Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 15.djvu/9

 INTRODUCTION. IX

"Accordingly, on the morning of the memorable Qth of April, Gordon and Fitz. Lee attacked Sheridan's splendid cavalry, outnum- bering them more than four to one, and flushed with the full con- fidence of victory and the assurance that, if they needed support, the 'Army of the James' was close at hand. Yet, despite these odds and the exhaustion of these famishing men, they went into that fight with the heroic courage which ever characterized that old corps, and proved themselves not unworthy of Stonewall Jackson, Ewell, Early, Gordon, Rodes, Ramseur, Pegram, J. A. Walker, C. A. Evans and other noble leaders, whom they had been wont to follow to victory. Utterly unable to withstand the onset, Sheridan hastened in person to hurry up the ' Army of the James,' while Gordon drove his ' invincible troopers ' more than a mile, and cap- tured and brought off two pieces of artillery and a large number of prisoners. Had only Sheridan barred the way the surrender had not occurred at Appomattox Courthouse ; but Gordon only drove back the cavalry to find himself confronted by the 'Army of the James' and the road blocked by ten times his numbers."*

At this crisis, which, states Colonel Charles S. Venable, of the staff of General Lee, was at 3 o'clock A. M., "General Lee rode forward, still hoping that we might break through the countless hordes of the enemy which hemmed us in. Halting a short dis- tance in rear of our vanguard he sent me on to General Gordon to ask him if he could break through the enemy. I found General Gordon and General Fitz. Lee on their front line, in the dim light of the morning, arranging an attack. Gordon's reply to the mes- sage (I give the expressive phrase of the gallant Georgian) was this : ' Tell General Lee I have fought my corps to a frazzle, and I fear I can do nothing unless I am heavily supported by Longstreet's corps.' When I bore this message back to General Lee, he said : ' Then there is nothing left me but to go and see General Grant,f and I would rather die a thousand deaths.' Convulsed with pas- sionate grief, many were the wild words which we spoke as we stood around him. Said one, ' Oh ! General, what will history say of the surrender of the army in the field ? ' He replied, ' Yes, I know they


 * Jones's Reminiscences, pages 299, 300.

f Field's and Mahone's divisions of Longstreet's corps, staunch in the midst of all our disasters, were holding Meade back in our rear, and could not be spared for the attack.