Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-03-23

for desperate measures. In rain and mud
and darkness he pushed troops over and
past what would have been called term
idable distinctions of daylight. Men
plunged into swamps, fell into the swell
len waters of the creek and were entan-
gled in the thickets, but, two long hours
before daylight, all were in their places
in line, ready for the movement. There
they stood under driZZling rain, all or
ders being passed in Whispers, and those
who reaffZed most fully the desperate
work before them were glad to hear the
notes of the chandeliers announcing
that daylight was approaching. After
O'Clock the rain almost ceased, and fog
set in to render the darkness more in
tense, but in this fog and darkness Bir-
ney brought all his troops forward and
Joined his left to Barlow's right, and
Mott and Gibbons swung in behind him
for a second and third line of battle.
There was something terribly weird in
this massing of troops in the darkness
of midnight-in the boots of the owls
alarmed by the thousands of dark figures
passing Through the pines-in the sobs
of the wet wind as it fingered in the tree
tack ives glad relief. lIbIia .l hszin
Almost as one man the 10000 moved
forward just before daybreak. One could
see the length of his musket in advance,
but no further. When once the lines
started there was no halting.--Ths Con-
federate pickets. strung across the path
heard the heavy trampi tramp! trsmpi
but they had hardly time to exactly To-
cate its direction before a line of battle
emerged from the fog and swallowed
them up and carried them along Just as
a rising river floats away the chips left
on the bars. o. ~
The idea had been to surprise the Con-
federates in the Horseshoe This might
have been accomplished but for the fierce
defense made by the Confederate reserve
picket. A hundred men here fought
CarrOlPs whole brigade for ten minutes
keeping up the fight until nearly every
one was wiped out. This firing alarmed
the force in the salient, and as the lines
swung around and rushed forward there
was crash of musketry and cannon.
Cheers, shrieks, and groans were min
gled together in an uproar which awOke
men who were sleeping tive miles away,
and then came the forward rush of ey-
cry man left standing on his feet. Day
light was breaking, and in plain sight
was the Horseshoe. In two minutes af-
ter the first gun was fired the Irish Brig
ade were tearing away the abattis and
they were being shot down by men who
could almost touch them with their
muskets. On came the great wave of
blue, and its very force lifted a brigade
over the logs and earth into the fort
Here for ten minutes war never saw
more terrific fighting. The Federals
had cut loose and gained fOothold. To
lose that Horseshoe was to let the Fed
eral army in upon Lees TANKS. Every
man seemed to realize the desperate sit
uation; and for time every soldier was
a fiend. Quarter was neither asked nor
given. When the muskets we're empty
the bayonet was used. If the bayonet
failed the muskets were used as clubs.
The attack was fierce. the resistance
desperate. In that three-quarters of a
mile of line not Confederate retreated.
Hundreds of them were asleep as the
Federals poured in, but they did not
spring up to rush back into the woods.
Where they could not seize their musk
cts they fought with stones and clubs.
Confederate artillerists were bayoneted
or knocked down while loading their
guns, and it was only when resistance
was hopeless that the remnant of de-
tenders surrendered.
The famous old StOnewall Brigade
was in tie Horseshoe, and nearly the en-
tire force was captured. A sergeant
rallied eight or ten men around him and,
refused to surrender, and this handful
actually fought its way through whole
and made it's escape to the rear
lines. The capture of the Horseshoe
brought the Federals over 5000 prison.
ers, score of battle flags, almost as
many pieces of artillery, and many
Thousand stand or arms. 1t was a vic
tory gallantly won, but as gallantly con-
tested. 1t was 10000 against 5000, but
the 5000 was behind breastworks which
seemed impregnahle to assault. The
dead were everywhere-the groans of
the wounded almost as loud as the
cheers of the unhurt. Before the guns
could be moved the dead had to be piled
up in heaps to clear the ground.
As soon as the capture of the Horse
shoe was effected a part of the force
pushed on through the woods toward
Lees inner line. 1t was expected to find
him in confusion and without protee-
tion, but lol the rushing Federals sud
denly struck line of breastworks and
met fire which halted and staggered
them. If the Horseshoe was weak
spot, it was also baited trap to lure
the Federal commander. Its capture
ao,o 40 be d
eral wedge drove into a second breast
work, and its force was spent. The
Federals who had pushed on were pick
ed up and hurled back with awful ven
geance, leaving the woods within dotted
with corpses in blue, and thickly an
hour from the first rush upon the salient
Hancock's men had been driven back to
it and were besieged there.
Who blundered? Did Grant expect
that body of 10000 men to push en- and
rout Lees whole army? If not why
were they not supported after capturing
the Horseshoe? If he only planned for
the capture of the salient, what benefit
could he derive from it, swept, as it soon
was, by such fire that nothing living
could stand exposed? The Sixth Corps
came upon the ground half an hour too
late for any serious assault on the inner
line, In fact, Hancock had already been
driven back, and was in sad need Of a
supporting force. 3sa.
Lee was determined to recover posses
sion of the Horseshoe, and Hancock was
equally determined to hold it. Then
there occurred such terrible fighting as
the oldest soldier of the war had never
seen. The Confederates swept forward
with line after line, charging right up
until they looked into the eyes of the
Federals. Lines did not give back. They
melted away until where they had stood
the dead lay in heaps. There were hard
ly any wounded. Men went down to
die. Hundreds Of the men were struck
by three and four bullets at the same in
slant. For live hours the Confederates
- u -