The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-03-01
THE FIGHT AT GRAyELLY RUN.
A Thrilling Story OF DeathIess Deeds.

p, Major j. FIt= Jane, CaldueU, Fist Rr,
imrnt S. c. j., MGopan'' Briyade.
The closing scenes in the career of the
Army of Northern Virginia were in
keeping with its former record. 1t has
generally been supposed that that
Starved and tattered band collapsed from
exhaustion in itself rather than under
the blows Of its adversary. But such was
not the case. 1t is true that it's powers
Of resistance had been greatly dim inish ed
by the long and continued mental strain.
imposed upon it, and by the exposure
insufficient food, insufficient clothing and
constant bodily labor which had charac.
terized almost its whole existence. and
which were particularly characteristics of
its last term in winter Iii.:tors; but it is
unicnabie that it preserved to the last a
large share of that courage which had
rendered it world.renowned, and that its
physical ability for hard marching, rapid
maupuyering and brilliant fighting was
not excessively abated. | do not mean
to say that it could have repeated the
Maryland campaign of 1862, or that it
would fight again as it had fought at
Cold Harbor or Gettysburg: it certainly
was not equal to another Second Manas
sas or charlottesville. 1t had lost too
much Of its moral energy and too much
of its physical strength for such perform
ances as those. But the physical force
which it still retained was so
TuoRouGiii.x TRAINED AND DIscI-
PILNED
as to be capable Of very considerable
effect, If properly managed, and it had
not lost its pride or dogged determina-
ton. These soldiers were not now 'That
strength which in old days moved earth
and heaven" but they were still, as
Ulysses claimed for his war.worn
Greeks:
"One equal temper OF heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate but strong in will
To strive, to seek. to find, and not to yield"
Or as Swinton has expressed it. this
army possessed such vitality in all its
parts that it perished only with its ami.
biIation.
Not many of us fancied, when the
Spring of 1865 set in, and more active
campaigning looked near, that we were
so close to the termination of our
warfare. The prospect before us was
anything but fattering; but re we're so
accustomed to privation, to hard march
ing, and to fighting against heavy odds
that we did not realize the possibility of
our failing to Withstand, for few mon tbs
at least, even the great numbers arraycd
against us. We still felt almost un.
bounded confidence in ourselves and in
our generals, and we resolutely put
aside aud refused to entertain apprehen-
sions which, we afterwards learned, filled
almost all hearts in the Confederacy ex.
cept our own.
When, therefore, We were marched out
Of our winter-quarters on the night OF
Wednesday, the 29th of March, and
moved westward, we proceeded with all
the promptness, if not the cheerfulness,
that had heretofore marked the quitting
Of our places of confinement. We con-
jectured very accurately what was before
US. The stir which had pervaded the
Federal army for several days, the firing
on parts of the line, occasionally, where
all had formerly been quiet, the weather,
which invited active operations, aud
above all, the fighting we had just had
ovsI the picket line in our immediate
front, all led us to expect very serious
operations in the near future.
We marched through the darkness,
and soon through the rain, along the
Boydton Plankroad towards Burgess's
Mills on Hatcher's Run, almost due west
from the camp. Just before we moved
HEAVY FIRE OF ARTILLERY
began about Petersburg, some four miles
east of the camp, and as VIC progressed
We could still hear the frequent though
receding boom of cannon and could see
the fash of shells and rockets in the air.
We halted about three miles west of our
winter quarters, and, therefore, about
seven miles west of Petersburg, between
midnight and day, and remained there
In blvouac until sometime after daylight.
During the morning Of the 30th we were
carried across Hatcher's Run and placed
IN 5rcassToTks which constituted pro-
loDgation Of ,.,.,
The LINES AROUND PETERSBURG.
Here We 10y in the rain during the rest
ot the day and until about 8 o'clock in
Inc forenoon of the 3lst. A little before
mat time Gen. McGowan desired me-
BIS acting aide de: camp at the time-to
Ede with him to see Gen. Wise, of Vir-
glnia, whose brigade lay near US, and
VINO was temporarily lodged in cabin
On our way Gen. MCGOWAN informed
me that it was probable that we should
oe sent in front of the. works to attack
!he enemy there, and that he wished to
nave from Gen. Wise, who had been
mere some days, some description Of the
ground upon which we were to operate.
we found the white.heired. Virginian in
9s rude log cabin, and he proceeded,
onehy bnttvery clearly, to describe the
geography. Of the country before US.
no areW diagram of our own and the
saemy's lines, and OF the roads and
sueams in our front, saying that it was
very likely we should be sent out to beat
LACE the Federal left and roll it up to
nucher's Run or,thereabouts. He had
SG,usht on this line q few days before, and
Ls sketch was the result of his own
observation. We found the diagram
3alIe correct in its outlines, with the
ppns'e exception, that he drew Gravelly
p Dun 700 near a parallel with Hatcher'e
,S aa. But this was caused, have since
,moueht, by hia niistaking small tribu-
asy sy 70 Gravelly Run, a little to the east
~ Me point which we now fronted, for
s1a aS main stream, and thus did not dis
wo,SsI oss 20 us the facilities which the enemy
y, pvaa lave to throw fresh troops between
~ sno our works. if we moved in front
dss,' u ~ night angles with the works. He
us;il ;is'oed the nature of the surface quite
sl.. ana MS account Of The tangled
insn'es iSes IN which his brigade had become
WTaea W. was very graphic and amusing.
than n nLeturned to the brigade, and just