The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1865-12-06

early as the morning Of the 4th, Lee sent.
off half his artillery toward the railroad to
relieve the famished horses. The artillery
making slow progress, thanks to the ex-
haustion Of the horses, was captured by the
Federals on the 9Th, but not until General
Lindsay Walker had buried many of his
guns, which were, of course, subsequently
exhumed seventy Of them at one haul) by
their captors. E
It's easy to see that the locomotion of
on army in such o plight must have been
slow and slower The retreat was conduct
ed in the following fashion: About mid
night the Confederates slipped out of their
hasty works, which they had thrown up and
held during the previous day, and fell back
until 10 or II o'clock the next morning.
Then they halted, and Immediately threw
up earthworks for their protection during
the day. It was not long before the wolves
were again on their heels, and from their
earthworks the Confederatcs exchanged q
heavy fire with their pursuers Throughout
the day. Delayed with the necessity OF
guarding an ammunition train from thirty
five to forty miles in length, enfeebled BY
hunger and sleeplessness, the retreating ar
my was only able to make ten miles each
night. The delay enabled the active Sher-
idan to get ahead with his cavalry, and ID
destroy the depots Of provisions along I
railroad between Burkville and Dapyilis
Upon the 5th many Of the mules and hor-
SEES ceased to struggle. 1t became necessa.
Try to burn hundreds Of wagons. AT inter.
walls the enemy's cavalry dashed in, and
struck the intenminable ammunition train
here and there, capturing and burning doz
ems and dozens of wagons. Toward evss&
| ing Of the 9Th, and all day on the 9th, hu
dreds Of men dropped from exhaustion, and
thousands let fall their muskets from ina
hility to carry them any farther.
The scenes of the 5th, 9Th, eth and 9Th
were of a nature which can be apprehendet
lin its vivid reality only by men who art
thoroughly familiar with the narrowing de
tail of war. Behind, and on either flank
an ubiquitous, and increasingly al i,,cc en-. Il
rous enemy-every mud hole and every ms,
in the road choked with blazing wagons
the air filled with the deafening reports o
ammunition exploding, and shells BURSTING
when touched by the lames-dense col
amns of smoke ascending to heaven iron
the burning and exploding vehiclcs-ex
hausted men, worn out mules and horses
lying down side by side gaunt famin,
lglaring hopelessly from sunken lack lustr
eyes-dead mules, dead horses, dead mel
everywhcre-deatil, many times welcomed
as Gods blessing III disguise-who cal
wonder if many hearts, tried in the tier.
furnace Of four years unparalleled suffering
and never hitherto found wanting SHOULD
have qnailed in presence Of starvation
fatigue, sleeplessness, misery-unintermit
tied for five or six days, and eliminating il
hopelessness? :.
;. Yet there were not wanting occasiona
Episodes which recalled something of tn
old pride Of former memories, aud reminde
, men that this hunted, furnished crowd wa
! still the same army that had won two Blu
| Runs, which had twice lin pursuit ola fats
policy trodden its enemy's soil, and ha
; written Fredericksburg, Characteristic
and dozen other glorious names upon il
banners. On the 9Th large body Of Fe'
eral cavalry, having got ahead .. Lees q
: my and occupied Rice's Station, was a
tackled by some Confederate horse unlt
General Rosser, who drove them off, cal
turing $50 prisoners. On the It'll, a heav
9 attack was made upon Mahone's Division
g and the prowess Of this active Confederat
General, SO frequently exhibited during til
e last twelve months Of the war, was mail
tanned to the end, inasmuch as Feder
D brigade, getting entangled in mvine, wi
< surrounded by Mahone's men, and literal
: disappeared. On the evening of the II
g General Gregg, with six or seven tbousan
5 Federal cavalry, made q desperate atteml
0 to capture all the wagon trains, He W;
G CALAMITY met by two thousand horseme
e under Fitzhugh Lee, and defeated. Gree
!, himself was captured.
/ Throughout these gloomy days, as q
e Offset to the countless Confederates captu
Y ed while foraging, by the Federals, hume
!; Gus Federal prisoners were taken by Il
= Confederates, and BECOME participants OF
!, hunger and suffering of which they had ]
h previous conception. may as well me
II ton now that as the surrender BEGAN
r more inevitable Generals Fitzhagh Lee al
Rosser, with about 1900 Confederate ca
6 airy, tacitly determined not to be Include
# in it, and started off toward Lynchbur
]. On their road they fell in with FEEDER
t. supply train, and burned $50 wagons. II
e, scanty and partial rations which, after q
N surrender, were issued on the night Of t
Is 9th to the starving Confederates by thu
10 captors, were apologized for by the Fed
it rails on the ground Of destruction Of the
20 $50 wagons by Fitzhugh Lee,
G, The reader will have gathered that VIII
10 Gen. Lee found his depots along the Ds
" vile road destroyed by Sheridan he had
" alternative but to make for Lynehbu
70 He still hoped to get rations and to tn
or suddenly upon Grant, whose army was d
a persed into many columns. The fatigue
h, the pursuit, though unaegfavated by ia
ofline, was beginning to tell upon the pur
ers. But in pressing for Lynchnnrg, !