Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-04-28
THE WILDERNESS.

THE WILDERNESS.
A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF A DEsPER-
ATE sTRUGGLE-THE DEATH GRAPPLE
OF GRANT AND LEE IN THE sOMBRE
FoREsT-THE FEDERAL ARMY ONLY
SAVED FROM BLOODY ROUT BY THE
WOUNDING OF LONGSTREET.
I'M Quad in the Detroit Free Press.]
When Hooker swung his army around
to Charlottesville, he was in the edge of
that dark, dense and sombre wilderness,
which ext mis- from that point to Mine
Run and beyond. It is strip of country
from three to seven miles wide, which is
penetrated here and there by roads, but
it's depths flu nish safe retreats for the wild
cat. the O vi, The serpent and the fox. 1.
is lonely ride along the best travelled
highway even in time of peace. The boot
of the VI is heard from the dark thickets
at monday, AM the deadly moccasin snake
| leaves is ira j in tho dust as he crosses
the highway to plunge into dense swamp.
| There is not spot on tbs main highway
where one could see the length Of q regi
| ment 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 Viz
ginia 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. Muir
derers have been driven int here by hot par-
suit, never to be heard CT again. and men
have made clearings here and there, to be
driven out by the. sterile, unyielding soil
and the strange lonesomeness of the dark
wood. War would have avoided it, but it
was dragged there. Every acre of the
dark pines; every acre of the tangled thicget
every dismal swamp and bar rem knoll has
echoed the shrieks and groans of wounded
men and the travail Of fierce battle. His
tory may tell you that it is singular spot
for grapple of enemies thirsting for car
cage; but history cannot paint the weird
ness of even a peaceful ride through the
desoate tract
TURNING LEES FLANK.
Lee was entrenched 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
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 ha
fell back Richmond would be completely
encircled. Hooker was alone responsible
for hi failure at the edge of the Wider
ness. Grants failure in the center of it
was Buffers fault. One of the greatest
farces Of the war Was the way that con-
gressional commander bottled himself up
and put the cork in the hands of one di-
vision Of Confederates.
If Lee had remained quiet Grants flank
movement would have been a success. lie
did not oppose the great waves Of blue
which swept over the fords of the Rapi-
dan on the morning of May 4, 1864, but as
SOUu do UilS l. CuCl tAt GhdCouu| SubSiNO tuF
dark wilderness it was struck head and
tail at the same hour, and Grant had to
stop and form his lines of battle where
men could scarcely see beyond tho points
of their bayonets. Lee had come down by
the Orange turnpike and by th4 Chancel
louisville plank road and struck the march
ing Federal army square on the right faux.
That army must halt and fight Or be cut in
two. 1t halted, and war never before or
since witnessed such grappla as TOOK place
under the pines.
SHARPENING THE SWORD.
The battle of Thursday was but sharp
ening of the sword for bloody work. Lee
attempted to push in between Hancock and
Warren, and but for some of the mnsl
desperate fighting on record he wonld have
succeeded. Success at this spot did not
mean victory for him, but it meant so
much to Grant that he grew pale AS he re
allied what small force must hold the
gap until Hancock could swing around
When this manevre was completed Lee
was checked. Twenty Thousand men
clutched each others throats in the thick
et-six thousand lay dead under the stars
of the evening. This was the sharpening.
Lee had struck and denied tbs Federal ar
NOR, but Grant had studied the blow and
learned Lees intention and position. IL
the one could attack in the wilderness the
other could. To retreat was impossible
to fight seemed equally so. In the seven
miles front occupied by those armies there
were not half dozen spots where single
battery could be massed to sweep an acre
of clear ground. There was not a spot
where brigade commander could stand
and overlook his four regiments as they
stood in line of battle. But war had prr-
pared the slaughter pen, and the victims
must be furnished. TIE dead under the
trees, the wounded calling from the thick
it's, the mangled bodies half hidden in the
black ooze of the swamps, all this was on
| ly the crossing Of the swords before the
duel began.
STRANGE NIGHT.
A stranger night was never seen in war
The groans of the wounded were answered
by the boots of owls, and foxes and rabbits