Overview
The Battle of High Bridge took place in Prince Edward and Cumberland Counties, Virginia, on April 6 and 7, 1865, during the Appomattox Campaign. After leaving Richmond and Petersburg, General Robert E. Lee moved the Army of Northern Virginia west and tried to slow the Union pursuit by destroying bridges behind him. High Bridge was a major railroad bridge over the Appomattox River, about six miles east of Farmville. A smaller wagon bridge stood nearby.
After the Union victory at Sailor’s Creek on April 6, Lee moved the remains of his army north of the Appomattox River at High Bridge and toward Farmville, where he expected to receive supplies through the South Side Railroad. General Thomas L. Rosser’s Confederate cavalry protected the bridges until Lee’s army crossed. General Theodore Read led a Union force from the Army of the James to destroy the bridges, but Confederate cavalry defeated his command.
During the night of April 6 and 7, Lee’s army crossed safely. On April 7, General William Mahone’s Confederates tried to burn the bridges, but General Andrew A. Humphreys’ Union 2nd Corps captured the wagon bridge. This allowed Union forces to cross the river and maintain their pursuit.
Essential Facts
- Date: April 6-7, 1865.
- Location: Prince Edward and Cumberland Counties, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Theodore Read and Andrew A. Humphreys.
- CSA Commanders: Thomas L. Rosser and William Mahone.
- Who Won: The outcome of the battle was inconclusive.
- Campaign: Appomattox Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, 1865.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 847 killed, wounded, and captured, including about 800 captured.
- Forces Engaged: Elements of the Army of the James and the 2nd Corps of the Army of the Potomac.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 880.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: About 100 killed, wounded, captured, and missing.
- Forces Engaged: 1st Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia and 3rd Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 1,200.
Significance
The Battle of High Bridge is important to American History because it shaped the final pursuit of General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia during the Appomattox Campaign. Lee’s army crossed the Appomattox River and reached Farmville, where he expected to receive supplies. However, the Confederates failed to destroy a key bridge, allowing General Andrew A. Humphreys’ Union 2nd Corps to cross the river and keep pressure on Lee’s army. The Union pursuit forced Lee to move his supply trains before he could feed and resupply his exhausted men.
History
Grant’s Umbrella Strategy
On March 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Upon his arrival in Washington, Grant drafted a plan to get the various Union armies in the field to act in concert and strike the Confederacy from several directions: Grant would travel with Major General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac in pursuit of General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia in the Richmond area; Major General William T. Sherman would march three federal armies south from Chattanooga to capture Atlanta, and Major General Franz Sigel would invade Western Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to cut off supplies to Lee’s army and to prevent any Confederate attempts to attack Meade’s flank.
Stalemate at Petersburg
The Union Army of the Potomac relentlessly engaged the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia throughout the spring of 1864. By June, Grant forced Lee to retreat to the Richmond-Petersburg area. Thereafter, both armies entrenched, and a stalemate ensued for the next ten months. During that period, Grant probed Lee’s defenses to no avail. Despite being well-entrenched, the Confederate situation grew progressively worse as their supplies dwindled.
Union prospects, on the other hand, improved over the winter. Major General Philip Sheridan completed his task of sweeping the Confederates from the Shenandoah Valley, and his well-rested troops rejoined Grant in the spring. Determined to break the stalemate at Petersburg, Grant ordered Sheridan to turn Lee’s right flank with the Army of the Potomac’s Cavalry Corps along with the 2nd and 5th Infantry Corps, and force Lee out of Petersburg.
Battle of Fort Stedman — Failed Confederate Breakout
On March 25, 1865, Lee made one final attempt to break the Siege of Petersburg by ordering forces commanded by Major General John B. Gordon to attack Fort Stedman, a Union fortification in the siege lines surrounding Petersburg. Gordon’s pre-dawn attack succeeded initially, but blistering Union counterattacks forced the Confederates back inside their lines, ending the Battle of Fort Stedman.
Appomattox Campaign
Many historians consider March 29, 1865, as the beginning of the Appomattox Campaign. On that date, Grant opened his spring offensive against Lee’s army by ordering Major General Philip Sheridan’s cavalry (freshly returned from the Shenandoah Valley) and Major General G. K. Warren’s 5th Corps to attempted to turn Lee’s right flank at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm. Two days later the action resumed at the Battle of White Oak Road and Battle of Dinwiddie Court House as Lee shored up his right-wing to halt the federal Flanking maneuver. On April 1 Sheridan and Warren continued their offensive, with a major victory over Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks.
A String of Federal Victories
On March 29, Major General G.K. Warren’s 5th Corps defeated several Confederate brigades commanded by Major General Bushrod Johnson at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm. Two days later, the action resumed at the Battles of White Oak Road and Dinwiddie Court House, as Lee shored up his right wing to halt the federal flanking maneuver. On April 1, Philip Sheridan and Warren continued their offensive, with a major victory over Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks. Losing that strategic crossroads further threatened Lee’s already limited supply lines.
Confederates Evacuate Richmond and Petersburg
Encouraged by the Federal victory at Five Forks, Grant ordered a general assault on the Confederate entrenchments around Petersburg on April 2. Federal troops breached the Confederate defenses during the Third Battle of Petersburg and forced the Confederates to withdraw to the city’s inner defenses. By 10 a.m., Lee realized he could no longer hold the Union forces back. He advised President Jefferson Davis to prepare to leave the Confederate capital at Richmond. Lee spent the afternoon preparing his withdrawal from Petersburg.
April 6–7 — High Bridge
As Lee moved his army west, he attempted to slow the federal pursuit by destroying bridges behind him. A key bridge along his path was High Bridge, a railroad bridge that spanned the Appomattox River about six miles east of Farmville. Constructed in 1854, the bridge was an engineering marvel, 2,400 feet long and reaching a height of 125 feet above the river. Next to the railroad bridge and closer to the valley floor stood a smaller bridge built for wagon traffic.
After the decisive Union victory at Sailor’s Creek on April 6, Lee moved the remnants of his army north of the Appomattox River at High Bridge to Farmville, where he expected to receive provisions via the South Side Railroad. James Longstreet dispatched 1,200 cavalrymen, commanded by Major General Thomas L. Rosser, to secure the bridges until the Confederate army had passed.
Confederates Thwart Union Plans to Destroy Strategic Bridges
Meanwhile, the Union high command the importance of the two bridges. Major General Edward Ord sent a detachment of approximately 900 men, commanded by Brigadier General Theodore Read, from the Army of the James to destroy the bridges before the Confederates could cross the river. Read’s men reached the bridges first, but before they began the destruction, Longstreet’s cavalry arrived. After a heated fight featuring hand-to-hand combat, the Confederates prevailed. Longstreet’s men killed or captured most of Read’s command and saved the bridges.
Lee’s Army Escapes Across High Bridge
Throughout the night of April 6 and 7, Lee’s army safely crossed the Appomattox River at High Bridge. Once across, the Confederates turned their attention to destroying the bridges to delay Grant’s pursuit. Destruction of the bridges would buy Lee some much-needed time to reorganize and to provision his starving army at Farmville.
Federals Thwart Confederate Plans to Destroy Strategic Bridges
On the morning of April 7, Confederate Major General William Mahone’s division was attempting to fire the two bridges when the Union 2nd Corps, commanded by Major General Andrew Humphreys, arrived to prevent the destruction. The Confederates destroyed three spans of the railroad bridge, but the Yankees captured the wagon bridge.
Timeline
- 1854 — Workers constructed High Bridge over the Appomattox River.
- 1864, March 12 — President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States.
- 1864, June — Grant forced Lee to retreat to the Richmond-Petersburg area.
- 1865, March 25 — Major General John B. Gordon attacked Fort Stedman in a failed Confederate attempt to break the Siege of Petersburg.
- 1865, March 29
- Grant opened his spring offensive against Lee’s army during the Appomattox Campaign.
- Major General G.K. Warren’s 5th Corps defeated Confederate brigades under Major General Bushrod Johnson at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm.
- 1865, April 1 — Major General Philip Sheridan and Warren won a major victory over Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks.
- 1865, April 2
- Grant ordered a general assault on the Confederate trenches around Petersburg.
- Federal troops broke through Confederate defenses during the Third Battle of Petersburg.
- Lee advised President Jefferson Davis to prepare to leave Richmond.
- 1865, April 6
- Union forces won a decisive victory at Sailor’s Creek.
- Lee moved the remains of his army north of the Appomattox River at High Bridge toward Farmville.
- Major General Thomas L. Rosser’s Confederate cavalry defeated Brigadier General Theodore Read’s Union detachment and saved the bridges.
- 1865, April 6-7 — Lee’s army crossed the Appomattox River at High Bridge.
- 1865, April 7
- Major General William Mahone’s division tried to burn the two bridges.
- Major General Andrew A. Humphreys’ Union 2nd Corps captured the wagon bridge.
- The Confederates destroyed three spans of the railroad bridge.
- Union forces used the wagon bridge to continue pursuing Lee’s army.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of High Bridge (1865) — The Battle of High Bridge was fought on April 6 and 7, 1865, in Prince Edward and Cumberland Counties, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign. After the Union victory at Sailor’s Creek, General Robert E. Lee moved his army toward Farmville to receive supplies. General Thomas L. Rosser’s cavalry saved the bridges from Union destruction on April 6. On April 7, General Andrew A. Humphreys’ 2nd Corps captured the wagon bridge, allowing Union forces to keep pursuing Lee’s army.
Alignment
The Battle of High Bridge is part of the following AP US History sections:
