With the Confederate disaster at Five Forks on April 1, 1865 Lee knew he was in a terrible position. Sheridan's cavalry was now poised to cut Lee's only lines of retreat because the South Side railroad was cut. Furthermore, Pickett's men had been Lee's only mobile reserve. With the loss of those men he had been forced to begin emptying his fortifications in front of Richmond, ordering Longstreet to bring his troops south. This might allow him to forestall another attack if Grant would attack, giving the army of Northern Virginia a chance to escape, which now seemed to be the best option.