After abandoning Petersburg, the exhausted and starving Confederates headed west, hoping to re-supply at Danville or Lynchburg, before joining General Joseph E. Johnston in North Carolina.

Witnessing the surrender from a nearby bluff, Lee made his famous despairing remark to Major General William Mahone, "My God, has the army dissolved?

[7] Barringer's Confederate cavalry had bought enough time for Major General Bushrod Johnson's infantry division to pass nearby Namozine Church.

[14] Gordon's corps was at Scott's Shop 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Amelia Court House, waiting for Ewell's column to catch up.

[15] On the line of march west toward the Confederate Army's rendezvous point of Amelia Court House on Bevill's Bridge Road, Lieutenant General Anderson had the remaining men of Major Generals George Pickett and Bushrod Johnson's divisions build earthworks and form a line of battle at Tabernacle Church Road to protect the forces in retreat from attack from the pursuing Union forces to their south.

[17][18] Coming up toward the works, Devin's entire division, mostly dismounted, skirmished with portions of Major Generals Henry Heth's, Bushrod Johnson's and George Pickett's infantry.

[14] An advance party of Union Major General George Crook's cavalry division reached the important rail intersection of Burkeville Junction by 3:00 p.m., blocking the Richmond and Danville Railroad route to the southwest.

[17] The main body of Crook's cavalry division and Brigadier General Joshua Chamberlain's infantry brigade from the V Corps also headed toward Jetersville, arriving before dark.

[21][22] Lieutenant General Richard Ewell's corp was still trying to cross the Appomattox River at 10:00 p.m.; Anderson was still skirmishing with Devin at Beaver Pond Creek; Gordon was several miles behind at Scott's Shop; and, Mahone was not far from Goode's Bridge, waiting to protect the bridge in case Ewell could find no other river crossing.

[25] Some modern historians have emphasized the failure to have an expected pontoon bridge at the Genito Road crossing was the key factor in keeping Lee's trailing divisions from reaching Amelia Court House on April 4.

[34] Lee did not mention the missing pontoon bridge in his remarks a week later but instead blamed the delay entirely on the lack of supplies at Amelia Court House, but as some historians have pointed out, many of his men and wagons had not arrived at Amelia Court House on April 4 and were not in a position to advance until some time on April 5 even if he had not stopped the others to rest and forage.

[35] At Paineville, Davies found a headquarters wagon train guarded by Brigadier General Martin Gary's cavalry brigade.

[36] Davies attacked the lead section of the wagon train, two companies of artillery, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Paineville, and quickly rounded up 300 soldiers and as many African-American teamsters.

[36] Davies's troopers destroyed Major General George Washington Custis Lee's supplies including all the spare ammunition.

[39] Acting as a rear guard, the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry Regiment held off the Confederate pursuers, allowing Davies's main column with prisoners and captured horses, mules and artillery to move past Amelia Springs.

[35][44] The Confederate march was held up before the troops could reach Amelia Springs because a bridge was out at Flat Creek which needed to be repaired to allow the passage of wagons and artillery.

[47] Longstreet's route of march took his men to Amelia Springs, then on the road to Deatonville on their way to Rice's Station on the South Side Railroad.

[39] At daybreak, Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry left Amelia Springs and marched to Rice's Station where they joined with Longstreet's command.

[51] On the route of march about 1 mile (1.6 km) past Deatonville, the road to Rice's Station declined into a marsh in the area of Sandy Creek.

[48] Major General George Crook's cavalry division, initially moving on the Pride's Church Road, starting near Deatonville, began hit-and-run tactics against the Confederate wagon train and supporting infantry.

[73] A gap had opened in the line of march because Crook's cavalry had attacked and delayed Anderson's corps as it was protecting the wagons at Holt's Corner.

[71] Finally, Colonel Henry Capehart's brigade of Custer's division delivered a fierce blow to the Confederate line, followed by the attack of other brigades, including a charge by Brigadier General Henry E. Davies, Jr., which was praised by General Crook and caused the entire line to collapse and the survivors to flee.

[79] The twenty guns of Union artillery under Brevet Major Andrew Cowan deployed at the Hillsman Farm played a key role in their repulse.

[79] Prematurely, Lieutenant Colonel (Brevet Brigadier General) J. Warren Keifer rode forward to accepte the naval battalion's surrender only to have several sailors aim their muskets at him.

[79] General Humphreys wrote that Ewell's entire command was killed, wounded or captured except about 250 men of Kershaw's division who escaped.

[83] Humphreys wrote: "Ewell's whole force was lost, together with nearly half of Anderson's and a large part of Gordon's, all in a useless effort to save the trains.

Many Confederate officers were captured, including generals Ewell, Kershaw, Custis Lee, Seth M. Barton, James P. Simms, Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr., Dudley M. Du Bose, Eppa Hunton, and Montgomery D.

General Humphreys also stated that disorder of the Confederates after their defeats at Five Forks, Sutherland's Station and the Breakthrough "doubtless scattered them to such an extent that many being without rations did not rejoin their commands.

[84] Upon seeing the survivors streaming along the road, Lee exclaimed in front of Major General William Mahone, "My God, has the army dissolved?"

[87] Many prominent Civil War historians (James M. McPherson, Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton, Douglas Southall Freeman, etc.)