in that direction. At 2:30 p.m., Meade learned of Miles's difficulties and ordered Humphreys to take one of his divisions back to Sutherland's Station to support Miles. By the time Humphrey's arrived back at Sutherland's Station with Hays's division, he found out that Miles's final attack had been successful. Miles and Hays camped near Sutherland's Station to protect the railroad. Humphreys later wrote that the whole Confederate force probably would have been captured if the II Corps had been able to continue to Sutherland's Station that morning. Other than the 600 taken prisoners, Confederate casualties at Sutherland's Station are unknown. Miles had 366 casualties. Sheridan's cavalry and the V Corps did little more than occupy the vacated works along White Oak Road after both the Confederates and the II Corps left the area. Casualties The Union forces lost 3,936 men on April 2, 1865. Confederate casualties were at least 5,000, most of whom were taken prisoner. After the Petersburg trenches were overrun, many Union soldiers were shocked to discover the bodies of old men and boys as young as 14 in them, evidence of how desperate the Confederacy was for manpower. Union Army Chief Engineer John G. Barnard estimated Union casualties in the VI Corps breakthrough at about 1,100 killed and wounded, "all of which occurred in the space of about fifteen minutes." Confederate casualties are unknown but the majority of them were taken prisoner rather than killed or wounded. General Grant estimated the VI Corps took about 3,000 prisoners, which historian A. Wilson Greene states is "probably not far wrong." Casualties at the other main actions of the day are noted above. Aftermath Wright's breakthrough severed the South Side Railroad near Petersburg. The Union Army had access to the Appomattox River and were free to cross the next day to threaten Lee's communications on the north side of the river. At 3:00 p.m., Lee gave the orders for the retreat from Richmond and Petersburg, to begin at 8:00 p.m. Routes of withdrawal, including designation of bridges to cross to the north side of the Appomattox River, were drawn up by Colonel Thomas M.R. Talcott. Artillery preceded infantry. Wagon trains were to move on separate roads. Most trains and troops crossed to the north side of the Appomattox River by the railroad or railroad bridges. Amelia Court House was the designated assembly point for Lee's Army. Most of the army