Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 21.djvu/92

 84 Southern Historical Society Papers.

The tired Confederates sank down to rest just as they halted. The troops had neither food nor sleep, and were too weak and weary to build fires.

THE ATTEMPT TO CUT OUT.

About half-past 5 on Sunday, April gth, Gordon, who had formed his command nearly a half a mile from the Courthouse, advanced his line. A proud array it was, although the men were so worn, jaded and famished that many could hardly carry their muskets. Divisions had dwindled to the number of full regiments, and regiments and companies were represented by a few files of men ; but the colors of nearly all of the organizations remained.*

known the army had surrendered, without waiting to be paroled with their commands when General Fitz Lee surrendered the cavalry a short time afterwards. General Robert E. Lee, in his letter announcing the surrender to President Davis, says: " I have no accurate report of the cavalry, but be- lieve it did not exceed 2,100 effective men." Hence, I have felt justified in estimating the number participating in the action on the morning of April 9th, as greater than the number paroled.

" Gordon's Corps " at Appomattox included the old Second corps and what was left of Anderson and Ewell's commands, and surrendered 6,773 enlisted men, including the detailed men of all the various organizations composing the corps, such as teamsters, ordnance, ambulance drivers, etc. The detailed men amounted to at least 1,500, for we had not only the usual proportion for the force present, but considerably more, since the detailed men of Ewell and Anderson's forces, which were so terribly handled at Sailor's Creek, were not captured in the same proportion as its fighting strength. Deducting the number of detailed men, who are not available for line of battle duty, would give Gordon about 5,000 infantry men. Over half of these were too weak to bear their muskets and forty rounds of ammunition. The strength of the infantry under Gordon in the attack is therefore placed at " about 2,500," which corresponds with the recollection of General Gordon and other officers at the time.

we take the number paroled and bear in mind that it includes the detailed men, and that over half the infantry were too weak to bear arms on the morning of April gth. The Second corps, composed of the divisions of Grimes, Early and Gordon, paroled 4,456 enlisted men, exclusive of pro- vost guard, &c., their numbers being respectively 1,727, 1,117 and 1,612. Deducting sixty per cent, of this number for detailed men, not available for battle, and the proportion of men who were physically unable to bear arms, these divisions were represented in the column of attack about as
 * That this statement is not an exaggeration becomes quite evident when