n the evening of the 6th, when the army was near Farmville, a sudden
attack was made by the Federal cavalry on the trains of the army
moving on a parallel road; and the small force of infantry guarding
them was broken and scattered. This occurrence took place while
General Lee was confronting a body of Federal infantry near Sailor's
Creek; and, taking a small brigade, he immediately repaired to the
scene of danger. The spectacle which followed was a very striking and
imposing one, and is thus described by one who witnessed it: "The
scene was one of gloomy picturesqueness and tragic interest. On a
plateau raised above the forest from which they had emerged, were
the disorganized troops of Ewell and Anderson, gathered in groups,
un-officered, and uttering tumultuous exclamations of rage and
defiance. Rising above the weary groups which had thrown themselves
upon the ground, were the grim barrels of cannon, in battery, ready
to fire, as soon as the enemy appeared. In front of all was the still
line of battle, just placed by Lee, and waiting calmly. General Lee
had rushed his infantry over, just at sunset, leading it in person,
his face animated, and his eye brilliant with the soldier's spirit of
fight, but his bearing unflurried as before. An artist desiring to
paint his picture, ought to have seen the old cavalier at this moment,
sweeping on upon his large iron-gray, whose mane and tail floated in
the wind; carrying his field-glass half-raised in his right hand; with
head erect, gestures animated, and in the whole face and form
the expression of the hunter close upon his game. The line once
interposed, he rode in the twilight among the disordered groups
above mentioned, and the sight of him aroused a tumult. Fierce cries
resounded on all sides, and, with hands clinched violently and raised
aloft, the men called on him to lead them against the enemy. 'It's
General Lee!' 'Uncle Robert!' 'Where's the man who won't follow Uncle
Robert?' I heard on all sides--the swarthy faces full of dirt and
courage, lit up every instant by the glare of the burning wagons.
Altogether, the scene was indescribable."

On the 7th the army pressed on beyond Farmville, still harassed as it
advanced by the Federal infantry and cavalry; but, in some of these
encounters, the pursuing force met with what was probably a very
unexpected discomfiture. General Fitz Lee, bringing up the rear of the
army with his force of about fifteen hundred cavalry on br