Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-10-06
Alistellaneuns &eadiug.
VIRGINIA BATTLE FIELDS.
THE BLOODY ANGLE.

! flRGlNlA BATTLE FIELDS.
THE BLOODY ANGLE.
Especial Correspondence Philadelphia Times]
Of all the struggles of the war that lat the
Bloody Angle was perhaps the tiercest and most
deadly. The ground was literally covered with
piles of dead and the woods in front of the salient
were one hdeous Golgotha. lam aware that this
language may resemble exaggeration, but speak
of what personally saw. In the vicious phrase
ology commonly employed by those who never
witnessed a battle field, "piles of dead' figure
more frequently than they exist in the reality.
The phrase is here no figure of speech, as can he
attested by thousands who witnessed the ghastly
| scene-ScintOn's Arny of the Potomac.
As seen by the stranger this historic hamlet
is place of interest, even aside from its con-
nection with the battle field. 1t consists of a
group of half dozen buildings, central
among which is the court house, small. old.
fashioned brick structure, in the midst of q
delightful grove and a lawn carpeted with
grass. In the summer cedars and sycamores
give good shade to the people who come here
to settle their disputes, while in the winter
warmth of both kinds-froIn fireplace and
demi johns always on hand at the big tav-
ern across the way. Were it not for the iron.
bound windows and the defiant faces, occa-
sonally seen peeriug therefrom, the jail would
look like a plain dwelling house, and 80, SIM
ilarly, the only sign to indicate that another
building is a store, is number of empty dry
goods boxes piled in front. The public pump
is at the point in front of the tavern, where the
Fredericksburg road is visited now and then
by little darkets who balance buckets upon
their heads, and in the evenings few children
play ball, mumbety peg and scratch my. back
around the gate Of the courthouse yard.
1t is a piece of the country with the barest
hint of town life.
.. SIGNS OF THE STRUGGLE.
No one is apt to think as he rests on the
broad bench of the tavern porch, sees the
sheep in the field dozen steps away, hears
the jingle of the cow.bells just down the road
and catches the fragrance blown up from
the meadow, that here Grant and Lee, joining
in bloody combat wrestled for twelve days.
Nevertheless, it needs but glance in any
direction to see evidences of the struggle.
The court house still carries its scars, the
heavy columns of the hotel porch show a
number of shell marks, and all around are
remains of earlhworks that stretch for miles
to the North and South. Grants place of
headquarters below the Fredericksburg road
has little of interest about it, the Ny is an
ordinary stream, the Pc, on the other side
of the battlefield, is like the commonest OF
Virginia creeks, and Laurel Hill, where the
action of the 9th occurred, is thickly timber.
ed as of yore. Mounds and rife.pits are
seen at various points, and the place near the
Po where some of Hancock s men found them
selves with fierce foe in front and raging
wood fire behind yet shows remnant of burnt
timber, indicative Of the fray. l sought un
successfully for the spot where lion hearted
Sedgwick fell. That glorious old warriors
lines are plainly traceable on the Alsop farm
and Mr.. Aisop thinks that he knows the fata
point-now marked by a dead oak-but
there is no certainty as to the place.
ATTHE EDGE OF THE ANGLE.
The deputy sheriff, inn.keeper and leading
citizen of the settlement, Mr.. Ashby, who is
kinsman of the brilliant cavalryman ofthat
name, kindly offered to show me what was
to be seen, and after breakfastwe started for
what he called the Horseshoe" or, as it is
more generally known, the "Bloody Angle
Driving northward on the level Brock road
for less than half mile we wheeled abrupt
ly into a by.way to the right and began to
pass through thcket of small pines. These
evergreens, which have grown on the margin
of the McCool farm since the battle, threaten
to cross the narrow road. What we were
going through was more like bridle-path
than place for wheels, but, needless of the
ends of limbs that whipped him in the eyes
and brushed against the sides of the buggy
our horse dashed along, fetching us finally to
fallow field, wherein stands the McCool
house. This place is one Of grim fame and
lasting history, for in the woods hereabout
deaths nav was gorged in the longest, fer
cest, ghastliest hand to hand combat known
to man. Tall oaks surround the house.
which is a weather. beaten, rickety structure
that clearly has been through the mills. A,
the time of the battle the dwelling was occu
pied by farmer McCool, bachelor, with his
two maiden sisters. When it grew hot and
deafening all around the family went into
The cellar, and there Miss Mile, sitting
by the side Of her sick sister, wrote the follow
ing note
GRANT, GENERAL SIR Il desire that you
stop this nasty fighting. There is sick lady
in the house. MILDRED MCCooL.
A trembling courier in the person of a
black boy succeeded in delivering the note
within the Union lines, but oddly enough the
battle was allowed to continue.
"And would you believe i'll" Miss Millie
was wont to eXclaim in chats with her neigh.
bors many year thereafter, "and would you
believe it the Yankee general wasn't gentle
man enough to grant ladys request"
"Shame shame!" would come in chorus,
and Miss Miles ancient rocking chair would
stand still from the very amazement Of the
good woman between its arms. And to this
day Grant is held up by Miss Miles friends
as person who is "no gentleman" One
morning, two days afterwards. it was so quiet
that the occupants of the cellar concluded
that the storm had swept over and Farmer
McCool cautiously thrust his head up from
below. A Union soldier who saw the head
grabbed it and the old man ducked down,
leaving his wig in possession of the laughing
sharpshooters.
''THE SLAUGHTER PEN"
Such incidents were pleasant to hear as we
left the house, went out at the farm gate at
the foot of the hillside lawn and drove through
belt of ancient and towering oaks to the
Bloody Angle. We struck the apex at a
point where the earthworks stand knee high.
The line runs to the right as far as the eye
can see along the edge of thick woods and
to the left directly into the depth of a mass
of scrub oaks and pines. In front of us ten
vo rJs QUO =, woa Iittla vallowish o1av. nlas