantry before surrendering. The Confederates fared terribly, losing numerous supply wagons, artillery pieces, and men. The Confederate commander during the battle, Richard S. Ewell, surrendered, and a large portion of Lee's army was taken prisoner. Lee himself said after the battle, "My God! Has the army dissolved?" (CWSAC Battle Summary for the Battle of Sailor's Creek)
Lee's forces, whipped terribly and much smaller than they once were, staggered one county westward, making it to Appomattox Court House, where Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9. General Johnston surrendered to Union General William T. Sherman on April 26. For all intents and purposes, the war was over, though there were skirmishes in the South until late May, when Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered in Texas.
Sources: The History Channel Website, Wikipedia, CWSAC Battle Summaries, Virginia State Historical Markers
Other Websites: Sailor's Creek State Park
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