When all of the Confederates crossed the river from Farmville, they formed a line of battle on Cumberland Heights overlooking the town. Artillery was set up to fire on the Union troops as they moved into Farmville. After a short period of time, the Confederates withdrew to the north to join Mahone's division around Cumberland Church. At this location, First Corps (Longstreet's) artillery chief Edward Porter Alexander told General Lee that the route of march to Appomattox Station was shorter on the south side of the river and they should have stayed there.Lee did not respond immediately but asked Alexander to check the mileage with local troops. When Alexander confirmed the information, Lee said: "Well there is time enough to think about that. Go and attend to these matters." (Lee was referring to the destruction of the bridges at Farmville.) Alexander later wrote: "Indeed, no man who looked at our situation on a map, or who understood the geography of the country, could fail to see that General Grant had us completely in a trap. ... We were now in a sort of jug shaped peninsula between the James River and Appomattox and there was but one outlet, the neck of the jug at Appomattox Court House, and to that Grant had the shortest road." Calkins, 1997, pp. 129–130. About this time, Lee also learned that Union troops had followed the Confederates across High Bridge and he could not break away from them on the north side. Having burned the bridges at Farmville, Lee's troops could not cross back to the south side of the river there.
