April 8, 1865
We have been making our usual little picnic to-day — say
nineteen miles — and have got about half-way between Burkeville Junction and
Lynchburg. Did you ever see that Washburn, Colonel in Louis Cabot's regiment,
rather a well-looking young man? He was sent the day before yesterday, by Ord,
from Burkeville Junction, with a small infantry and cavalry force, to destroy
the Farmville bridges, to keep back the Rebels and head them off; but he found
the enemy there before him; they attacked him, got him in the forks of two runs
and killed or took most of his command, after a really desperate fight;
Washburn getting a bullet through the cheeks and a sabre cut in the head. Then
the Rebels crossed from Farmville to the other side and then they burnt
the bridges in our faces. Last night was a white frost, as my toes,
under the blankets, suggested to me in the morning. We left betimes, before
six, to wit; for we had to get all the way back to High Bridge and then begin
our march thence. After crossing the river beside the bridge (whereof the last three
spans had been burnt by the enemy), we bore to the right, into the pine woods,
then kept to the left, through a poor wood road, and emerged on the main road,
about a mile east of the Piedmont coal mine, just as Humphreys's rear guard
were marching on. As they had supposed, the enemy had retreated during the
night and now we looked forward to a day's stern chase. At the coal mine we
found General Humphreys, wearing much the expression of an irascible pointer,
he having been out on several roads, ahead of his column, and getting down on
his knees and peering at foottracks, through his spectacles, to determine by
which the main body had retreated. Here we got a great excitement, on learning
that, last night, General Williams had conveyed a note from Grant to Lee,
demanding his surrender. That, furthermore, Lee had made a reply, and that now
General Williams had just gone forward, with a flag, to send an answer. All
this looked favorable and gave a new aspect to the whole question! The original
idea of sending a note came from the language used by Ewell and his Staff,
captured on the 6th. These officers had stated that their position was hopeless
and that Lee might surrender, if summoned. The good Williams's mission came
near being fatal to the messenger of peace; for, as he got in sight of the rear
Rebel videttes and was waving away, to attract their attention, they shot at him
and wounded his orderly. However, he persevered, and, with a little care, got
his note delivered.
We now trotted along what had been, years since, a fine
stage road; but the present condition was not exactly favorable to waggons with
delicate springs — the road at present being playfully variegated with
boulders, three feet high, which had inconvenienced the Rebel trains, as many a
burnt waggon testified. Toiling along past the trains in rear of the Second
Corps, we were caught by General Grant, who was in high spirits, and addressed
General Meade as “Old Fellow.” Both Staffs halted for the night at Stute's
house, and, as Grant's waggons could not get up, we fed him and his officers
and lent them blankets. Grant had one of his sick headaches, which are rare,
but cause him fearful pain, such as almost overcomes even his iron stoicism. To
show how really amiable he is, he let the officers drum on the family piano a
long while before he even would hint he didn't like it. Towards sundown we
could hear rapid artillery from direction of Appomattox Station, which made us
anxious; for we knew it was Sheridan, and could not know the result.
SOURCE: George R. Agassiz, Editor, Meade’s
Headquarters, 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, p. 353-5
No comments:
Post a Comment