National Republican., 1885-08-11

whlle nght is IN progress, and so we
found II during these terrible days. The
writer has been placed in both situations,
and l think without suspicion ofbravado
may say would rather ten times TO one
be up with my comrades whero the fight
was hottest. In the rear, in spite of The
anxiety to know how the Sight was going
on Tor instance at Spottsylvania5, n Q
definite information was to be gotten.
i A thousand wild rumors were Ayino
about. Some of the wounded not ab.
solutely disabled, and they came back
IN sorrowtul streams, and the stragplers
these latter gentry we invariably halted
ana compelled them to get into line)
were all sure that their regiments had
been cut to pieces" | may say by
way OF Interpolation that in a record Of
over dozen pitched battles and twice
the number of hot skirmishes / never
yet saw or heard OF regiment being
"cut to pieces" 1t is the miserable
skulkers who "cut a regiment to pieces.n
The men who stand up to the rack under
adverse circumstances generally give the
enemy. as good as they send. Well,
while the shells were bursting about us
and the solid shot ricocheting over us.
and occasionally striking in our ranlis'
we were on tenter.hooks, so to sneak,
Tor the stream Of men, wounded and
otherwise, who poured back from the
battle.line, who told us that the enemy
were, driving back this or that wing,
or had pierced the center, fairly
drove us wild by their stories, for the
woods and the dense smoke prevented us
from knowing whether these tales were
true or not. While it is true we were
loath to credit one.tenth of these rumors,
1t was, as l have above stated, yery
worrying to listen to them, for, from the
sound OF the firing here and there, we
could easily tell that portions of our line
oil battle were falling back nearer to us,
and, OF course, retreating. This was
very unsatisfactory. | say again that
provost guard duty in the immediate rear
OF heavy fight is the last place that n
man of ordinary courage would choose If |
he knew what he had 10 contend with. |
Close up to the line, enough to be under
artillery fire, they have to stand and take
1t without the opportunity or excitement
oil replying-and II soldier never feels so .
well as when he has chance to eight
back"
THE LONG, LONG WAIT.
When night closed on the field of
S,pottsyl yania we had as many, and for
that matter many more, prisoners than
the battalion could safely guard and we
were therefore ordered to escort them
TO Hanover junction and put them on
The train for Richmond which we did.
think in this connection that | can
correct an error that has somehow or
other crept into the so.caled war his.
tories. 1t has been said in detraction
OF the confederate commanders that nj
Spottsylvania Court House after the
assault by Grant on the first day,
that night, Ewell or Gordon II
forget which, but it was one or
the other, aud | am writing from
memory, withdrew his artillery from
the salient of breastworks, which was
evidently the weakest point in
ee's line. This salient was occu.
pied by Gen. Ed Johnson's
Virginia division (the stonewall diyi.
sion). 1t has been said that no artil.
lery was in position on the confederate
side WREN Gen. Hancock made his fierce
charge on the salient and captured John.
sons division and nearly all his guns
at early dawn. The truth is this: That
Capt j. Mcdowell Darlington, with four
guns, and Courtney's battery of four
guns also, fired over fifty rounds into the
head of the assailing columns and
.urned them. But it was Carter's bat.
alion OF artillery (sixteen guns), which
was ON its way to the front to take the
place from which it retired the night
before for so.called security, that was
ierelict. Hancock's men knocked
he drivers from their horses and Carter !
lever was able to get gun in position.
lis entire command was captured and
hancock swung around end gobbled up G
I'd Johnson's entire division, artillery
md all. But the eight guns of Caring. :
on and Courtney did effective work until !
hey were also taken in the rear, and
arried off captives. Here it was that
'hen the battle seemed lost for the CON
ederates Gen. Lee put himself ut the
cad Of Gen. John B. Gordon's regi. I
,ent Of infantry to lead the charge to re. /
over the ground lost, and where the r
eld officers nearly pulled him off his C
orse, and the men cried out, "Lee to p
ne rear, or we won't advance.'' Il
GoRDoN's BRILLIANT ADVANCE. I,
It is a matter ofhistory how nobly and ii
aliantly the division of Gordon swept n
'rward, assisted by Malone on his ii
ght, and how effectually he v
eat back Hancock and restored the q;
roken line. The writer would wish n
, refer to matter in this connection n
hich he wrote three or four years ago, h
ainly because it relates to the great &,
last pitched battles, and a,
hich might have had serious import. Il;
ace on the result Of this savage con- re
st-ior savage it was, and it cannot be III
enied. "When the federal calvary left h,
revillan's, after making wreck of it, w
ter q detour, they approached Hanover a
inction. Now, at the junction at this n
me, | have been informed there was -
Ut even n regiment of infantry. There
as a battalion, however, detailed to
lard the large amount of army p,
ores collected about the junction. 81
nsides these, there were two bat. pc
ries of artillery-twelye gnns-De. On
ents Maryland and the Baltimore ar
,bt batieries-all under command of pil
oil. Bradley Il. johnson. Hearing of Of
e approach of Gen. Sheridan with his -,
rge army of troopers and artillery, and "!
lowing that the destruction Of the hi
'res at the Junction and the bridge az
er tho South Anna would
the almost virtual ruin of pa
. army of Gen. Lee, Col johnson wh
termined to sacrifice his command be- be'
70 retreating or surrendering. He, 3t Of
'relore, planted his guns on hill W
ar Iaylor's creek, which commanded he
tn the junction aud the railroad bridge, ~
d there awaited the assault. Either
cause he had received false reports as
the numbers of the defenders, or be. i
use Stuart's troopers were close upon PIE
heels, the federal commander, after Tor
, exchange of few cannon shots at the
g range, sheered off and continued his gle
d. Had even brigade and battery eql