The Fifth Corps got to Jettersville about 5 in the afternoon, and I immediately intrenched it across the Burkeville road with the determination to stay there till the main army could come up, for I hoped we could force Lee to surrender at Amelia Court House, since a firm hold on Jettersville would cut him off from his line of retreat toward Burkeville.

Accompanied only by my escort—­the First United States Cavalry, about two hundred strong—­I reached Jettersville some little time before the Fifth Corps, and having nothing else at hand I at once deployed this handful of men to cover the crossroads till the arrival of the corps.  Just as the troopers were deploying, a man on a mule, heading for Burkeville, rode into my pickets.  He was arrested, of course, and being searched there was found in his boots this telegram in duplicate, signed by Lee’s Commissary General.

“The army is at Amelia Court House, short of provisions.  Send 300,000 rations quickly to Burkeville Junction.”  One copy was addressed to the supply department at Danville, and the other to that at Lynchburg.  I surmised that the telegraph lines north of Burkeville had been broken by Crook after the despatches were written, which would account for their being transmitted by messenger.  There was thus revealed not only the important fact that Lee was concentrating at Amelia Court House, but also a trustworthy basis for estimating his troops, so I sent word to Crook to strike up the railroad toward me, and to Merritt—­who, as I have said, had followed on the heels of the enemy—­to leave Mackenzie there and himself close in on Jettersville.  Staff-officers were also despatched to hurry up Griffin with the Fifth Corps, and his tired men redoubled their strides.

My troops too were hard up for rations, for in the pursuit we could not wait for our trains, so I concluded to secure if possible these provisions intended for Lee.  To this end I directed Young to send four of his best scouts to Burkeville Junction.  There they were to separate, two taking the railroad toward Lynchburg and two toward Danville, and as soon as a telegraph station was reached the telegram was to be transmitted as it had been written and the provisions thus hurried forward.

Although the Fifth Corps arrived at Jettersville the evening of April 4, as did also Crook’s and Merritt’s cavalry, yet none of the army of the Potomac came up till about 3 o’clock the afternoon of the 5th, the Second Corps, followed by the Sixth, joining us then.  General Meade arrived at Jettersville an hour earlier, but being ill, requested me to put his troops in position.  The Fifth Corps being already intrenched across the Amelia Court House road facing north, I placed the Sixth on its right and the Second on its left as they reached the ground.