ECW Weekender: Down By The Banks of Sailor’s Creek

In the first months of 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia had been whittled down to a mere 55,000 as it left the trenches of Petersburg. Desertion rates were high, driving General Robert E. Lee to accept volunteers and conscripts from southern Virginia, as well as a Naval Brigade full of sailors – not soldiers. After the fall of the Southside Railroad at Five Forks on April 1, 1865, Lee knew they could defend Richmond no longer. As the Confederate forces fled west and south – its objective was to join General Joseph Johnston in Raleigh, North Carolina – the Army of the Potomac, aided by the Army of the James and Army of the Shenandoah, were in hot pursuit under the command of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. Bogging down their travel were five long lines of wagon trains, packed with supplies and household goods of evacuees from the Confederate capitol.

First, they aimed for Amelia Court House to resupply with rations from the railroad junction, then they diverted south to Jetersville, which provided the only reasonable way into North Carolina. However, the V Corps cut off their route, forcing them to shift course toward Rice’s Depot and Farmville with the II Corps riding their heels and the VI Corps shadowing their position to the south. Pressure mounted as the Confederate army was forced onto a single road, one corps following another and deserters dropping out of line by the hundreds with each passing day. With General John B. Gordon’s 2nd Corps covering the rear, the Confederates hoped to reach Rice’s Depot via Deatonsville, through Holt’s Corner, and over Sailor’s Creek.

Once Crook was repulsed, Anderson continued on to Marshall’s Crossroads, where he was reinforced by Major General Bushrod Johnson and George Pickett. Union cavalry hero George Custer heard the commotion between Anderson and Crook and hurried to Marshall’s Crossroads to engage. Crook also contributed two dismounted brigades to the continued assaults on the Confederate position. Confederate commanders lost control of their own troops as wagon trains were destroyed and set on fire, drawing the near-starving troops’ attention to the stores of food and rations that had yet to be distributed. The contest at Marshall’s Crossroads ended in a Confederate rout, with the three generals (Anderson, Johnson, and Pickett) evading capture. The same couldn’t be said for 2,600 troops, 300 wagons, 15 pieces of artillery, and 800 mules and horses. The three aforementioned generals would be relieved of duty, their units diminished beyond recovery.

Further north, General Richard Ewell dug in along the southern high ground along Little Sailor’s Creek, about to be confronted by Major General Horatio Wright and his VI Corps. Behind the Union artillery lines upon a high ridge overlooking the river, was the Hillsman House, the last original building remaining in this part of the battlefield. The home, owned by Captain James Hillsman of the 44th Virginia, was occupied by his wife, Lucy, her mother, 2 children, and 8 servants. When hostilities broke out, the family took refuge in the cellar and then played host to Union wounded as their home became a field hospital after the battle. After a half-hour bombardment on the Confederate position, Union troops, approximately 7,000 in total, crossed Sailor’s Creek and the surrounding swampy ground. The water level was so high that day, that they had to hold their muskets over their heads to keep them from getting wet. The Federal soldiers asked for the Confederate surrender and were answered with a volley of rifle fire. When a portion of the Union line began to fall back toward the river, green Confederate troops became caught up in the excitement and charged after veteran soldiers who were armed with repeating rifles. The result was a fierce hand-to-hand melee. Cannister fire from Hillsman Ridge broke up the melee and sent the Confederates back to their lines. Upon the second charge toward Ewell’s lines, the Federal numbers overwhelmed and outflanked the enemy. This proved the undoing of the corps. Generals Ewell, Custis Lee, Seth Barton, Joseph Kershaw, Dudley Dubose, and James Simms, along with 3,400 Confederate troops were captured.

As it became clear that the army was under attack, measures were taken to preserve the supply train. Instead of taking it toward Marshall’s Crossroads and on the way to Deatonsville, the train was detoured down Jamestown Road to the north. Caught behind the wagons was Gordon’s corps, still pursued by the II Corps under General Andrew Humphreys. In this running fight to guard the trains, Gordon and Humphrey’s men engaged several times before turning to make their last stand on the banks of Sailor’s Creek. The bridge that would take them across, however, was not suited for heavy army traffic. Only 25 of the wagons made it across before the bridges collapsed, forcing the train to detour again northwest toward Perkinson’s Sawmill. In the evening around Lockett Farm, the Federals finally caught up with Gordon’s troops and in the ensuing fight, the Confederates moved to the opposite bank. As dark descended, the Union advance came to a halt, but not before capturing 1,700 Confederates, along with artillery, wagons, and ambulances. The Federals encamped on the battlefield while the Confederates retreated. Lockett’s Farm like the Hillsman House, became a field hospital.

The battlefield of Sailor’s Creek stretches for 400 acres and was declared a National Landmark in 1938. It wasn’t until 2006 that it became an independent state park, complete with a driving tour and visitor center. Today, the public can learn about this crucial moment of the Appomattox Campaign and the stories of the soldiers who fought in it.

Address: 6541 Sayler’s Creek Rd, Rice, VA 23966 Phone: 804-561-7510 Website: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/sailors-creek  

References

Derek Smith, Lee’s Last Stand, Sailor’s Creek, Virginia, 1865 (White Mane Publishing, 2002)

Greg Eames, Black Day of the Army, April 6, 1865; The Battles of Sailor’s Creek (E&H Publishing Company, Burkeville, VA, 2001)

Christopher M. Calkins, The Appomattox Campaign: March 9 – April 9, 1865 (Da Capo Press, 1997)

[Taken from Belle on the Battlefield Blog ]