Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 21.djvu/93

 .!////>/ of .YO/-/AO-,/ r// ///// /.

85

The sharp skirmish fire soon grew into a furious and heavy volume of musketry. The ever faithful Carter joined in with his deep -toned guns. The cavalry on our right pressed forward at a gallop, and wild and fierce shouts resounded throughout the heavens. As the sun drove away that Sunday morning mist, it looked down upon a scene that will forevermore thrill Southern hearts. In a steady line, sustained on the left by artillery, which flamed forth at every step, with cavalry charging fiercely on the right, the Confederate line of battle, scarlet almost from the array of battle flags floating over it, went forth to death, driving before it masses of blue cavalry and artillery.* Spring was just budding forth, and the morning sun glistening from budding leaf and tree, shed a halo about the red bat- tle flags with the starry cross, as if nature would smile on the nation that was dying there. We pressed on and beyond the Courthouse. Fitz Lee and his cavalry rode unmolested on the Lynchburg road, but Gordon's infantry was impeded by a desperate resistance. Gor- don's men captured a battery, and still pressed on. It was too late. The " infantry under Ord," nearly 30,000 strong, now filed across our pathway, throwing out batteries from every knoll, and rapidly advanced lines of infantry against us.f Gordon could not withstand what was in front, and to stop to resist it, would be to involve his flank and rear in clouds of enemies. Slowly this glorious color guard of the "Army of Northern Virginia" retraced its steps to Appomattox Courthouse, bringing with it prisoners and captured

follows : Grimes', 688 muskets ; Early's, 444 ; Gordon's, 644, none of them having more than the strength of a full regiment. In the Second corps alone some sixty-four regimental organizations were represented, and, as the figures show, they did not average thirty muskets in line. The show- ing in the cavalry was about the same. While the corps lost some flags in battle, and frequently when regiments became exceedingly small they did not carry their colors in line, yet the number of colors carried that day, in- cluding those of Anderson's troops, was out of all proportion to the num- ber of men, and made the line appear " almost scarlet."

Ord says: %< In spite of Sheridan's attempt the cavalry was falling back in confusion before Lee's infantry." Crook says : "The cavalry was forced to retire by overwhelming numbers until relieved by infantry, when we re- organized." Merritt and Custer say the same thing.
 * Sheridan says his cavalry fell back slowly in accordance with orders.

t General Ord thinks his advance was made about 10 o'clock. It was however, a few minutes after 9 o'clock.