If you are planning to go to the park this afternoon, if you hold off taking one of these, they are in the back. We will get you some. Its on park row. My talk is referred to as black thursday, the battle for Sailors Creek. One of the Union Generals who was involved in the battle, he wrote in his book about the fighting 5 of the intelligent people of the united states, north or south ever heard of the battle of Sailors Creek. They dont know anything of its magnitude or importance. This is not strange. It was fought in virginia. This was three days before the surrender under general robert e lee. Events were happening so rapidly that no note was made of the battle. In the next few minutes, you will be part of that part of our nation. Just some point before we talk about the battle, there are three separate engagements referred to as the battles of Sailors Creek. As you enter the museum, it refers to it as battles. I mentioned the spelling difference. There were two branches, most of the fighting was on little Sailors Creek. You will read in books that if they mention Sailors Creek, i have seen lee living half of his army or one third of his army. It was actually less than a quarter of his army. Somewhere between a fifth at a quarter of his army. They were taken as prisoners. There were eight confederate generals who would surrender at Sailors Creek. One is a ready in general brevard, he was promoted in the last days of the war. It never got ratified in the confederate congress. He was a would be general, but not. When people refer to us, you have to use the adjective last major battle before the surrender. There were four engagements that followed. They were highbridge, appomattox station, and appomattox courthouse. There was fighting afterwards. This is the last major. I was asked by my superiors in the park service to do a nomination and put it on the national register. I did the long nomination. Somewhere along the line it got bumped up to National Historic landmark. That is the highestranking estate can get. There is national significance. It is considered the largest surrender in the field of an army without terms. The men that surrendered at Sailors Creek go off to prison camps and will not be released until also enforces cease firing , which is not until the end of may. The prisoners from Sailors Creek will be in prison on johnsons island and ohio or Point Lookout maryland. Those who surrender and appomattox are paroled and allowed to go home from that site. The hillsman fight was interesting in that it had a conglomerate of confederate sailors, marines, Government Employees w who were militia artillery men, they spent most of the war many the heavy artillery. Upon leaving richmond on the retreat, they would be placed with infantry and fight at Sailors Creek. Their commander, this was his first major command in a battlefield. Last night in the program on photographs at richmond there was the famous photo of generally with walter taylor. The other gentleman is George Washington custis lee. As i mentioned last night when lee decided to withdraw his army from notably richmond and in between bermuda hunter, men would match march to the courthouse and receive rations. The supplies were not there. The goes ahead and decides to spend an extra day in the area and look for surplus food items. Amelia was 30 miles from richmond, most of the surplus goods had already been sent on to the threats. When generally leaves amelia, he has lost his one day lead. He moves down the railroad heading towards north carolina. He has a goal of reaching gainesville. As he moves down the line, he comes across a roadblock at a train station. Union infantry has swung around on a faster route around the amelia courthouse. They cut across to the railroad. Generally decides not to do battle but to begin three night marches in a row. Starting from amelia until appomattox, they will march day and night until they get to appomattox. Not fighting at cheaters fill they come to a resort called amelia springs. While he was at amelia springs isaac st. John informs him that there are 120,000 rations waiting in farmville. It would be located at the station. Part of which is the art gallery we mentioned, that is part of the passenger station not that many years ago. The original freight depot was there. It has since been torn down. If he makes a night march, he can move around the unit army and get ahead of it. You can get these supplies issued to his men and head south. He reintercepts the Railroad Going to danville and he can continue his march. That is what had him heading toward farmville. As he is heading along, he comes to an area past deaton bill. It is a 23 mile march. As he is moving along the army is on a single roadway going across the rolling land of the hed mocked. Piedmont. Union infantry will move upon the wagon train and his battle lines and there will be hit and run tactics by cavalry. That is what brings us to what happens on the evening of april 6 on Sailors Creek. Previous to fighting at Sailors Creek, there was another small engagement just between Sailors Creek and farmville. The engagement was for highbridge. Union troops stationed in burke bill burkville realized they were living upon farmville at this time so they sent a group of union infantry, 900 men along with three companies of the fourth massachusetts calgary. The goal is to ride in front in getting front of the Confederate Army, move in front of highbridge, about four miles from here industry is destroy it. Highbridge was 125 feet high. It was 21 for peers brick piers, most of which are still there today and part of the other state park highbridge trail. You can walk out to the bridge and across. The bridge is 2400 feet long. It was protected by four urban court urban four. In before they were guarded in the fort they were guarded by local militia coming to farmville. They were there. The Union Calvary and infantry made an attack on the bridge but were repulsed by quickly arriving confederate calgary sent from the area of rice. On the afternoon of april 6, union forces try to destroy highbridge. They were unsuccessful. Most of them being killed or captured in this fight. One of the last confederate generals to die in the war would be mortally wounded and would die on april 23. He holds the honor if it can be said that the last confederate officer to die in the war. So with satisfied being over with, that evening near the crossing of Sailors Creek, the union army would reach the area of a small farmhouse known as Hillsman House, which would later serve as the Field Hospital and the Confederate Forces, the regulars along with heavy artillery men and all would form on high ground overlooking favors creek and the union Six Army Corps would cross the creek. At that time creek was up because of the spring rain. It was up to their waste. It is usually ankledeep. Once the union forces boarded the creek they formed up at the top of the hill. The union army will march forward going up the hill, and the men at that time realize the end was coming near so a lot of the Union Soldiers took out paper chief and waved them at the confederate troops who were close enough they could hear the union for six yellow, johnny, we are coming, go ahead to render. With that, the confederate troops rose on an meltdown and fired a volley into the union line, breaking it with the union troops falling back toward the creek until they were preformed and made the final attack on the Confederate Forces. And that fighting they captured general joseph cattrall, custis lee, said barton seth barton and Confederate Army who was in charge of stonewall jacksons artillery and wounded in the battle of chancellorsville with the general theory of people be killed and that assault. Buried on the battlefield. With the counterattack taking place along the creek one of the confederate soldiers in the battle mentioned in the final part of the battle says quicker than i could tell it, the battle degenerated into a butchery of brutal personal conflicts. Others lost their weapons and used teeth to bite noses and the terrible couple. One of the Union Soldiers that if you come out of the parking will be introduced to, his name was samuel a, 37 massachusetts. They had particular advance weapon called the dispenser rifle that could fire and cartridge rounds without reloading. In the final attack, it easy the Confederate Army government toward him and they moved forward to receive this render when the confederate officer decided he is not going to surrender, drop the flag, pulled pistol out and shoots entertain bradley through the side. No sooner did he do that then sam eddie runs forward with the repeating rifle and kills the confederate officer and immediately upon doing that, a confederate soldier wearing a yankee overcoat comes running up to eddie, and takes the rifle and shows it through eddies chest and pinned him to the ground. He then tries to get the vital away from him, but eddie, although he is in his 40s but have been a blacksmith in civilian life fixes less than throws in another cartridge, swings around until the confederate soldier who it just that tim, pulled up the bayonet weapon and marched back to the Hillsman House that serve as a Field Hospital. You will see that but one of the more unique thing is years ago on the ground around the Hillsman House which served as the hospital, the dog tag was found. That is on display in the museum. The federal calvary was under general Philip Sheridan and Wesley Merritt and had with him some folks you probably you have recognized, George Armstrong custer, thomas devon and george crook. Many of these the fighter in the indians were afterwards. They are facing confessional to Richard Anderson and bush ron johnson. That fighting at that intersection, which is just beyond the Visitor Center is known as marshalls crossroads or harpers farm. Here the Union Calvary would attack at the same time that fighting was going on down at the Hillsman House along the creek. Now the fighting at the creek, the confederates did not have artillery. The switch to relate to the union bombardment of 20 gun set up in the yard of the Hillsman House. Here at the fighting of the crossroads, both confederate and union forces did have artillery to use. A lot of the union causally have lost had lost their mounts, that they wrote directly provision of doing valley invalid down through richmond across appomattox river and immediately joined up with the army. One of them, sergeant coming to him, the first virginia calvary remembered it took my mule about four jumps to show he could outclass all others. He laid back his ears and flattened out like a jack rabbit. He switched his tales and sailed right over amongst the rebs. The mule had some new new site and posterior uppercuts that put him out of the game. Eventually the union army would cause them to break. They would leave the battlefield and route. They were heading down the road toward rice depot. A member of the 19 virginia who was in the route remembered this , he said for a while our retreat was remarkably orderly. I tried it off but as i have lost my horse. Presently a little unsteadiness manifested itself, which quickly became a decided wobble, and then in a moment, as though it has asked loaded, the whole organization went to pieces. It did not take long for me to be thoroughly infected. I got over the ground unimpeded by the reflection i have not the least of which i was going, so we plunged along, huffing and puffing and blowing, enveloped in the hideous noise of battle, helterskelter, each for himself and double take the high road. That property i just described at the crossroads takes to the civil war trust, we recently acquired 12 acres per feet which will be added, along with a conservation easement. Along with 100 and 18 acres. We have added that land. The duty and putting trial because one of the supporting truth is that George Pickett decided. Obviously george can do no wrong. To interpret the fact that he took off with the, oh well. The growth of doing interpretation. Keeping everybody happy. You have the fights there, and finally, as i mentioned, two miles down creek and in and going into the battle of the river and the cost of arms. The Confederate Army was heading toward emilia and heading toward rice, they have the whole line of infantry and wagon train on one wrote. A mile before they got to Sailors Creek, it was decided to turn off the main wagon train on a more northerly road known as jamestown road. That is where general jordan second port with turn off with the main wagon train. And you they would prefer that to the battlefield, and would lose 1500 men, 200 wagon, three artillery piece is, seven ambulance, 13 battle flag recaptured by the union is under general humphreys that would attack them there. The next morning what would have it night is the battle of the Confederate Forces who retreated from that site, they would have to high bridge and would actually cross over the valley of the appomattox river on the bridge. At that time the railroad bridge at siding on either side, like sidewalks. The infantry crossed over it. I love they had a lower wagon bridge. It would be that piece that once the confederate got across our bridge they would put to fire the western edge of it and burn it. Most of the photographs to see if you can see after they had reconstruction reconstructive deception of the war. They tried to burn the black and bridge below but the union versus caps off the night before that to the site just in time and were able to the fire off and consequently were able to cross over and were able to pursue the Confederate Forces. As the union troops began pursuit on the morning of april they mentioned going by the abandoned wagon train. They sent wagons with the cutoff in the following prescript described like quote in the lastditch. We all cant with you all without something to eat. Whip you all without something to eat. Their roles applejack, fancy articles christie confederate notes, frolicking puppies, brass band, broiled ham in beef. Belkin, onion, pickle and cornmeal. The rebel prisoner passing was asked when the last time we were they were paid. Confederate bills found were lavishly handed of. The ninth of april 6, the Confederate Forces that have passed through that areas continued the march into farmville. One of the confederate generals captured what remark, i caused this lease should surrender now before more like early. Generally, who was with the lead Confederate Forces was in the area of rice depot and he was stationed there and wondering where the rest of his army was. He then turned around and took general mahone and went back to Sailors Creek. Andersons men and spilling in that direction were spilling across it with Sailors Creek. Sailors creek then turned out to be a major disaster or the Confederate Army. Generally speaking between a third and a quarter of the forces were taken from him. There were 7700 prisoners taken including fletchers daughter who will, custard lee, seth barton, dudley devoe, Joseph Kershaw and jameson. James sim. All of them would go to prison. A few days later, upon reaching the village of appomattox courthouse april 9, he will surrender approximately 30,000 troops. When he left richmond, the Confederate Forces numbered around 55,000 troops. So you can figure that out. At appomattox, 8000 Sailors Creek at of approximately 55,000 would bring it to quarter to a fifth of the army. Was given for Different Reasons for today for the most part. For the capture flag, 49 Union Soldiers were given medals of honor. Nine for gallantry want to sam eddie who did get a medal of honor for saving entertained like. One was given for the capture of general custis lee. 800 mules and horses, along with 15 artillery pieces. That night the confederate prisoners were kept on the battlefield. The next day they were marched to junction event followed the railroad to petersburg and beyond to city point, which is now hope well worth it would board shifts to be taken to prison. The next morning as the armys welcome the prisoners and continue the pursuit, general custard serenaded his guests with his hands playing such tunes as did the summit to which general kershaw replied, there goes the chivalrous all of fellow. The band responded by playing the bonnie blue flag followed by the rebel royale. That night, the night of april 6, Jefferson Davis with the confederate was now indian hill virginia and sent an emissary or messenger to find generally and find out what the status of the army was. That young fellow who did that phone generally at rices