" Lee ordered this army to evacuate the positions they had held east of Richmond and Petersburg for the last nine months when he learned of the disaster at Five Forks. The army was to pull out that night, April 2, 1865, and head west. Lee hoped to be able to get to the vicinity of Greensboro, North Carolina with his army, and unite his command with that of Joseph E. Johnston, and continue the fight. He was cut off and compelled to surrender at Appomattox. "
Lee ordered an evacuation of his forces from the city of Peterburg and also from the Confederate capital of Richmond.
Explanation:
At the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, the Union Army, commanded by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, took the last major rail lines still in control of the southern forces in Petersburg. Grant then ordered a final attack on enemy fortifications in the area. The next day, the Northern Army was able to break the Confederate defenses at the Third Battle of Petersburg, forcing Robert E. Lee to order an evacuation of his forces from the area and also from the Confederate capital of Richmond at nightfall on day 2 to the 3 of April of 1865.
