Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-06-25
ANTIET AM.
A Chance to Crush Lee Lost by the
Union Generals-Pitiable CONDITION
of the COnfederates After the Seven
Days Fight,


Union Generals-PitiabIe CONDITION
| of the COnfederates After the Seven
| Days Fight.
| Unless the Union army was worse
shaken up at Antietam in reality than
the official reports show, it was one of
the grand mistakes of our war on the
part of the federal commander that he
did not force the fighting Immediate
ly thereafter. The army of Northern
Virginia was then in worse plight to
fight battle than it ever was before
or afterward. And this was not be-
cause of particularly heavy losses in
battle, but from other reasons. When,
after a brief period from regeneration
from the effects of the seven days
fighting in front of Richmond, Gen.
Lee started out on his long march to
extinguish Gen. Pope, his army was
in good condition physically, consid-
ering the hot season, but very badly
off in the matter of clothing, and es-
pecially of foot gear.
Although there was plenty of cloth
ing and shoes in the depots at Rich
mond, the asinine quartermasters,
whose business it was to have furnish
ed the men with an extra pair of shoes
at least, made no effort to do so when
the march was begun, but sent them
to GordOnsville some days after the
entire army had passed that point.
Now, the seven days tramping in
the mud of the Chickahomony swans
had pretty well used up the shoes of
the troops before the march began,
and as it was necessarily forced one,
there was large number of the men
barefooted even before we arrived at
the Rappahannock. AS agood portion
of tie marching was made on turn
pixies, which were IN very bad conai-
ton, those who were without shoes
were soon Ian ed by cuts and stone
bruises on their feet, and, of course,
were compelled to remain in the rear
and would have been of no account
in a battle, even under the supposition
that they could have managed to get
up to where the line of battle was
| formed.
This evil became of serious proper
tons, even before we arrived at the
Rappahannock as above stated, and
to remedy the matter as far as possible
General Lee ordered
A SHOEMAKER TO BE DETAILED
from each regiment to cut from the
hides of the beeves slain each night a
species of moccasin which would af>
ford some protection to the feet.
When a fellow donned a pair of these
ancouth arrangements with the hair
side out he looked like trough foot
ed Scot" sure enough. Now, as long
as the hides remained green they were
easy to the fest, but when from con-
tact with the dry and dusty roads they
became dry and as hard as sheet-iron,
they were simply instruments of
torture, accommodating themselves to
| the shape of the foot and rasping off
skin and flesh at every step. The
onl y way to get them off the swollen,
| blistered and bleeding feet was to cut
| them off. The writer was one of the
uncertainties who had painful ex-
periences Of this ''improvised foots
gear" as General Lee styled it, and
disabled as TO be unable to take part
in the battles of Secona, Manassas,
| South Mountain and Antietam, hav-
ing been left behind when the army
crossed over into Maryland. Those
foot fortunes may have been bless
ing in disguise for me, however, for
the Seventeenth regiment lost heavily
ia those battles.
There was another circumstance
that greatly depleted the fighting
strength of General Lees army. Frem
the time of leaving Gordonsville to
the battle of Manassas the troops were
| without rations, except fresh beef, and
very little Of that, and no salt to eat
it with. At that time the corn fields
were IN the roasting ear state, and the
men freely INDUCED themselves. s
diet of green corn and fresh beef is
not conducive to health, and hundreds
were FRUSTRATED by diarrhoea and
dysentery. The commissariat depart
ment was fully equal to the quarters
masters department.
IN GENERAL INEFFICIENCY.
AS a consequence, when General
Lee crossed into Maryland, one>fourth
of his army, ] honestly believe, was
struggling between the Rappahannock
and the Potomac, and the bulk of
| these men were not stragglers OF their
own accord, but simply because they
were physically unable to keep up
with their regiment. Why, on the
last forced march from Frying Pan to
Edwards ferry, on the Potomac, I
had managed to procure a mule to
ride, and I saw hundreds of men
fallen by the wayside, many fatally
struck and others postrated utterly bY
heat and fatigue. No rear guard
could have brought these men up ex,
cept with corps of ambulances. Al
though I was on muleback, the torture
OF my swollen feet became insupport-
able, and I was compelled to seek
relief at the first friendly house.
which the certificate of our surgeon
gave me permission to do in case
could not keep up with the army.
Very few of the stragglers rejoined
the army until after it had recrossed
the Potomac from Antietam, although