rom a rebel hostile bullet, and hence shed the last
fresh blood in the war resulting in the freedom of his race in the
United States. The observation irresistibly comes, that on the
scene of the first battle of the Mexican War--a war inaugurated
for the acquisition of slave territory--and of the _first_ battle
participated in by Lieutenant-General (then Second Lieutenant) U.
S. Grant, almost exactly nineteen years later, the last conflict
took place in the war for the preservation of the Union, and in
which slavery was totally overthrown in our Republic.

But to return from the digression and to conclude the story of
Sailor's Creek, or the "Forgotten Battle." It may truthfully be
said that it was not only the last general field battle of the war,
but the one wherein more officers and men were captured in the
struggle of actual conflict than in any battle of modern times.

There was some fighting between the cavalry of the two armies and
many minor affairs between the advance- and rear-guards, but the
four years' heavy fighting between the Army of Northern Virginia
and the Army of the Potomac ended at Sailor's Creek.

During the battle Lee was with Longstreet at Rice's Station, two
miles distant, impatiently awaiting news from Lieutenant-Generals
Ewell and Anderson. General Mahone states what transpired when
Colonel Venable of Lee's staff reported to his chief something of
the disaster at Sailor's Creek:

"General Lee exclaimed, 'Where is Anderson? Where is Ewell? It
is strange I can't hear from them." Then turning to me, he said,
'General Mahone, I have no other troops, will you take your division
to Sailor's Creek?' and I promptly gave the order by the left flank,
and off we were for Sailor's Creek, where the disaster had occurred.
General Lee rode with me, Colonel Venable a little in the rear.
On reaching the south crest of the high ground at the crossing of
the river road overlooking Sailor's Creek, the disaster which had
overtaken our army was in full view, and the scene beggars description,
--hurrying teamsters with their teams and dangling traces (no
wagons), retreating infantry without guns, many without hats, a
harmless mob, with the massive columns of the enemy moving orderly
on. At this spectacle General Lee straightened himself in his
saddle, and, looking more the soldier than ever, exclaimed, as if
talking to himself, 'My God! has the army dissolved?' As quickly
as I could control my own voice I