The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-04-15
AREMINIsCENCr OF THE wAR.
General Grants Imperturbability 1t
the Rstsle or spOttsyivania.

On the l2th day Of May, 1865, the
bloody battle Of Spottsylvania was rag
ing. More than two hundred pieces of
artillery were belching forth shot ahd
shell along the Union and rebel lines,
making . din second only 10 all wars OF
ancient or modern times to that OF Gettys-
burg, and creating great havoc among
the troops. Early in the morning the
gallant General Barlow (lately attorney
general of New York; bad been sent by
General Hancock with division OF the
Second army corps forward through the
fog, and had surprised the enemy at
salient, vital point of their temporary
Notifications. Piercing their centre, ne
had driven them a quarter of mile, ana
nearly captured General Robert Z. Lee
at his breakfast. He was finally COM
PEELED to return by overwhelming num-
bers, who threatened to surround him.
Had Gen. Grant, at that juncture, been
ready with plan of battle, Barlow
would have been instantly supported. not
only by the assistance which Gen. Han
cock gave him, but by the over-masterlng
strength of the army of the Potomac.
Lees line would have been severed in
twain; the battles of Cold Harbor, the
long siege of Petersburg and the conflict
at Five Forks never would have occurred;
Sherman's march to the sea would have
been as unnecessary as Sherldan's ravage
of the Shenandoah valley; the defeat OF
the rebellion would have been achieved
before the assassination of Lincoln; and
Grant, by the exercise of promptitude in
q tremendous emergency, would have
denoted himself to be what he was not,
a great military commander.
General Grant was not equal to the
occasion. Having slept the previous
night near his headquarters, in the tent
of Quartermaster General ingalls,, had
received an intimation of the attack pro-
posed by General Hancock at the ensu-
ing dawn, and was therefore in the sad
die in time to ride and witness it, and to
forward to you soon after the sun had
risen the account of Barlows assault and
his capture of j ohnson's rebel division,
which first appeared in the World among
Northern newspapers. General Grant
made not move towards Barlow's sup
port, and was only aroused upon Bar
lows retreat to the necessity of holding
the salient he had taken.
Over this salient aptly called the
Death Angle, the rest of that days hor-
rlble fight was chiefly waged. Lee
massed corps after corps, and concen-
trated the fire of all his batteries to re-
gain it. Grant drew from every corps
along his long and out numbering lines
to retain it, He ordered every gun TO
play upon the enemy, and with the roar
of that artillery, and the fierce, lunging.
incessant volleys of musketry, the after
nom grew hideous.
General Grant had taken his position
IN the valley q considerable distance be
hind his battle line, where two temporary
tents were raised, sheltering some OF his
staff from the sun. A few horses were
held by orderlies hard by. The general
himself when l rode up, was seated alone
in one of his camp chairs set IN front OF
his tent. His posture was like that OF a
lazy farmer summing himself before the
doorstep after midday dinner. AS l
approached him | noted that he was not
in the least disturbed by the descent of a
shell which exploded a couple of rods
behind the tent, or by small car non.
ball which, without giving the least
warning of It's approach, struck the
ground close by with dull thud, tossing
dirt almost upon his pantaloons.
Dismcunting and saluting him, re-
minded the General of some letters Of in
PRODUCTION l had previously sent to him,
without having felt the necessity OF pre-
senting myself before.
He said at once, lifting his eyes, but
not moving another part, yet speaking
courteously:
81 remember. / asked Colonel to tell
YOU to come to dinner. What can do
for you?"
at may be necessary for me to ride
through 10 Belle Plain this afternoon or
tonight" said /. "In that case should
be grateful for pass through Fredericks-
burg and TO the bost which will leave
Belle Plain for Washington"
avery WELL" said General Grant, still
without altering his position or moving
muscle. 81 don't see any objection"
81 shall need a pass" With snap
of his finger, which, notwithstanding the
uprsar on the ridge, at once drew the
attention of an orderly, he SAID to him:
"Tell Colonel - to make out pass
for this gentleman. You had better give
the orderly your card"
gave the orderly my card, and with
drawing few feet, stroked the neck of
my mare. She was FESTIVE little beauty,
and to my astonisment the General OBJ
served:
That's pretty mare
In the midsts vi this compliment, the
saw like hiss OF an approaching shell,
seconds, eliminated in an explosion so
near, ugly and venomous that during
the next half minnie the mare plunging
and rearing, nearly escaped. Subduing
her and acknowledging Gen. Grants
kindness, l mounted and ventured to say,
looking toward the ridge:
"Well, general, l suppose you mean to
win this fight, else you wouldn't keep it
up so long?
YOU'D better go up there and see"
replied Grant, with grim smile. "Gen-
eral Lee may have something to say
about it."
General Lee was indeed having his
say about 1t through the mouths OF what
seemed 10 be hundred thousand can
mons and the musketry of all the
armories in the world. The green ascent
up which rode trembled with the can
nonsde between two mighty armies, and
showed piteous decorations of its heritage
by shot and shell. Fitting along the
crest, and now at the crisis of the battle
descending occasionally on feet, red-nos-
trilled horses toward the valley
where Grant sat silent before his
tent, aides-de-camp appeared, their
brows knitted and their lips set with ur-
gency. Toward the third part of the
ascent the sound of bullets, similar to
that of kind Of hollow tow which u led
few years ago TO be the boys favorite
pIaything, rose and died as it passed the
ear This was not the intonotion of