Sailor’s Creek Battlefield- A Historical Overview

1. Sailor’s Creek Battlefield- A Historical Overview Midterm Project Advanced World History Andrew Griles October 8th, 2010

2. Sayler’s Creek Battlefield is located in Amelia, Prince Edward and Nottoway counties in rural Southside Virginia. It was renamed “Sailor’s Creek Battlefield” by the Historical Society in 1985. It was thought to be named originally by the landowner on which the battle was fought. It is the sight of one of the most pivotal battles fought in the civil war on April 6th, 1865.

3. Information Board at Sayler’s Creek Battlefield

4. The Battle ofSayler’s Creek was important to the heritage of our country for four main reasons: It was the last major battle before the surrender of Lee’s army, It is considered the largest surrender in the field of an army without terms that followed, Many of the greatest and most illustrious leaders of both armies clashed together for the last time on this field of conflict, and In the engagement at the Hillsman’s Farm, the Confederate army involved both seamen, Marines, and armed government employees and heavy artillerymen. It was Lee’s son’s (George Washington Custis Lee) only battle during the war.

5. Events leading to the Battle of Sayler’s Creek: April 3-5, 1865: Gen. Lee withdraws his Army from Petersburg and Richmond, divides them into three columns and heads towards Amelia Court House, where his plans were to re-supply his army and travel to North Carolina to join forces with Confederate Gen. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee. Because of the rain-soaked and swollen streams, travel was difficult, and the majority of the wagon trains were caught and destroyed by the Union Army.

6. Lee’s troops arrived in Amelia Courthouse, but the supplies never appeared and a day was wasted while the Confederate soldiers gathered food throughout the countryside. This delay advantaged the Union cavalry while they positioned themselves seven miles below Amelia and blocked Lee’s route south. Finding his route blocked, Lee ordered his columns to detour the Union Army along the South Side Railroad to Farmville where supply trains from Lynchburg awaited.

7. The order of the Confederate line of march on this detour to Farmville was: Gen James Longstreet’s 1st and 3rd Corps along with it’s wagon train in the lead; Gen. Richard H Anderson’s Corps; Gen. R. S. Ewell’s Reserve Corps, made up of the Richmond Garrison; and in the rear, the main Confederate wagon train. Gen. John B. Gordon’s 2nd Corps was behind the wagons and acted as the army’s rearguard.

8. Longstreet’s Corps (with which Lee rode) passed through the bottomlands without much difficulty, however for Anderson’s Corps and Ewell’s Reserve Corps, there was trouble. The Union cavalry employed hit and run tactics against them which slowed the line of march down and caused a widened gap between Longstreet and Anderson. Anderson realized this and halted his line to confer with Gen. Ewell, the senior officer on the field.

9. It seems Ewell couldn’t make up his mind about what to do, so Anderson instructed his men to prepare a defensive line and make ready to receive an attack. Gordon’s men had been slowed down by the wagon trains following Ewell. Fearing for their safety, Ewell sent the wagon trains on an alternate route and Gordon’s Second Corps followed them, leaving Ewell’s men as the rearguard of the retreating column.

10. Gen. Ewell’s Line of Defense

11. Several columns of the Confederate Army found the marching pace difficult to keep up with and soon became separated from the columns of Lee and Longstreet. The union cavalry struck the wagons and in a desperate attempt to save supplies Ewell detoured the wagon train down Jamestown Road. It was here that the Union troops began their assault but the Confederate infantry mounted a countercharge that forced the Union line back across the creek. Eventually, the Unions fired cannons, enveloping Ewell’s troops and forced them to surrender

12. Union cannons aimed towards the southeast and the Confederate soldiers at the Hillsman House.

13. Gordon’s troops became bogged down at the “double bridges” crossing over the intersection of Big and Little Sailor’s Creeks. Union troop0s under Gen. Humphreys attacked Gordon’s forces in a sharp bloody encounter and by nightfall, the battle had ended. 300 wagons and 1700 men were captured. The Confederates fled towards Rice’s Station across Big Sailor’s Creek.

14. Pointing in the direction of the battlefield. Position of the Union troops.

15. It has been said that Gordon’s abandonment of the main body of the army is what caused the ensuing disaster at Sayler’s Creek for the Confederates. It has been suggested that Ewell was at fault for not informing Gordon of his intentions, and that the rearguard followed the wagon trains because they had not received instructions to join the commands under Anderson and Ewell.

16. Sayler’s Creek Battlefield

17. The Hillsman House was a field hospital for Union officers who were wounded during battle. Regular servicemen had to be treated outside and were not allowed to stay inside. The house was occupied by the Hillsman family, but they were forced to live in the basement during the time the Union occupied it in April 1865.

18. Front of Hillsman House

19. Inside the Hillsman House- Room where the Union officers stayed during their recovery.

20. Inside the addition of the Hillsman House

21. Sayler’s Creek Battlefield – Hillsman House

22. The Lockett House was another field hospital. The grounds in front was where the battle between Humphrey’s Union army and Gordon’s Confederate Second Corps took place. For those that escaped capture at Sayler’s Creek, they existed long enough to fight again once more on August 9th in Appomattox Court House before the confederates surrendered.

23. Lockett House- another field hospital

24. Standing in front of the Lockett House (newly restored)

25. Lee lost more that 7700 men and eight generals. This is the largest number of men to ever surrender in a single action on this continent. After such a reduction in troops and supplies, Lee’s situation was hopeless and seventy-two hours later he surrendered in Appomattox.

26. Battle at Little Sayler’s Creek This is a painting of the Battle at Little Sayler’s Creek. The Union troops are in the foreground. They are utilizing cannons and are firing towards the Confederate troops in the background who were without any artillery.

27. References: “Thirty-six Hours before Appomattox”; by Chris Calkins, 1980. “Lee’s Retreat, The Final Campaigns” Brochure, Virginia Civil War Trails “Sailor’s Creek Battlefield 72 hours before the end” Brochure by Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation