The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-08-17

point Dy taxing troops from our
front. If Longstreet could have
struck Hancock's left at daylight,
or at sunrise, on the 9Th of May,
I have no idea we should have en-
countered even skirmisner's at
tack from him that day. Besides,
there was no prospect for vic
tory if Hill and Longstreet were
merely to push at the front of
Grants hinge army. Our force,
so excessively inferior in num-
bers, being little more than ope-
third of Grants must strike some
vital spot of his line, flank or rear,
so as to roll up the lines upon
themselves, derange the calcula-
tions of their generals, and crowd
them together in confusion and
dismay. And, as l have said,
this was unquestionably Lees
plan at the outset. However, we
read that. Longstreet reused his
men at two o'clock on the morn
ing Of the 9Th, and marched them
toward our position on the plank.
road. During the night Meow
ans Brigade was gathered in
bivouac Except pickets who were
out iu front) on the left of the
road, and Immediately against it,
about the place where the left
half of the brigade began it's ad-
vance in line in the afternoon.
Some Of them remained for a part
of one uight further advanced
with Thomas's Brigade; but l
believe that all of us, except such
of the Battalion of Sharpshooters
as were on picket, collected at the
point above indicated before day.
light.
THE MORNING OF MAY SIXTH.
The dawn Of day discovered us
lying in bivouac, and therefore
without regular arrangement,
along the left and northwest of
the road, while the greater por-
tion of Heth's Division, Thomas's
Brigade, Of our division, and por-
haps Scales's Brigade, also Of Will.
cox's Division, lay in the same
condition on the right or south
east side of the road. The enemy
were quiet, except that here and
there a rife was fred along the
picket line some little distance in
The woods in front.
Gen. MCGOWAN began, as soon
as it was light enough to see well,
to have his regiments collected
together so as to establish bis line
again, and Gen. Thomas set about
the same thing just across the
road from US. When our division
commander, Gen. Wilcox, rode up
TO US, Gen. MCGOWAN informed
him what he was doing, and asked
| him what direction he bad to
give as to the place and direction
of alignment. He agreed that
Ger. McGowan's idea of resting
his right on the plankroad was
proper, and that the line should
run out about right angles with the
road. But he added that Long
street was expected to be on the
spot in a few minutes with $4,000
fresh troops, and that it was not
to be expected that Grant would
renew the attack before 10 o'clock.
And these two opinions were by
no means confined to Gen. Will
cox.
So these two brigades were
formed abreast Of each other,
Thomass stretching out from the
plankroad to 'the right, and ours
reaching from the plankrosd to
the left, the order from the road
being as follows: First, the Twelfth
Regiment, then the Fourteenth,
then the First, then the Thir.
teenth, then Orr's Rifles, which
was separated from US and placed
some distance to the left. If
there was another brigade or
another regiment in line on this
front of the army l do not know
it. l know that | could see no
other line than that formed by
these two brigades, and l know
that saw considerable nun Der
Of men, just in rear of Thomas's
brigade, crowded together with
cut apparent organization and
just as they had bivouacked partly
lying, partly sitting, partly stand
ing among the trees. These l
supposed to be portion Of Heth's
Division, but | never knew who