carry!  But Grant was an eager pursuer.  Until the sixth day that desperate flight and chase continued.  Lee soon saw that he could not get to Danville, as he had hoped to do, and thereupon changed his plan and struck nearly westward, for open country, via Appomattox Court House.  All the way, as he marched, Federal horsemen worried the left flank of his columns, while the infantry came ever closer upon the rear, and kept up a ceaseless skirmishing.  It had become “a life and death struggle with Lee to get south to his provisions;” and Grant was struggling with not less stern zeal, along a southerly line, to get ahead of him in this racing journey.  The Federal troops, sanguine and excited, did their part finely, even marching a whole day and night without rations.  On April 6 there was an engagement, in which about 7000 Southerners, with six general officers, surrendered; and perhaps the captives were not deeply sorry for their fate.  Sheridan telegraphed:  “If the thing is pressed, I think that Lee will surrender.”  Grant repeated this to the President, who replied:  “Let the thing be pressed,”—­not that there was any doubt about it!  Yet, April 7, General Lee was cheered by an evanescent success in an engagement.  It was trifling, however, and did not suffice to prevent many of his generals from uniting to advise him to capitulate.  Grant also sent to him a note saying that resistance was useless, and that he desired to shift from himself the responsibility of further bloodshed by asking for a surrender.  Lee denied the hopelessness, but asked what terms would be offered.  At the same time he continued his rapid retreat.  On April 8, about sunset, near Appomattox Station, his advance encountered Sheridan’s cavalry directly across the road.  The corral was complete.  Nevertheless, there ensued a few critical hours; for Sheridan could by no means stand against Lee’s army.  Fortunately, however, these hours of crisis were also the hours of darkness, in which troops could march but could not fight, and at dawn, on April 9, the Southerners saw before them a great force of Federal soldiery abundantly able to hold them in check until Grant’s whole army could come up.  “A sharp engagement ensued,” says General Grant, “but Lee quickly set up a white flag.”  He then notified Sheridan, in his front, and Meade, in his rear, that he had sent a note to General Grant with a view to surrender, and he asked a suspension of hostilities.  These commanders doubted a ruse, and reluctantly consented to hold their troops back for two hours.  That was just enough; pending the recess Grant was reached by the bearer of the dispatch, and at once rode in search of Lee.