Memorial park. Ill be with you for lectures. And the topic today is going to be on general James Longstreet at couple of timappomattox. May 6, 1864. On october 7, he reports back to richmond and writes a letter to lee suggesting hes ready to come back for active duty but that at least with the army in northern major, lee might want a more vigorous person to take charge. Hell never recover the use of his right arm at this point because of the bullet exiting through his throat, he cant speak above a whisperer. He orders longstreet to return and resume command of the first corps of the army of northern virginia. And the confederate defenses north of the james river. So longstreet has everything from bermuda up through the north. By march 29th, it was going on since june 18th, 1864. And lees lines run about 37 miles. His last railing to the south, the southside railroad, is going to be controlled by Confederate Forces at five forks. On april 1st of 1965 union troops were captured at five forks and cut lees last rail link to the south. At that point, lee has no option but to evacuate richmond and petersburg. Hes going to send longstreet to bring his troops to petersburg. He received lees orders at about 7 00 that night and he had his first troops on train in two hours. Longstreet is going to ride on his horse to petersburg and he arrived there before his troops got there on the trains. Longstreet is going to meet with lee at edge hill and edge hill is just off to the right of this photograph. The marker you see here is for edge hill. The main road you see here is West Washington street which is route 1 in petersburg. If youre going there, look for walgreens and youll find edge hill. [ laughter ] he arrived at daylight at edge hill but he also wrote that it was still dark when he got there. Silver twilight was at 5 27 with sunrise at 5 54. Edge hill is roughly one mile north of ft. Greg. The attack on april 2nd would begin at 5 15 in the morning. Lee and longstreet are watching the opening phases of the attack and lee appears to start the advance. But longstreet had to admit that not a man of my command was there nor had we noticed that any of them had reached the station at petersburg. Because of the federal attack, lee is forced to evacuate edge hill and move to the mccowin home. And defense road runs off to the right within shouting distance of battery number 45. Fort greg is a mile west of this location. Longstreet is going to write, i look towards petersburg and saw general benning with his brigade march around the hill. He added with 600 of his men. Theyre going to be positioned to defend the area between fort whitworth and the canal near the river. He arrived at petersburg at 11 00 in the morning with two regiments. Longstreet also wrote, i then i road then to the skirmishers and turned and road at a walk to the top of the hill. Took out my glasses and had a careful review of the enemies formidable masses. I believe i recognized general g gibbonn and raised my hat. He did not see me. Longstreet is going to establish this new line in the rear of the creek. The defense of fort greg and fort whitworth was the time he needed to set up a defense line to hold back the union attack and buy time to organize a retreat. Longstreets line were a run from battery 45 to the appomattox river. General benning wrote, all was done under the immediate eye of general longstreet who road the coat everywhere, frequently in front of the line up and down with grand unconcern. I never saw anything like it in the war. It was the talk of all. By 8 00, of april 2nd, lee started his retreat from petersburg. Crossing the pontoon bridges, benning claimed to be the last of longstreets corps to leave the line at about midnight. Their route would take them through ettrick mills. By 3 00 a. M. Of april 3rd, lee has successfully evacuated the petersburg front. And now theres a chase on after lee. Lees initial plan is to head for amelia courthouse, then south to burkeville down to danville, virginia, and then in North Carolina join Joe Johnstons army. Lee is hoping their combined forces they can defeat sherman, turn around and defeat grant. Its a long shot, but its all lee has at this point. Lieutenant colonel arrived to a place called clover hill. This is the home of kates father and the judge invites lee, longstreet and their staff to supper at clover hill. Longstreet is unable to use his right arm from his wound. Kate said that longstreet had little to say on any topic. The confederates crossed goods bridge. He said i sent across fields and took up a line on the south side to cover the crossing which to the roads was very much delayed. Longstreets command numbers by 5,000 men. Its the largest and most affected division in lees army at this point. At amelia courthouse, he was hoping to find supplies and he did. There was plenty of Artillery Ammunition waiting for him but no food. And now lee has to spend most of april 4th sending parties out to try to forage for food. Thats the best he can do. But Lieutenant Colonel owen remembered this a. M. I saw general lee and longstreet as usual they both looked confident. Longstreet himself said, there was considerable skirmishing for part of the way. At amelia courthouse, i drew fields beyond the town and endeavored to bring on an engagement with the enemy. They, however, showed no disposition to attack and with drew about dark. So here is a guy now, hes recovered from a wound where he was shot by his own men. Hes had to retreat from richmond down to petersburg. Hes retreated from petersburg and yet on april 4th, two days after petersburg, longstreet still wants to pitch into the union troops. He wants to fight them. Its almost like, okay, guys, lets bring it on now. You want to fight . Were ready for you. Longstreet is not ready to give up by any means. On april 5th, the confederates are approaching the city. They thought the enemys position too strong to warrant aggressive battle. I grew the command off and followed to the right across flag creek to march for farmville. As you can see from the map, when they got to jetersville you had the second corps of the army from the potomac, six corps from the army of the potomac and the cavalry under the general. Thats whyl lee chose not to bring on a battle. They reached the area on the night of april 5th. On the morning of april 6th, ward was sent a bridgeburning party out to burn the high bridge over the river and denied to the confederates. On april 6th, longstreet arrives at rices depot now known as rice, virginia. His job is to clear the way for the main body of the army and the wagon trains to get through. He hears about this bridgeburning party which has passed through rices station. He takes his commanders, Major General thomas and colonel thomas monunford to capture and destroy the detachment. Longstreet is doing anything he can. Its been said by sending his cavalry, longstreet actually increased his own chances of defeat. But hes doing it in order to guarantee lees escape with the rest of the army. Longstreet is going to support the general coming up from burkeville. But i road to meet them, marched them back to a line where they are to hold it until called in. But now the army of virginia is starting to split and theres a gap now in the line of the troops trying to retreat. And theyre going to split in the bottom land caused by sailors creek. Part of the army will be attacked by the sixth corps and charitons cavalry. Almost a third of lees army. Their wagon train is crossing over the river with john gordon protecting them, but hes being pressed by the armys second corps which is trying to take advantage of all of this. At rices station, longstreet receives orders to move towards farmville on what he said was a crowded road deep in mud with chariton fighting. This is longstreets column and this is gordons column with the trains. And heres the high bridge. The confederate cavalry was able to start the bridge burners and capture and bill most kill most. The confederate engineers have been ordered to burn the high bridge. There were two bridges in this area. One is the railroad bridge and the other is a wagon bridge. The confederates did destroy part of the train bridge which the union army quickly rebuilt. Because of the force of the wagon bridge, that didnt burn. Whatever fires they had started came up and put it out. So now union troops are over the appomattox river on their wagon bridge on high bridge. On april 7th, longstreet appeared in farmville. As he reported, we crossed early in the morning and received two days rations. We got our cooking utensils and were ready to prepare a good breakfast. We had not herd ard about the disasters on the other route and were looking for a little quiet to prepare breakfast when general lee road up and said the bridges has been fired. The troops hurried onto position at the church. Its on the north side of the appomattox from farmville. And he arrives there about 2 00 in the afternoon and would help the general hold off attacks from the second corps. He publishes his headquarters at the church itself and its also probably where lee had his headquarters in the same area. At 10 00 p. M. That night, lee will receive his first note from general grant. And grant is proposing that lee sur sender that portion of the army known as the army of northern virginia. He shows the note to some of his Staff Officers and hes going to show it to general longstreet. Longstreet read the note, handed it back to lee, and said, not yet. Lee now is going to send his first load to grant basically asking what terms grant will offer if and when lee feels its necessary to surrender. Lee is giving himself the option to decide when its time to do that. Hes not going to leave it up entirely to grant. Theyre going to start to retreat from the church about 11 00 in the evening of april 7th. Theyre going to withdraw towards new store. And gordons corps would take the lead and longstreets men would bring up the rear. At 10 00 in the morning on april 8th, lee receives grants second letter. And then the second letter said the only condition i have for surrender is men will be disqualified for taking up arms against the government of the United States and are properly exchanged. He was sending his second letter to longstreet or to grant. And in this letter, lee is still not conceding that his army needs to surrender. But now he starts talking to grant about terms of peace. Not to surrender the army, but overall peace in the country itself. Longstreet reported on the march we pass wagons in flames and cases of artillery burning in the middle of the road. One of my commanders reported his horse is too weak to haul his guns. He was ordered to bury the guns and cover their brutal places with old leaves and brush wood. Longstreet will also issue a general order on april 8th and this general order reminds his commanders of the standard marching procedure. Form its line, and stack arms. Strangling would be prevented by the exercise of every exertion. On april 8th, longstreet is looking towards the deficiency of his troops. Thats why hes making sure everybody is falling the standard procedure even at this point in everything thats going on. And on april 8th, something extraordinary from longstreets point of view is going to occur. General william pendleton, the chief of northern virginia, later on will report that he approached longstreet as a messenger from several officers with a proposal, our united judgment of the cause had become so hopeless, we thought it would run longer to have your men kill killed on either side and that our commanders should be left to bear the entire trial of the idea or terms with the enemy. He later wrote that at first longstreet dissented. But on second thought, preferred that he himself should be represented with the rest. Now, pendleman made the statement, longly is going to refute it in his memoirs. Because his account was the earliest, his was the most reliable and not longstreets. The problem is, pendleman tells a story in a speech he gave on january 19th, 1873, it was the same talk in which he accused longstreet of disobeying the dawn attack order which we know never happened. So if you can disapprove that, i have questions about this event on april 8th. And i tend to take longstreets position more than anything else. Longstreet also denied this charge and in his version, much surprise i turned and asked if he did not know that the articles of war provide that officers or soldiers who as Commanding Officers to surrender should be shot and said general lee will never know. Theres another part of this that you dont often hear about. Thats according to e. P. Alexander, pendleman came to him after all of this and he said, longstreet being approached refused as pendleman told it to me. Longstreet said his corps was able to whip four times their numbers. As long as that was so, he should never suggest a surrender. He was there to back up lee, not to pull him down. And what exactly was longstreet talking about, pendleton being shot. The following regulations come from the regulations from the army of the Confederate States of america. And except for United States and Confederate States, they are word for word for whats in the United States army regulations. Article 7, for example, will state, any officer or soldiers who shall begin, excite, cause or join any mutiny in any troop of company in the service of the Confederate States shall suffer death or such other punishment by courtmartial shall be inflicted. If any commander of any fortress or post shall be compelled by the officers and soldiers on his command to give up, the commissioned officers, noncommissioned officers or soldiers who shall be convicted shall suffer death or other punishment as shall be inflicted on them from a courtmartial. Article 83 is conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman. And back in the civil war they did have a nice general article. Article 99 to the prejudice of good order and military discipline. After everything else, you throw this for good measure. And todays uniform code of military justice, he could have been charged with five offenses, including conspiracy, mutiny, sub ordinate, and a general article. So those articles still left over from the civil war. But on the night of april 8th, lee will have a conference with john brown jordania, longstreet and lee. This is going to be lees last military conference. And they discuss a possibility of breaking out from appomattox courthouse. The decision to break out of the union line. Lee believes at this point the only troops in front of him are cavalry and gordons troops can push them aside and lee can continue with his retreat. On the morning of april 9th, grant was sent off a third letter to lee. And grant has to tell lee since he has no authority to treat on the subject of peace the time proposed could lead to no good and grant is going to cancel it. So now lee knows theres no official meeting with grant unless he now specifically asks for it. But it will begin at 5 00 in the morning on april 9th. Theyre able to clear the road and they find its backed up by a strong force of federal infantry. The Generals Army and the fifth corps from the army of the potomac is also approaching. So gordon is going to be stopped and driven back. At 8 00 a. M. In the morning, hes called to lees headquarters. According to longstreet, lee stirred near the embers of burned rails. He received me with graceful salutation and spoke about the laws of his sustenance. Then i said your situation speaks for itself. Longstreet being the commander of the rear guard is about two miles away from appomattox courthouse and hes going to confront the second corps from the army of the potomac. Longstreets headquarters had been established in or near pleasant retreat. Pleasant retreat stood until about 2011. A thunderstorm blew back the wa wall out. But the owners decided not to save it. If you go looking for the retreat, this is what youll find. The house was demolished. If this had been lees headquarters, there would have been a National Drive to save it. Because it was longstreets, nobody really cared. Thats what youll find today. Longstreet is going to report though that our advanced troops was in action and others were preparing for action against our rear guard. The situation was embarrassing. It was plain enough that i should attack the Second Quarter before others could prepare for action. The enemy in plain view was preparing for attack. So we continued our work constructing our best line of defense. General benning is going to report at appomattox courthouse the division was in the rear. With the enemy close up, its organization was perfect and i was not at all demoralized. Not more than four men have been lost to strageglers from petersburg. And i think say for every brigade in the division the same. Longstreet is going to report theyre strong enough, he ordered parts of the rear guard forward to support the advanced forces and directed general alexander to establish them with part of his batteries in the best position for support or rallying line in case the front lines were forced back. That was the last line of the battle. The men are going to rally on alexanders line. Lee himself had ridden towards New Hope Church along the Richmond Lynchburg road. He thought thats where he was going to meet grant. And thats when his staff officer colonel marshal received grants third letter and lee responds with his third letter. And now lee is going to state, i now request an interview for that purpose. Lee now sees theres no option but to surrender his army of northern virginia. But the squirmishers are approaching where lee is. Lee is in between the two lines waiting for a message from grant to come back. And the union is advancing on him. Thats when he has to leave and he sends a message to general mead. And mead sends one back suggesting that lee write a fourth letter to grant. And this was sent through charitons lines because grant has moved from lees rear toward lees front. Hes not where lee was expecting him. Thats why mead is suggesting he send another letter, it will get to him a lot quicker. And lees fourth letter is going to state, i request an interview at such time and place as you may designate to discuss the terms of the surrender of this army in accordance with your offer to have such an interview. And then lee remembers he had not notified gordon about troops and suspended hostilities. So he now authorizes gordon and longstreet to send out flags of truce pending the surrender. Longstreet said to one of his officers for a truce f