Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-06-03


right The line Of battle, thus eoaipletsd sHtsnaea
from tbs right Of the plsnkroad through succession
open fields aud dense forest to the left of tho turnpike
: Il presented front Of Rix miles, and with Flat srses
= IN rs rear, occapled very Irregular plain along tn
broken slopes Of broad ridge that rse from tie stream
known as Wilderness Run TIE thichef that lay aoaa
the whole fzcs Of the Confederate array 20 mpsns
: table as to have excluded tho ef artillery hy the
enemy save only for the breadth of those 6penio =
: and On the rigas BY the psnkrosd
The stack on EUen having been reVulssd nlusksiry
began az half past two dsspsn IN volume m fo II 5f
HL Large columns Of ths eDeny snveI5ped In el9uis
OF dust were seen al that time moving up rom he rear
Intersection Of the snk road from Gerraana ford WITH
that from Orange Court House opening a. Il vTould a
fsEoranle ine Tor Federal advance, southwardT Has
shown D. ths enemy movements about 20 seoms the
| subjees Of bloody eucounfsr
Rsths skirmiShers diyen IN about three O'Clock
Aney we're ielio"ea closely % g heavy eelumn, that
appeared 70 move zpiritsdy. Firing with great rapIltv
as It advanced, - muskslrF, IN The ears q maa al
prosehing the field OF battle rolled through TIE dent
Of tie forest Ike the Of migaty waters KaeiBts
deiense the hand and on h otter an atta
sought 20 force IL way ratsr By constant prssre t
by csshiag enterprise the z,ruggi8 in Ill., front con
timed for ta three hours, uabroken ia its ferrbIs
nonotony b. even any disturbance u the rapid rsgu
arify with which added 70 IL Of grim das or
of mortal sgony.
Hoshs dtEision st asss The ushoe bruns Of tie
Federal onassushL The hsary columns pressing 80
obsiiratsy upoa IFS front fai to break s c
saney. hek and fast en creps 10 the rear blood
Ing or dropped 10 The ranks De ad bat stH T. gave NJ
sgns q yielainE 0Hehsif Of ITS nEbaE of shs
ing had beed placed h0rs dH c0n15ai The weight az
tne lTlmense masses arlsd against It having eadsd
IN lisutenAnt esseEs III some fears for It's sodisy
orders were sent 70 Wilcox to come up with hiB divs
ion Eom Eweils right 81 hs doubs-quiek. That gal
lant officer arrived o'clock Wills Iha A. Of the
TIes in frout aeconp BY he thundsrs of four or
i've guns the plank road declared the cuTubss 70 b.
Of sGtraordlnaFy fsresness
Wils0x. guided by tho hzaFiness Of the re piseed
bis leading brigade in Of Heths ceuier and de-
ployed to tn right and eff Of fue Ftsnk road The
conflict soon Afterwards deepening ilst direction he
next formed his second brigade As t arrived uDo he
field on the left flank but had no Eoaner dragu Il "
IN i le Of battle thsn It became exposed to lusev 70
completely IN reverse ss 70 have wounded Of
men Ia the back Changing front ffy 10 tfg rear
and swinging round his ieft, be found hiasssf con
/ fronted BY Federal line Of bSitls.
Reasoning from the crushing wei ht Of the masketrv
in Heth's frt A. Wilcox drew up another Of ais bri-
gEdes 10 that ofeers re4r. on ts rEh ef the plank
road The h0arse roll Of tbs hre exiendiup sIbss.
quenty in that direction he placed fast brigade for
the protection Of that hAnk IL extension OF sts ar
ray on The extreme right Two Of WIleozs brgades |
lay thus in IN ef the eenk5r while another
occupied each Of the tive AAnks Of the line battle
The tsrrblensss OF the Federal mnsketry this mo
ment such that having section Of 4he trunk
utterly TO shredz it actuay cut down white osk tree
having disnster Of siehteen i1chssl
The losses in Hsth's DIVISION had become 80 heavy
that Wileoxa brigade IN reserve were moved. about
half past I've to the front AeGowaas sou Caroii- /
niznA thus B. ou ht into sction, their gssni edisi E
patent Of delay, leap bis horse overs rank 5has had
lain down to let his men pssA SpUrr1z forward, Wa
wing his sword he was followed by bfs hi
gade with cheer; and plunging immediatslE inso rhs
depths OF tie conflict dove back tbs enemy hv h=
impetuOus dash Sor seveeai hundred yasss VFi,eor
seeing tAe Federal lines each side OF the breadth o
that charge Of the fiery South Carol nans stand firm
became zpprehensve for their safety; and ordering
them at once to fall back, placed ihem tae posen
sasigned them In tia array Of battle The murdsrOus
cOatet ragged in fierce nlou1tong until Ebf closed over
the CONFEDERATE line IN the POSITION il bad originally
taxen The prisoners captured ineiudsd men fr0a4he i
corps, tho ID and corps; and this fact pei ats TO
the EupP0stion that the gallant divisions OF Heth and
wilcox aetusliy held a. bay, from three o'clock & Il
hsif-psst seven, three crops of the Federal army.
Hehs division was ordered during ths right Of ths Il
5h to 90 60 the rear as raservs Lanes Scaes' Ne
nj
ion Of Gen. Wileox-oeeupisd hs EOnt Videttes were
sent out but venturedOniy short dstaEce from tbs
line Of battle Ihe two armies ay indeed 40 close 10
sEch other Throughout the night be within sasv
shot sualr stream the Confederate left con
ootn that men from either side gJing cut % fin their
from Il very often captured bv some fro
the other. Col Baldwin Of the Isf Maasaehusetts
ment more thirsty than prudent, became in that way
tenant Of the Libby prison.
Longstreets eOrps it will be recoscted lay, on the
Sd, thirteen miles southwest Of the position on the
Rapidan. Ordered forward By GEN Lee n upsrcbed
ffom the gh5orhoOd Of GJrd0nsylls en- thu morning
Of the Atm. "a the nigh Of the 5ta it halted within
twelve milo the f0d Of the batte OF that day In /
tending to lvifuw road known the Csfharpn with
view 20 a movement upon the rear Of the enemy's
left flank 1t became necessary under She rapid devel
opnent Of Grants masses Of attack TO call it 70 the
support Of the front It's intrepid chief Informed after
midnight CT the danger Of Is corps was ordered to
move up 70 the plAnk with the view q meeting
the renewal of the shock OF the upon the right
Breaking up his blvOuae Longstrset commenced his
battle.
Con Lee, concluding reasonably that faut upon the
left would occupy sufficient time delay tbs attack on
the rigE TIL the arrival and dsploynent Of Longstrsets
regarded ths state Of "a ngs, the OF the
9th, without alarm. Wilcox had however looked aux-
iousy throughout the might for the coming the d7is
IONS OF Anderson aud Field and, ppOnisd in the
delay of their arrival began daybrea to cover his
front BY abaitis Of feed trees. The 1ea employed
Tor that purpose were immediately tired uBou by the
enemy's skirmshers and, in the momspt rushed
to their rifles before the advance Of attack in hsAyy
column The federas hsd spent The night II securing
good positions for their onslaught of the mornings and
coming now In great torce from points threatening
HethB and WilcOx's. enveopmsnt forced the gallant
d7isions Of those officers to Shattered in
strength by the terrible struggle of the day before
having already maintained resistance Tor three quar-
ters Of hour sgsinst numbers absolutely crushing
they hnHly gave wsS. Continuing at first q dssultory
fire they rersated. the rg6t wing south Of the plank
road broke toto disorder and finally fed In confusion
before the ensny's overwhelming columns
Wilcox, seeing his lines shattered hopslessy, rushed
back report % Gen. Hi. The Fedsrziisis pressed
forward vigorously that he bad but srived At that
polut when be looked back 10 behold his disordeFed
ranks surging sresdy Shn $50 yards Of the posiriSn
of Gen Lee. The head Of MeLsws fine divi on Of
LODgstrsefs corps, came up ilnmedielely under iha
command Of Brig. Gen. Ksrshaw, and ontspoken
the sugury OF victory IA its hss2Gg eyes, aat Its ap
rearencs beapd n - ones he wounded snirs of Eeth
esa Eeieox tsy s-Eitiled ia tAs Prassucs OK Gen
Lee under reverse which that ofieer decIared frT
the day had illuminated their pTevoEs struggle with
uDhincht0g c0ustsncy.
Apprehension was, for moment entertained that
ihe rspid movement and heavy frs the ensrnVs a9
would prevent the dep nsnt OF the approach.
ing columns in line. KershaW.. vn brigade Of South
I
having the sdganee OF 0agsres corps had hcnor
to be The first to form. Drawing up the plank
roadshus covering the trains, the artillery and the
shattered retreat Of H th aud Wileoz-ihsy at once
checked the enemy advance Ia the teeth OF FIRE il
Nniel sesy sssoS ---A % lHou8u is were storm OF
msre hail. Their resistance Il was however feared at
the time, could be insintained FOR maly minutes
Their front swsp. By tempest Of bullets, they were
thr. s.ened heir right flank with development
Their heroic firmnsss riumphed however, for the ring
Of their rifles had before long whirEed It's dsstrsIs
Ia 20 many Federal heart that the assilans begsn
affar VIII he
meantime, begun drop into line the rignt the
eov was soon Afterwards checked at ali points and the
tide OF battle commenced, after short time to roll
slowly back.
McIsws Division orcs in Inc undeE Kershaw, Fielda'
formed on II as they eams up. Andersons splg nlid
fellows left by Gen. Iil 70 quad fords in the Of
the march from tho RspdaHl ooD came in rush. Com
array Of battle Breadth and weight thus given to Lees
font the fortunes CT the day quickly turned. The
Confederate nne moved m&isstica y forward and, IN
the teet Of bloody and stubborn resstance, moving
down the ensnyB ranks with its terrible muskstry as
wi the sword OF the dssirogin angel drove him back
for nearly mile.
For about an hour the battle sunk Into an apparent
ul OF exhaustion on both sides The brigsdes Of G. T.
Andersop Ct WOfford, and Of Mahone we're IN he
meantime, directed against the enemy's left flank.
Having termed perpendieulsriy to his Ina they
strnek it suddenly 81 about mile south Of the plank
road giving il time 20 fall into ion In their
'front.' drove nesrly up TO that highway IN confused
mass The ensmy carrying with him the debris Of this
the line Of plzlking, along which he had advanced
Erom Germanna ford
The fanking force having thus done their work tri
umphsntyt halied within few hundred yards Of the
Orange and Fredericksburg plsak road The COrfsd-
crate ne Of battle the left Of their position on learn
ing Gf the enemys ro1te, broke into column, and de-
gnted at tho complete success Of their cheftans STRAIT
egy, moved forward smidst shouts Of triumph Long
rode up with bis staff TO take bis place the
head OF the advance; and received n he passed
along the moving with thunders Of applause Gen
jenkins spurrng to his side, gsspsd his sand glow
Of pleas and the whole universal
rejoicing.
Their faces glowing their horses pfsneng The eavsl
cade surrounding the eutens general had. however,
passed more than hundred yards IN vance OF the
column, when thsir mood sobered into profound
regret One OF the bdgadss of the hsnkDg foi &c,
kested with the OF aeHruet0n thai they had exc
.a.Ia .ls.La LII -.