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artillery—about one-half the artillery of Lee's army, without any infantry or cavalry with it—would have fallen an easy prey to his ambitious cavalry.
After spending nearly the whole night of the 8th in marching around Sheridan, in the attempt to reunite the army, when it was light, finding that was impossible, Jones' artillery moved on to Lynchburg and reported to General L. L. Lomax, in command there, and Walker buried his guns near an old church and disbanded his command.
On the 9th General Lee ordered Gordon and Fitz Lee to drive Sheridan away, that the army might resume its march, which they did very promptly, but found that Ord was there also and further efforts must be vain.
The surrender of the army was then arranged for and the officers and men paroled.
This ended the career of the Army of Northern Virginia, and the downfall of the Confederate States quickly followed.
There were paroled 28,231 officers and men. But of that number only about 11,000 bearing arms, the rest, in the main, belonged to the class of ‘Impedimenta.’
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Richmond, VA. 1909.
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