The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-01-26

The child who cutters life comes without knowl
edge or intent.
So those who enter death must 20 as little children
sent.
Nothing is known. But we believe that God is over
head;
And life is to the living, 50 death is to the dead
The Flank Movements IN the Will
derness.
M Quad in Detroit Free Press
When Hooker swung his army around to
Charlottesville he was in the edge OF that
dark, dense and sombre wilderness which eX
tends from that point to Mine Run and be-
yond. 1t is a strip of country from three tc
seven miles wide, which is penetrated here
and there by roads but its depths furnish safe
retreats for the wildcat, the owl, the serpent
and the fox 1t is a lonely ride along even the
best travelled highway in times of peace The
boot ofthe owl iseheard from the dark thickets
at noon-day, and the deadly moccasin
snake leaves its trail in the dust as he crosses
the highway to plunge into denser swamp
There is not spot on the main highway
where one could see the length of a regiment
on the march, and he who would hide from
the whole world has only to make twenty
steps to right or left. In days gone by the
slaves in that part of Virginia had horror OF
this wilderness. Runaways sought its cover
and were safe from master and dog, but as
they skirted the swamps the deadly serpent
reared its head and struck them with death =
Murderers have been driven in there by hot
pursuit, never to be heard of again, and men
have made clearings here and there to be driv-
en- out by the sterile, unyielding SOIL and the
strange lenesomeness of the dark woods. Wai
would have avoided it, but war was dragged
| there. Every acre of the dark pines-every
acre OF the tangled thickets-every dismal
swamp and barren knoll echoed the shrieks
and groans OF wounded men and the fierce
travail OF battle. History may tell you that il
is singular spot Tor a graphic of enemies
thirsting fer carnage, but history cannot paint
the weirdness of even peaceful ride through
that desolate tract.
TURNING LEES FLANK
Lee was intrenched at Mine Run. Grant
had sent Butler to capture Petersburg, de
stroy the South Side Railroad and work
around Richmond until his left should rest on
the James. If Grant could turn Lees left
flank at Mine Run he could force him out OF
his works and make him give battle against
two to one or fall back, and if he fell back
Richmond would be completely encircled.-
Hooker was alone responsible for his failure
at the edge of the Wilderness Grants failure
of the greatest farces of the war was the way
that Congressional commander bottled him
self up and put the cork in the hands OF one
division of Confederates.
STRIKING GRANTS LEFT FLANK
If Lee had remained quiet Grants flank
movement would haye been success He die
not oppose the great waves Of blue which
swept over the lords of the Rapidan on the
morning of Maya, 1864, but as soon as, the
Federal anaconda entered the dark wilderness
! it was struck head and tail at the same hour
and Grant had to halt and form his lines o.
battle where men could scarcely see beyond
the points of their bayonets. Lee bad come
down by the Orange turnpike and by the
| Charlottesville plank road and struck the
marching Federal army square OF the right
flank. That army must halt and fight or be
cut in two. 1t halted, and war never before
| OF since witnessed such grapples as took place
under the pines
~- SHARPENING THE SWORD.
J rl,o l>,t of l..
ing of the sword for bloody work Lee at
tempted to push in between Hancock anC
Warren, and but for some of the most des
perate fighting on record he would have sue
ceeded. Success at This point did not NEAR
victory for him, but it meant so much tt
Grant that he grew pale as he realized what ,
small force must hold the gap until Hancock
could swing around. When this manpuvr,
was completed Lee was checked Twenty
thousand men clutched each others throats il
the thickets-6,0O0 lay dead under the stars 0
evening. That was the sharpening Lee hat
struck and dented the Federal armor bu
Grant had studied the blow and learned Lee
intention andposition. II one could attack il
1LC NIltlCl uCSS luC OtiltG COulu. 10 TtlTCd
was impossibe-to fight seemed equally So
In the seven miles front occupied by thos
armies there was not half dozen spots wher
a single battery could be massed to sweep a.
acre of clear ground. There was not spo
where a brigade commander could stand an
overlook his four regiments as they stood in lin
of battle. But war had prepared the slaughter
pen and the victims must be furnished. TIL
dead under the trees, the wounded calm
from the thickets, the mangled bodies half-hd
den in the black ooze of the swamps, all thi
was only the crossing of the swords before tn
duel began.
A STRANGE NIGHT
A stranger night was never seen in war
the boots of owls, and foxes and rabbit
nestled under the guns and hid behind th
knapknacks. Each company was almost isl
t, lated from the other, and the line of battl
formed in the dusk of evening was as eccentr
as the trail of a serpent Federal and Cor
federate pickets occupied the same thiclzet
but there was no Iiring. A regiment attache
to Sedgwick's corps on the right, in movin
into position in the evening, ran oyer dozer
, of Confederates without knowing who the
were. AT midnight that great forest was
still as death. Then it would seem to tire
and culver like grieved heart Over on IL
plank road and turnpike Lees troops cou
be heard moving up, but the sounds we
softened by distance, and the echoes we
swallowed up by the thickets. To the rig
' and left the Federals were advancing, movir
by the flank or retreating, as they closed |
their lines. An hour after midnight tt
t frightened bark of a fox or the note Of son