Answer: Further fighting could not accomplish anything useful and losses would be heavy
Explanation: General Robert Edward Lee, had only hungry and ragged men. Trapped in the vicinity of Richmond by the forces of Generals Grant and Sheridan, he tries one last card to escape Appomatox. His men manage to penetrate and cross a first line of the enemy cavalry troop, but are surrounded by infantry regiments, camouflaged in the vicinity.
For over a week, Lee had tried to escape Grant west to Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia. After a ten-month siege of both cities, Union forces broke through the defenses, forcing Lee to retreat. The Confederates moved along the Appomattox River, south, with General Phillip Sheridan following them closely. Lee's army had little food and soldiers began to desert in large numbers. When Lee reached Appomattox, he realized that his path was blocked. He had no alternative but to propose to meet Grant.
