The daily gazette., 1880-09-15
Hanc cocks Battles i'm the will
dermesN.

LlhHnGUCArH n&2thOb AAA hAAC w HI
dHrness.
From Forney's Life.
On the previous Sd Of May, General
Grant and the army marched from
Culpepper Courthouse, Va, General
Hancock leading the advance. This
post Of honor had been awarded to him
by General Grant, not only because of
his splendid conduct at Gettysburg
and in the preceding conflicts under
Hooker, but because Grant had special
confidence in Hancock's good sense,
experience and courage. His first bat
tie under Grant took place in the Will
derness on the 9th of May Of that year.
With the ranks of the Second Corps
well recruited during his absence in
the North and his command increased
by the addion Of the gallant old Third
making in all upwards Of $4,000 men,
Hancock became most conspicuous
figure in the wonderful battles of the
Wilderness. Those bloody engage
ments commenced on the second ami.
versary of the day at Williamsburg,
where he won the first renown. Han
cock displayed his Old tactics. He
made counterchange at the crisis of
the fight, threw himself among his
troops, sword in hand, and exposed
himself like o private soldier.
On the 10th he made an assault on
the enemy's line at Alsop's House,
near Spottsylvania. On the 18th. In
immediate command Of his old s ,ond
Corps, he accomplished a splendid feat.
At the head of his corps he made tho
assault at daylight, favored by = dense
fog. The position was carried with
rush. Five thousand prisoners, twen-
ty pieces o. artillery, thirty stands of
colors and several Thousand muskets,
were the fruits of the victoiJ. 1t WIS
after this fine demonstration that Han
cock telegr lphed to Lieutenant Gen
eral Grant IL have captured from
thirty to forty guns. have fir shed
up johnson, and am now going into
Early"
On the 18th, General Hancock again
assaulted the enemy near Spottsylva-
mia. On the 10Th he repelled an attack
in force by Ewell's corps, Ewell losing
several hundred men, and being driven
by Hancock across the Nye River in
great disorder.
On the 23d and Gath Of May, he en-
gagged the enemy on the North Anna {;
and fought again at Tolopotomy on
the e8th, Both and 31st, in bloody en-
gagement. At Coal Harbor, ON June
I'd, he was again engaged and took
an important part in the operations
before the enemy's works at that place
up to June 18th. The army then
crossed The James on the 18th and 18th
of j une, and it was actively engaged in
the assaults on the enemy's works be-
fore Petersburg.
II is impossible to give full details
of these successive engagements, or to
describe the privations of his men dur
ing their long marches, their constant
fighting, the perils of the bivouac, the
horrors of the hospitals, the dangers
of the picket lines, their incessant
deeds of daring, and ceaseless personal
dangers.
On the evening of the 18th of June,
1852, Hancock's iron constitution
broke down from the effects Of his
Gettysburg wound, and he was COM
PEELED to turn over the command of his
corps, though he did not leave the field,
suffering Intense pain, forced to occu-
py an ambulance during that long
march, yet he fearlessly mounted his
horse when his troops came in con-
tact with the enemy. His wound was
in the upper part of the thigh /; it had
fractured and splintered the upper
part of the femur, and once it was
thought his life could not be saved.
But his splendid constitution pulled
him through, and his entire recovery
would have been ensured had he not
been impatient to 60 into the battle
again, the penalty for which was a
forced brief retirement from his COM
mahd.
On the 9th of June, however, ne
again participated in the operations
before Petersburg, until July 26th,
1854, when he crossed to the north side
of the James River with his corps and
division of cavalry, and assaulted
the enemy's line at Deep Bottom, cap
turing the outer works, two hundred
prisoners, several stands of colors and
four pieces of artillery.
On the next 18th of August, he was
made Brigadier General in the regular
army, and on the same day while at
the head of his old Second Corps, the
tenth corps and a division Of cavalry,
he assaulted the enemy's line, carried
part of the enemy's works, captured
three hundred prisoners, three stands
of colors and four howitzers. On the
both of August, he fought the battle
of Ream's Station, with two divisions
of his own corps and division of cav
airy against greatly superior forces.
Here another horse was shot under
him. On the 92d of October, with the
same forces, he was engaged at Boyn-
ton Road, inAicting heavy loss in
killed and wounded ON the enemy,
driving them from the field and cap
turing one thousand prisoners and two
stands of colors.