Maysville weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1864-1866, 1864-07-21

up at Culpepper. and marched southeast 70
Germauia and Ely's Fords, where pontoon
had been laid, and crossed the Rspida
with out resistance; Burnside remaining be-
hind to cover the trains, and by show O
force to disguise the movement from tn
enemy as long as possible. .-ezs...s'es r,..
AS soon as the movement was pronoun.
ced Lee moved east by north to intercep
the Federals on the Spottsylvania road il
column of march. The second corps under
Hancock having the advance on the morn
ing of the 9th, had got past the inteseetion
of the two roads from Orange Court House
on the SpottsylVania pike, by which the
Confederates were advancing and was push
ing rapidly southwark; but the head of the
Confederate columns came upon the. flank
OF the following Federal corps now Joined
by Burnside, who had marched. all night
aud threatened to cut the army in two
Graut did not know that the advance con-
sisted of only few weak brigades, the
dense jungle of the Wilderness concealed
the magni6ed numbers; the Confederates
attacked him with great vigor. and ho be-
l!eved that Lee aud his whole army were
on his flank. He hastily determined that
his scheme to get past Lse's left flank, and
into his rear had failed, aud that tho only
course was to halt and give battle. Han
cock was recalled, the trains hurried to-
ward Charlottesville, and the line of bat
tie formed west of the road Leading south
ward to SpottsylVania, and on either side
of the two intersectiGg roads from Orange
Court House, by which the Confed crates
were advancing.
Thus the Confed crate advance, only two
divisions strong, found itself engaged with
four Immensely strong army corps of the
enemy; in its hands was the safety of the
whole army, aud if need be it must perish
to man to secure time to concentrate. No
bly, did they DO their duty; with a persist
euce. heroism aud devotion never exoelled +,
if ever equalled in war, they devoted them
selves. Dsploying in the chapparel, taking
advantage of the cover of timber on either
side of the roads. they prepared to die
The Federals attacked in massive columns,
charging up the road aud across the open
glades; the Coufederates behind their cover
opposed thin gray line, which. had, the
ground been open, would haYe been swspt
away like chaff; but now almost secure from
danger, that thin line kept up rolling fire,
its bullets crashed through the dense array
of the enemy, searching it from right to
left, front to rear; shattered by a
terrible slaughter, impeded by their
dead and wounded. again and again were
the Federal columns driven back in utter
rout, leaving the ground absolutely piled
with dead. But it is not our intention to
follow the fortunes of corps, or the surges
of each individual combat; but to deal with
results. For two days the battle ragged with
success, closing on the secoad with
decisive advantage to the Confederates.- -
III the Federal attacks hae been defeated,
the Confederate army had concen ntrated, the
artillery aud baggage trains were we'll on the
way to Spottsylvania; the Federal attempt
to turn Lees flank had failed and the latter
satisfied with such results, all he had been
i5hting for, proceeded to take up new
position, covering his communication with
Richmond.
As this movement was begun on the eve
ming of the 9th, Gordon finding that his
Hank tapped Grants left, made an attack
upon it, drove it across the main road in
utter rout, and brought the Federal army to
the verge of ruin. Germania Ford road was
lost and had the success been followed up,
Grants defeat at Wilderness would have
been as complete as Hooker's at Chancellors-
Vile. But the Confederate army was al
ready on its march to Spottsylvanis, and
could not be recalled in time to take ad-
an unpleasant night their line of battle was
Withdrawn and concentrated, and in the
darkness ak and spade were applied throw
ing defeuses to break the assault they an
ticipa.ed or the morrow The morning
broke upon their trepidation, and found
them watching, digging and chopping; all
niobt long their trains had toiled toward
Fred dericksburg, now look ed to as a place
of retreat; noon came, and still no attack,
was pushed forward and it
was found that the enemy had disappeared.
Grant imm ediately telsgraphed decisive
victory, the enemy routed and flying in
every direction. Hancock pursuing, aud
the usual Federal embellishments. That
night, Saturday the 7th, the whole line fol-
lowed on Lees track, leaving its dead un-
buried thousands of its wounded ungath err
ed. 20 die miserably in tho Wilderness, and
it's fisld hospitalst to the mercy of the foe -
Six weeks sfterward parties were sent out
10 recover the survivors of one OF the most
cruel abandonmeuts 10 the history OF war
fare: some hundreds of the wounded sue
ceeded iu reaching the bank OF the Potomac
and attracted attention, but many hundreds
naose perished slowly by the most horrible
of deaths, hunger, thirst, and the NORTH ca
tion of wounds, in the glades and jungles OF
the Wilderness.
After severe encounter on Sunday, the
9th, Federal Corps was severely punished +,
both armies again confronted each other,
the Coufederates facing north, and the Fed
erals south. In the center was SpottsylVa
MIA. through which west aud east ran the
road from Catharpen to Bowling Green /,
south the road to Richmond over the Po
river to the rear; in front looking north
where the Brock, Pine Grove and frederick
burg roads, diverging from the left, center
and right of the town and the com mmunlcs-
tions in the rear was the Confederate army
strongly posted, and opposed to them the
four Federal corps d,armse forming the seq
nent facing inward, as the Confederates es
formed a small semi-circle facing outward .