Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Sailor's Creek Battlefield State Park — 6541 Saylers Creek Rd., Rice, VA
When Confederate General Robert E. Lee turned in the saddle and uttered the now-famous words, “My God! Has the army dissolved?” where was he? What did the scene unfolding before him actually look like? For several days in April 1865, Union General Ulysses S. Grant’s forces had relentlessly pursued and assailed the retreating Army of Northern Virginia. On April 6, everything came to a head along the banks and at the confluence of Big and Little Sailor’s Creek. There, below the Lockett and Vaughan farmhouses, bedlam reigned as men, horses, wagons, and artillery struggled through the mud and mire while Union and Confederate forces collided in a whirlwind. Join Park Historian Joshua Lindamood as he brings this chaotic scene to life through incredible primary-source accounts and firsthand stories, all against the quiet and serene backdrop of the battlefield today. Located at the pull-off in the “Double Bridges” area, visitors will find Lindamood beside a campfire, ready to explore the questions surrounding this dramatic moment, share the stories of those who experienced it, and break down the chaos that engulfed Union and Confederate forces on April 6, 1865.
Th…