Lee's Retreat: Jetersville
April 5, 1865
Lee reached this intersection on his way to Burkeville only to find his way barred. So he turned north toward Amelia Springs to try and make an end run around Grant's army.
The road from Amelia Court House traveled by Lee.
The way Lee wanted to go but was block by entrenched infantry.
The road to Amelia Spring and Sailor's Creek.
Lee was in a serious bind, his army was starving and the food his men needed were on railcars on the Southside Railroad, but the Union army was dug in between himself and the railroad. To make matters worse Lee had found himself saddled with a wagon train consisting of over a thousand wagons at Amelia Court House. The roads were bad and the stock pulling the wagons was in very bad shape so the wagons needed a great deal of help getting down the road. Worse the wagons needed guarding.
Union Cavalry under Sheridan was a vicious, angry thing much like Sheridan himself. For most of the war Lee’s cavalry had dealt with their Union counterparts as nothing more than a nuisance, but Sheridan had changed all that. Now Lee’s army was scattered along the road, Lee’s horsemen were riding exhausted mounts and the Union troopers were hitting everywhere they could. Lee detailed half his army for guarding the wagons and to help them keep moving.
Why? Why didn’t he leave them at Amelia Court House? The only answer I’ve come up with was chivalry. Lee was to much of a gentleman to abandon the wagons.