The National tribune., 1886-04-15
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
THE WILDERNESS.
How Gen. Grant Changed the Tactics OF the Arm
of the Potomac.

of the Potomac.
To THE EDITOR: The article in your issue OF
Feb g. under the heading of " The Great Cap
tain: or. Personal Recollections of Gen. Dent,
brings TO my memory some OF the movements
made by cur regiment 1.-THE 63d Pa IN the
Third Division, SecoEd Corps-the Old Red
Diamonds-on the three-dsys' battle of the
Wilderness May 9TH our division was lying
in rear of the brcastwork on the right OF the
plank road. We were moved forward and
formed in regiments by division on the colors,
and marched through the woods, preceded by
the sharpShOoters as skirmiShcrs. The woods
had been burnt and fought over the two days
previous, and many of our dead and the
enemy's dead lay in clusters as We passed. We
moved along without trouble until we could
see In front of US what we thought was the
abandoned rebel quarters, and we began TO
think they had evacuated, but just SIS we got
in close range the enemy dropped some old
blankets. which disclosed their cannon, ana
ope,sed FIRE on us. You bet we dropped on our
faces and the missiles went over US with but
slight damage. Immediately we arose and
made hasty move TO the rear and marched
back 10 our former position behind the breast
work. While we lay here we saw Gen. Meade
and other officers. There was quite discussion
among the BOYS as TO where Gen. Grant was.
We were net very well acquainted with HIM,
as none of US had seen him, except on one oc-
casion, and that at the review at Brandy Sta
ton Some claimed the man sitting by the
tree whiting the pine root mot shingle, as
Dent SAYS was he. Some of the boys were
near where he sat- when an officer rode up to
him and addressed him as Gen. Grant. BY
this we learned who he was, and many OF the
bows strcllei near by where be sat to get look
at him. lie seemed TO have more interest IN
whiting the pine root than he had In the
progress OF the battle. Many comments were
do x-f i.o hn,-c oh i'm nj
very harsh / recall the expression of Fred
L. Of my company, who said: That -
old fool don't know what to do. He has come
up from the Western army, where they have
been fighting skirmish-lines, and has found
that we have lines Of battle to fight here, and
he is now studying how TO get back across the
Rapidan" Il did look very much that way for
we had been charging the enemy in the woods
for three days, and we felt satisfied that we
could not do anything more than we had and
the general impression WAS that we would
retreat somewhere that night Sure enough,
about or O'Clock, we were ordered up, and
our entire division marched TO the rear down
the plank road, and the men along the road
were picking up abandoned guns and smash
ing them around trees, etc. After we had
marched about four miles to the rear, we were
fled oG TO he right of the road into a field and
given 20 minutes for coffee. The coffee was hot
yet when the order was given to fall in, and we
filed out or the road and marched back TO the
front
When we arrived near the breastworks orders
were given for every one to cheer, and we did.
And we could hear the cheering follow the
line of our division back down the road, and
then il was taken up by other troops and the
cheering went along the line to the right, until
il died away in the distance. We moved for
ward through the open space in the breaStwork
nthe plank road and fled left and halted i'll a
place where the fire had burned over the ground
during the battle the preceding days. A bat
terry Of artillery was standing alongside of our
line, bitchod up and in line ready to move The
piekcfS were firing constantly in our front and
occasional spent balls would pass over us. After
lying here a short time the men went to sleep,
and all at once there came something like a
mighty rush from the right to the left. Every
one sprang to his feet and went pell-mell-men,
battery horses and all-for about 300 feet, when
we STOPPED to see what was the matter. The
batterymcn Strengthened up their horses, the
men resumed their positions. and all was quiet /;
and no enc could explain the cause of the stam-
Pede. Several men We're injured by being
trsmred and bruised against the burnt Snags.
In short time the head of the column moved
and we followed and marched all night and
part of the next day. and we soon began to
think that Gen. Grant was not going back
across the Rapidan. The rebels reported TO
Richmond that we were retTeating, and 10
doubt they had spies in our lines when this
rear movement was made that gave the infor-
nation during all that Wilderness camPaign.
| cannot recall where got one nights sleep,
and when VIC did sleep il was with our harness
on as we would halt along the road. and ! re-
member many times when on pickct-duty
have been so sleepy that | would take tobacco
Juice and anoEt nay eyes aud make them smart
so thai they would not 20 shut.-SAIUEL Dun
HAN, Go. X, esd Pa, SLarpsYiIle, IA.