Battles at Sailor's Creek

Battles at Sailor's Creek

Part of: American Civil War

date	April 6, 1865
place	Amelia and Prince Edward County , Virginia , USA
output	Union victory

Parties to the conflict
United States	Confederate States of America
Commander
Philip Sheridan Andrew A. Humphreys Horatio Wright	Richard Stoddert Ewell John Brown Gordon
Troop strength
15,000-16,000	about 11,500
losses
1,148	7,700

As Battle of Sailor's Creek (common spelling and Sayler's Creek ) is defined as three combat operations that same day, but independently, as part of the Appomattox campaign of the northern states in the closing stages of the Civil War took place on 6 April. 1865 About a quarter of the evasive Northern Virginia Army was the retreat route through the cavalry corps and the II. And VI. Potomac Army Corps cut off. The reserve corps, led by Lieutenant General Richard Stoddert Ewell as rearguard, attacked the pursuing units in the afternoon, but failed before the artillery positions. The Union Corps then succeeded in outflanking both flanks of the Reserve Corps and surrounded the corps.

The II. Corps Major General John Brown Gordons of the Northern Virginia Army succeeded with heavy losses to evade flanking and to march further west along the Southside railway line.

There were also at least eight generals among the prisoners of the Northern Virginia Army. The Commander in Chief of the Northern Virginia Army, Gen. Robert E. Lee , had lost over a quarter of his army and surrendered at Appomattox Court House just three days later . Shaken by the condition of the army soldiers while they were crossing the stream, Lee said: “My God, has the army dissolved?” (German: “My God, did the army disband?”).

The terrain on which the battles took place, was established in 1985 under the name of Sayler's Creek Battlefield to the National Historic Landmark explained.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} John S. Salmon: The official Virginia Civil War battlefield guide , p. 479
2. ↑ The strengths mentioned in the NPS correspond to the overall strength of the Sheridan and Pickett subordinate associations. Forces of the above mentioned strength were involved in the fighting
3. ^ ^{A b} John S. Salmon: The official Virginia Civil War battlefield guide , p. 480 here online
4. ↑ In the chaos of the dissolving Confederation, there is no information on the fallen and wounded, this number corresponds to the reports of the Potomac Army on prisoners.
5. ↑ Sayler's Creek Battlefield ( English ) In: National Historic Landmark summary listing . National Park Service. Retrieved May 9, 2012.

literature

• John S. Salmon: Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide . Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pa. 2001, ISBN 0-8117-2868-4 , p. 480 ( excerpt in the Google book search)

Web links

Commons : Battles at Sailor's Creek  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Battle of Sailor's Creek : maps, articles, photographs on a website Civil War Trust (Engl.)