On April 5 CS General Robert E. Lee and his army left Amelia Court House and continued the march toward Danville, following the line of the Richmond & Danville Railroad. They were heading toward North Carolina, where Lee could combine his force with that of CS General Joseph E. Johnston. When CS Major General William H. Fitzhugh "Rooney" Lee (General Lee's son) reported Union cavalry entrenched across the road at Jetersville, Lee had to change his plans. Because the hour was late and his column was spread out, he decided to make a night march, passing to the north of the Union left flank and heading west for Farmville, twenty-three miles away on the South Side Railroad. There he could obtain supplies for his army, then march south, intersecting the Danville line near Keysville. His success depended once again upon outdistancing Grant's army.

The Confederates' planned route was across the ford at Flat Creek, past the resort of Amelia Springs, through the crossroads called Deatonville, and then through the bottomlands traversed by Little Sailor's Creek, which joins Big Sailor's Creek at Double Bridges. The rolling terrain is slashed by various watercourses: Flat Creek, Big and Little Sailor's Creeks, and Sandy and Bush Rivers. On the north is the Appomattox River, which had crossings only at Farmville and three miles northeast at the High Bridge-the South Side Railroad trestle.

CS Lieutenant General James Longstreet's combined First and Third Corps led Lee's column, followed by CS Lieutenant General Richard H. Anderson's small corps, then CS Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell's reserve corps (made up of Richmond garrison troops), the main wagon train, and, finally, CS Lieutenant General John B. Gordon's Second Corps acting as rear guard.

The rear of Longstreet's column became separated from the head of Anderson's Corps. After noon on April 6 observant Union cavalry led by US Brigadier General George A. Custer charged into the gap and established a roadblock in front of Anderson, cutting him off from Longstreet. Close behind US Major General Philip H. Sheridan's fast-riding cavalry was US Major General Horatio G. Wright's VI Corps. Ewell realized that further attacks were imminent and decided to send the wagon train on a more northerly route. Gordon, who was heavily pressed by US Major General Andrew A. Humphreys's II Corps, followed the train. The stage was set for the battle of Sailor's Creek. The battle included three separate engagements: one between Wright and Ewell at the Hillsman farm, another between Humphreys and Gordon at the Lockett farm, and the third between US Brigadier General Wesley Merritt and Anderson at a crossroads bounded by the Harper and Marshall farms.

Ewell took his 5,200-man force to the southwest side of the creek, where he formed a battle line on a ridge parallel to the creek facing northeast, overlooking the Hillsman farm. The 10,000 Union soldiers occupied the high ground on the opposite side of the creek. Wright emplaced his artillery and at about 5:00 p.m. opened fire on Ewell's line. After bombarding the Confederates for a half hour, Wright's men formed their battle line and advanced to the creek. Because of spring rains, Little Sailor's Creek was out of its banks and was two to four feet deep. The men crossed it with difficulty, reformed their lines, and began the assault upon the Confederates. When the Union troops came within easy range, Ewell's men rose and fired a volley into them, causing them to break and fall back. A group of Confederates made a counterattack, only to be thrown back with great losses. The Federals regrouped and again charged Ewell's line, this time overwhelming it. They captured more than 3,000 soldiers, including six generals. Confederate losses totaled 3,400; Union, 440.

When the wagons Gordon was following bogged down at Double Bridges, the crossing over the confluence of Big and Little Sailor's Creeks, Gordon's men were forced to protect them. Making a stand just before dusk on the high ground around the Lockett farm, the 7,000 Confederates awaited the arrival of Humphreys's 16,500-man corps. With the sound of fighting echoing from the south, the Union infantry gradually pushed the Confederates back into the low ground near the creek. Using the wagons as protection, Gordon's men fought desperately. When they saw a Union flanking column crossing farther to the north at Perkinson's Sawmill, they were forced to retreat up the opposite slope. At nightfall, when the fighting ended, the Confederate losses were 1,700; the Union, 536. Humphreys's men had taken more than two hundred wagons.

The third fight was to the south at a crossroads bounded by the Harper and Marshall farms, about a mile southwest of the road crossing Little Sailor's Creek. Merritt's cavalry, commanded by Custer, US Brigadier General Thomas Devin, and US Major General George Crook, overcame Anderson's stubborn resistance, led by CS Major Generals George E. Pickett and Bushrod Johnson. The Federals captured two more Confederate generals, although many of Anderson's men managed to escape through the woods. Anderson lost 2,600 of his 6,300 men. The Federals lost 172 of their 10,000 cavalrymen.

As the Confederate refugees fled the battlefield and headed west toward Rice's Station, they had to scramble through the valley of Big Sailor's Creek. General Lee had ridden to a knoll overlooking the creek and, seeing this disorganized mob, exclaimed, "My God! Has the army been dissolved?" The total casualties for the battle of Sailor's Creek were 7,700 Confederates and 1,148 Federals.

That night Lee's soldiers marched again. Gordon's men and those assembled by CS Major General William Mahone trudged on to the High Bridge and crossed the Appomattox River, planning to recross later into Farmville by another bridge. Lee took Longstreet's troops and Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry along the road running south of the river into Farmville, arriving there in the early morning hours. Awaiting them were at least three trainloads of supplies containing more than 80,000 rations. As the men began to receive their rations and prepare their meals, they heard the popping of carbine fire to the east: Union cavalry was approaching the outskirts of town. The Confederates quickly closed up the boxcars and sent the trains westward down the rail line. They intended to get the rest of their rations later, probably at Appomattox Station, thirty miles away.

Estimated Casualties: 1,148 US, 7,700 CS