Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-08-20
A Midnight Council of War.

Here is one Of the hitherto untold
stories of the war, sketch of the
midnight council of General Gran,
and his corps commanders, after the
first days fighting in the Wilderness
The result Of the fierce conflict had
been adverse to the army OF. the L
s. General Lee had flung one wing
OF his army between our forces and
the base of their supplies, which
would require another battle to re-
gain them Each division and corps
commander knew this sad condition
of affairs. They were all summoned
to "a council OF war, to be held at the
headquarters at l o'clock at night
They were the sadest steps ever tax
en- by that band OF devoted hearts,
Fifteen thousand brave soldiers dead
or dying, or wounded, were lying on
the field hard>by. One after another
entered, and after making a noiseless
salute silently took their seats. Gen
erals Schoetield, Meade, Burnside,
l-Sickles, Howard and others, believe
were there. Not word was spok,
en-. A full half hour thus passed by
Their emotions were too deep for
utterance Hopes of millions hung
on the decision of that council. AT
length General Grant asked each one
in succession if they had any advice
to proffer. Each one answered with
sad monosyllable, no. The com
mander then wrote few lines, and
handed the slipto General Meade and
he retired. This was repeated until
they were all gone and the General
was left alone. One of the staff OF
division commander who was sick
was the last to retire, and he is au-
thority for the above. All were ig-
norant Of each others order. They
felt sure that retreat had beer di-
Iected. Any other alternative
would have been believed to be mad
ness. Had they known that the or
der had been given to advance, in>
slant mutiny would have been raised.
That eloquent silence for which he
has ever been noted was the key to
his success there. The next morn~
ing each corps moved, and General
Lee, the instant he preceived it, with
vehemence exclaimed Our enemy
have a leader at last, and our cause
il lost" Probably General Lee
never said any thing Of the kind. l.
He had bid his officers the night be-
fore to let the soldiers sleep long
But now he saw the army whom he
thought utterly defeated, moving
around between him and his base OF
supplies. He fastened to begin res
tracing his course, and confessed to
an artillery officer that the doom OF
their cause was sealed.
THE MISSISSIPPI RIvER.-The Mis-
sissippi River is developing a new
wonder, in view of which it has been
suggested that almost any moment
the stream disappears in mysterious
watery abyss below. At Memphis
unmistakable signs exist ofan UNDER
ground channel, and facts are related
going to show that constant and re-
markable changes are going on: Ma
ny years ago saw mill was at work
in the swamps of Arkansas, twenty
miles from the Mississippi. The own
er awoke one bright morning to find
his we'll dry, in which the day before
there was three or four feet of water.
He cut trench to a broad, long sur
face pond, not far away, and was
again supplied with an abundance OF
water This trench connected the
pond and well. Three days elapsed
and pond and we'll were both empty.
The old man of the mill was amazed.
The story was told to a traveller from
Memphis. cit is plain enough" he
said, "the river is lower than for
years past, and your pond and we'll
have emptied themselves into the
great sewer of the Continent" The
Mississippi not only overhows, but
"underfows" all the broad valley
through which it passes. It's channel,
however broad and deep, could not
contain all the rains that fall and
streams that come down from the
Mountains, Territories and State. of
America.