ts march was superintended
by Lee in person. He had stationed himself at the mouth of the Hickory
Road, and, standing with the bridle of his horse in his hand, gave his
orders. His bearing still remained entirely composed, and his voice
had lost none of its grave strength of intonation. When the rear was
well closed up, Lee mounted his horse, rode on slowly with his men;
and, in the midst of the glare and thunder of the exploding magazines
at Petersburg, the small remnant of the Army of Northern Virginia,
amounting to about fifteen thousand men, went on its way through the
darkness.

XVI.

THE RETREAT AND SURRENDER.

On the morning of the 3d of April, General Lee, after allowing his
column a brief period of rest, continued his march up the north bank
of the Appomattox.

The aspect of affairs at this time was threatening, and there seemed
little ground to hope that the small force would be able to make good
its retreat to North Carolina. General Grant had a short and direct
route to the Danville Railroad--a considerable portion of his army was
already as far west as Dinwiddie Court-House--and it was obvious that
he had only to use ordinary diligence to completely cut General Lee
off in the vicinity of Burkesville Junction. A glance at the map will
indicate the advantages possessed by the Federal commander. He could
move over the chord, while Lee was compelled to follow the arc of the
circle. Unless good fortune assisted Lee and ill fortune impeded his
opponent, the event seemed certain; and it will be seen that these
conditions were completely reversed.

Under the circumstances here stated, it appeared reasonable to
expect in Lee and his army some depression of spirits. The fact was
strikingly the reverse. The army was in excellent spirits, probably
from the highly-agreeable contrast of the budding April woods with
the squalid trenches, and the long-unfelt joy of an unfettered march
through the fields of spring. General Lee shared this hopeful feeling
in a very remarkable degree. His expression was animated and buoyant,
his seat in the saddle erect and commanding, and he seemed to look
forward to assured success in the critical movement which he had
undertaken.

"I have got my army safe out of its breastworks," he said, on the
morning of this day, "and, in order to follow me, the enemy must
abandon his lines, and can derive no further benefit from his
railroads or James River."

The design of the Confe