dennis bigelow. >> you've been sitting for a while.on't need a repeat of what you've heard so well in terms of the particulars of what happened in the mclean house and the surrender. so i'm not going to read that out of grandfather marshall's book. but, i think, you would like to hear this. punctuated by the loss of a third of the army of northern virginia at sailor's creek on the 6th of april with confederate general gordon having been stopped dead by a sea of general sheridan's blue coats on the morning of the 9th, general lee knew his shrinking army could not remain whole. and could not break out of its encirclement. after four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the army of northern virginia must yield to overwhelming numbers and resources. in the wee hours of the 9th of april, general lee's aide lieutenant colonel charles marshall and fellow staff officers of general's longstreet and gordon took their only refreshment of the day. a little corn meal gruel they shared from a heated shaving tin. and