Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-09-24


form, which was a work of time, and en-
a5led Longstreefs to come up, gave Hill
an opportunity 10 concentrate, and the
Confederates were soon in condition to
repel assault and give attack. The Union
force was soon driven back over the
ground it had won, and reformed where
il had started. In endesvorIng to stay
the retreat, the gallant General James S.
Wadsworth was mortally wounded and
fell into the hands of the enemy. Han
cock had marched out to the battle with
one-half of command for the reason
that Longstreet was said TO be marching
upon his rear but Lee was obliged to
change his course and bring him to the
front. Hancock's advanced right had
been driven back TO its entertainments,
and Longstreet rode down the plank to
direct the turning column, when he met
Gen. jenkins, an old comrade whom he
had not seen for months. A portion OF
Mahone's brigade lay hidden in the bush
es, which mistoOk LOngstreet and others
for Federal officers and fired upon them.
jenkins fell dead, and Longstreet was Sc
verelv, and il vas thought, fatally wound
ed. The fall of Gen. Longstreet checked
he part that had been committed to him,
and Lee assumed command of this part
of the field, urging the corps of Iongstreet
and Hill against Hancock's line. resting
behind their works, preparing for new
assault. r..
The woods being on fire when the bat
tie was fought in the morning, the Con-
federates following the flames, swept
over the earthworks, but were met by
Gen. Carrolls brigade and driven back in
disorder, which ended the fight upon the
lett. Each side had advanced upon the
other, and alter winning some success,
had been repulsed. Both as night again
fell occupied the same position they had
held in the morning. The Confederate
left overlapped the Union right, held by
raw troops of Sedgewlck's corps in front
of earthworks thrown up 10 which they
might retreat in case of an attack. No
attack having been made, at night they
began TO retire to their sheltered line, but
were discovered by the enemy, who made
a sudden rush upon their flank and cap
tured their commander and almost four
thousand prisoners, with loss to the
Confederates, it is said, of OnlYi27 men.
The assault was soon repulsed and the
Confederates fell back to their former po-
sition.
In conclusion, copy the following
paragraph from Harper's History in re-
ference TO the battle of the Wilderness:
"The morning of Saturday found both
| armies in a mood different from that of
the day before. Each, while quite will
ing to be assailed in It's intrenehments,
was indisposed to attack the other. The
losses had been heavy. Those of the
Federals numbered fully 10000 men. of
whom about 5000 were prisoners. The
Confederate loss was hardly 10000, of
whom few were captured. The two days
action had otherwise been fairly drawn
battle. Both commanders had failed IN
their purpose. Grant had turned the i'm
pregnable position of the Rapidan only
to find himself confronted IN the Wilder
ness in a new position equally unassaila-
BILE. In this first blow the hammer had
suffered more than the anvil. According
10 all precedent in the army of Tie PotO-
mac. Grant should have abandoned the
enterprise and cast about for something
new. But of this he had no thought To
strike and keep striking, as he had done
at Vicksburg, was his firm resolve"
There can be no doubt that in the two
days battles in the Wilderness, and in
the five days that followed from May 5th
to the 1Ith, the Confederate loss was less
than the Union. The losses of the Union
forces in these battles are accurately Civ
en- by member of Gen. Grants staff TO
Mr.. Coffee, author of "Grant and his
Campaigns" From the 9th to the 11th
of May 3,288 were killed; 1928, wound
ed, and ,S44 mlssing-total, %, 40. The
Confederate loss is unknown, but was es-
timated at 1900 killed and wounded and
1000 missing total, $1,000, making the
loss of the Confederates 14,OO0 less than
that of the Federals. The excess of pris-
oners vas in favor OF the Confederates by
about 5000 men, making the Federal loss
about 10000 more in killed and wound
ed than the Confederates. The army of
the Potomac numbered, according to the
Secretary of War, 141 ,164. of whom TO-
900 were cavalry, and that of the Confed-
crate was reported by Pollard at 10000.
Probably General Lees effective force at
this time did not exceed $1,000 men, but
captured returns of the army of Northern
Virginia report force of 81, ,576, of which
81 ,218 were present.
After presenting these facts leave the
reader to draw his own conclusion with
reference to the interesting statement o f
Mr.. Colfax. R.LJ
Lindenville, Sept 6, 1876
EYou can smile and smile - said