richmond, april 1865

CITY POINT, April 3 - 11 A.M.

Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War:-

General Weitzel telegraphs as follows: -

We took Richmond at a quarter past eight this morning. I captured many guns. The enemy left in great haste. The city is on fire in one place. Am making every effort to put it out. The people received us with enthusiastic expressions of joy. General Grant started early this morning with the army towards the Danville road, to cut off Lee’s retreating army if possible.

President Lincoln has gone to the front.

T. S. BOWERS, Acting Adjutant General.

"The city was in great confusion. No one seemed to be concerned about it. Barrels of whisky had been emptied into the street drains, while many dipped it from the gutters and drank it. After crossing the Mayo bridge, it seemed that the entire city was ablaze. The magnificent flouring mills, the Gallagher and the Haxall, were ablaze, and there was apparently no effort to extinguish the flames. No pen can adequately portray it. I don’t like to discuss it, and give the foregoing as record for history." - H.H. Sturgis, Sanford FL - Confederate Veteran

“There seems to be some dispute as to what soldiers or command of soldiers was the last to leave Richmond on the morning of the 3d of April, 1865. My recollection is that Phillips’s Georgia Legion Infantry were the rear guard and the last soldiers to leave that city on that day. When this command crossed the bridge over the James River, the bridge was on fire in many places on each side, and we had to run with all our might and shinney from side to side of the bridge to keep from being burned to death. No other soldiers could have crossed this bridge after we did. This command left camp near Drury’s Bluff about twelve o’clock Sunday night, April 2, 1865, and reached Richmond a little after daylight Monday morning. I was captain of the Greene Rifles, Company A, Phillips’s Georgia Legion Infantry. Does any other old veteran remember differently?” - D.B. Sanford, Milledgeville GA - Confederate Veteran