Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-03-23
DRIVING LEE TO THE WALL.
Memories of the Fiercest Fight in
the Wilderness.
Grant Looking for a Weak Spot il
SO the Confederate Line.
From the Detroit Free Press.

When the dogs of war let go of each
others tbroats in the Wilderness it could
not be said that either had secured an
advantage. Lee had temporarily check
ed Grant 10y striking his flank, but he
had not shut him up in the woods by
seizing the Brock road. The great, dark
woods were full of dead and wounded,
but Grant had not been crippled. He
had failed to drive Lee by fighting, but
the road was open to march around him.
Grant formed his battle lines into march
ing columns and renewed his route to
Richmond. Lee recalled his lines and
marched to throw himself across the
Federal path. Thus it came about that
they grappled again at Spottsylvania.
Sixteen years of peace have brought
but few changes. Almost every rod of
the earthworks are still there, the few
poor houses still stand, and the woods
through which Hancock's men felt their
way on that dark and rainy night of
March II have scarcely lost tree. If
history had not warned the correspond
ent that here occurred some of the clos
est and most deadly fighting of that
memorable year of battles, he would still
learn it from the sights around him.
Just beyond the high ground around the
old Lendrom house are the dead stumps
of trees twelve inches thick which were
cut down by musket ball alone. There
are larger trees there which are Clipped
and scored twenty feet from the roots,
A log foot thick and nine inches long.
which formed part of the Confederate
breastworks, has over 800 bullets in it.
From a line of breastworks forty rods
long more than two barrels of bullets
have been gathered and taken away to
the junk dealers at Richmond.
When Grant found Lee in his path
there was halt. Lee was not only there
but was intrenched. One night had been
sufficient to give cover to every man and
cannon. Trees had been felled, logs
piled up, and the spade had taken care
OF the open spots. For mile either way
from the Court House Lees infantry
had almost safe protection from the
6ercest cannonade. They needed it.
Grant had five men where Lee had one.
On the plains of Manassas Grant would
have enveloped that little Confederate
army-toyed with it-crushed it as cat
crushes mouse. In the woods around
Spottsylvania, behind strong breast
works, one man counted as three. There
was no Brock road to move by flank.
Lee must be walked over if Grant pur-
sued his further road to Richmond.
When famous pugilists meet in the
ring they do not rush at each other. The
approach is cautious, even timid. They
look into each others eyes. They watch
every motion. They stand ready to
strike or to guard. 1t is the same when
armies confront each other. There is a
weak spot in every battle line. The OBJ
ject is to find it and WELD the hammer
there. Lee was on the defense. 1t was
for the Federal lion to race up and down
in search of the opening in the armor.
Grant thought he had found it at Laurel
Hill. but after two desperate assaults
and the loss of 1000 men he let go his
grip and renewed the search.
The weak spot was found. North of
the Court House was what the South
erners have since called the Horseshoe.
It was part of the Confederate lire
which projected out something in the
shape of horseshoe, the extreme point
being nearly half mile from the heels
of the shoe. When Lees troops swung
in there, they had made their own line
of battle. When Grant arrived it was
too late to withdraw from this salient.
| In one sense it was dangerous point
to hold. In another sense it was point
easily defended. An attack on either
sids.pf this salient gave the Confeder-
ates chance for murderous cross fire
on their assailants. An attack on the
salient itself could be desperately re-
sisted, and yet it was the single weakness
in Lees long line. As the lion prowled
up and down, drawing blood at every
halt, he saw this Horseshoe, and went
no further. That night, with the wind
sobbing drearily over the meadows and
through the trees, the rain falling with
steady pour, and the night so dark that
men had almost to feel their way, Gen
Hancock massed 10000 men within hall
a mile of the salient and waited for day
light. sai.r
I 1t was Grants plan to assail and cap
ture this Horseshoe, push his troop:
through the opening, and then fall upoI
Lees rear right and left. That wa!
Burnside's plan at the Crater-Gordoni
plan at Fort Steadman-Longstreet'
plan at Gettysburg. 1t was the tactic
of war, but whenever the plan was triet
it met with bloody repulse and terrible
ldisaater Hancock was the right mai