up the north bank of the river, moved on steadily through the half light.  Its 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.”