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==Aftermath==
With 47 Union casualties (plus 800 captured) versus only about 100 Confederate casualties,<ref name=Salmon483/> the first battle on the bridge seemed to favor the Confederates. However, the second battle, in which Union troops successfully extinguished the fire, crossed the bridge, and forced the Confederates to flee along a specific path, proved to be a decisive tactical victory, and may have shortened the war by several days.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.historynet.com/burning-high-bridge-the-souths-last-hope.htm|title = Burning High Bridge: The South's Last Hope|date = 13 February 2007}}</ref>
As a result, Lee was forced to continue his march to the west under pressure, depriving some of his men the opportunity to receive rations from Farmville that they desperately needed. On the night of April 7, Lee received from Grant a letter proposing that the Army of Northern Virginia should surrender. Lee demurred, retaining one last hope that his army could get to Appomattox Station before he was trapped. He returned a noncommittal letter asking about the surrender terms "Unconditional Surrender" Grant might propose.
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