The Sunday herald., 1886-10-03
WAR MEMORIES.
The r ank Movement from spottvlvsnis 10 the
North Anna River

The R.ank Movement from spotts,ivanls 10 the
North Anna River.
fIsrnnk Wilkeson In New YORK Star.l
For fifteen days we had been nghtng In the
Wilderness and at spottsy1vanIa and II was with
great Joy that the enlisted men Of the Second corps
received on the afternoon OF May 90 1861 the order
20 withdraw from our fouiutrenchments and march
to the rear. Other troops occupied our ear,hworks
were to have rest. we needed It. Flfteen days Of
bat,ic-hftecn days Of continuous and bloody light
we M bacS ece Of NV woos
prepared to enjoy nights unhroken sleep the
guns parked The p,Ske, rope WAS srecme
ters orderly rode brskly into our camp and de-
llvcrcd an order to our captain. the enlisted men
and watched the orderly. The captain read the or
der, recelpted for IT, and then ordered the chests oi
supplemented that with another, commanding the
chief OF cassons to take them TO the rear 10 the am
mSn rsss train S m them nsv r
we were not TO have long unbroken sleep. Ina
few minutes the battery quartermas'er came Into
loudly called. aFali in for ratlons !" and the gun
rations were Issued to ua. Sacks Of grain were
thrown on the ground, preparatory TO being loaded
Sa u hesvy sxmSc nen teams rolled into The s
try camps, and the soldiers gathered around them
with open haversacks, which were speedily hlled.
us or who were seated shirt in hand on the ground,
endeavoring to pick the vermin on Of that garment |
Then other wagons, which chuckcd heavily into |
rus, rolled into the Infantry camps, and chests hlled
Sn @ ann sner. wers
boxes were ned until they srgged heavily on 'he |
kfter ealing an early supper walked over to the
nearest Infantry regiment, and found most Of the
men lying on the ground, sleeping soundy by their
gent men sas under trees studying the war maps Of
Virginia which were open before them. THESE men
told me ss M ss an a
listed man had forty rounds OF ammunition IN ne
cartridge box and twenty IN hs pockets, sat- Win
and studied the maps, and nnay concluded thatth
second Corps TO march that night to our left.
Not man OF Inc group was with believed that the
movement would be successful. We knew, and the
line TO march on, and we had heard from cavalry
privates who had ridden south on raids or who had
operated on the ank. g the Army that ise mpcr
lay in the region Intervening between us and Rich.
mond had ali been carefully fortified. But whether
only thing be done, unless II were TO return TO the
camps north Of the Rapldan. Every Intelligent en-:
cona noa wress ns ns @
spotsylvania from the clutch Of Leesveteran In
Returning to the battery found many Of the can.
noneers studying war maps, with which we light
artillery men had abundan,ly supplied ourselves,
| iantry soldiers, and, when INV comrades asked me
to join them, profanely declined to waste further
tree the vermin infested ground, and was asleep
Instantly. to be awakened inst as ! was winning
great BATTLE by the drivers hitchng In their horses.
packed up, asked sergeant what time II was, and
was told that It was about midnight. There were no
even the tapof drum silently the battery rolled off
Of our camp ground. We could hear the solid tread
she q % vss VIM
Murmurs as OF reeds whsperlngly greeting the now.
the second Corps were streaming str aiming at swinging gait
with their arms at will. We turned into the road
srowiedi How they swore! We, too. erowled and
marched and growled and sworc and grumbled and
mSrnnr we heard noise in the forest to our right.
and then couple Of rifle shots rang out sharply.
Instantly the column hailed the infantry faced @ to
OF men srraiig over the guns, and dashed through
the forest In the direction of the sound we had heard
"Lie down lie down!' they whispered to us.
| We unlmbered the guns, but had not sufficient
, Infantry press around us.
"D-y you, lie down! Get ont % o. our line OF llre
hlazed with excitement, to me and to my comrades.
We crouched low around the gun trails, and
wnited. After the column halted did not hear an
oficer give command. The enlisted men knew
what to do, and did instantly and without orders.
two lines Of veteran Infantry, with rifles almost
aimed. with act faces and blazing eyes, gazing in
tently into the darkness OF dense forest In search
there. SO profound was the silence that could
hear my heart beat. Soon we heard the voices Of
the skrinshers, who had rushedln the woods, call
Ing owly, but distinctly, as they returned:
SThero Is nothing there; Don't are! don't Are
line, which faced into column. and, llmbering up,
we resumed the march Bnt tlid not not understand q,
two 'he Ts @ ae a@' o se ae way
The night wore away. Morning came, and we
cooked breakfast at fires made OF fence rails. We
were In the best agricultural region that had seen
In Virginia. Many negro slaves were working In
the nelds Some Of the slaves did not quilt their
hail us with v0clierous shouts as liberators and
eagerly ipin US, as had been led to believe they
Many of the farm houses we passed were large
mansions built Of brick, and around which piazzas
. ran. on these women and children and old white
haired men stood In silent groups, and looked In
tently at us. saw no young men, no white men III
for war. around any Of these farm houses. There
are many barns and sheds and groups of negro
qnarlers We, the ever hungry, predatory enlisted
men, quickly discovered that we were marching
try. and we raided tobacco barns In quiet manner
and killed some sheep and many chickens, and
o paie-faced woman, whose little children clung to
her skirts as she stood In her kitchen door appeal
to the Union soldiers not to strip her OF stores,
she had children to feed, 81 In greenbacks for n
piece Of sweet bacon, which had found IN a barn
where an aged negro stood solemnly assuring the
on the place. This at large brick house mile OF
two outside Of Bowling Green.
Green where many pretty girls stood at cottage
windows or doors, and were as close to the despset
Yankees as the garden gaies and looked scornfnllI
at us as we marched through the pretty town to Kill
their fathers and brothers. There was one very at
tracve girl, back-eyed and curly yhaired, and cat
honss yard. she looked SO neat. 40 fresh, 90 lady.
IKE, and pretty tIat M ran r. through the open open & gate
from the WE'LL wei ana she, the naughty wiz vrsnsl
maiden, refused to notice me. She calmly looket
through me and over me, and never by ne silghtes
/. The % tfoops S aud ignored me. liked her spirit
%esy iS aoas STas ass o
hill tops and see see the % long steel;tipped column
Sp ss 1e ssea e but c
were @ xsSa mot be called
ight at all, and we believed that the Second Corps
an equal number Of Coniederates ip the open. A
i would nave Iesa on agreeable change from assault
Ing earthworks Al noon we halted for dinner, an
Ss aSr am s snS
N tobacco we had stolen, and In sleeping
Again we marched. by the middle Of the after
dust column which ross away OF TO our right benin
the crest Of a ridge. and which moved parallel VIII
we had been oitmarcied. and thai wherever W
stopped there we would ind LOngstreet's corps
10 aoM Oppose asi sr cannot $ el Bst recora the fss
m that did know 1t a. an instance Of the accnrac
~ OF the Information the enlisted men OF the Army
the Potomac possessed. That afternoon droppe
behind the battery TO talk to some country boys VIII
were serving In an infantry regiment.boys VIII
s were raised In Columbia County. N. Y, and VIII
. lived ON ferns that surrounded my family HON,
siead. To Them expsesSed my anxiety at being q
far In advance Of the main aiihy. was promptl
reassured and encouraged Ry young line SCI
geant, who said:
"That dust you see over yonder Is kicked mn h
l.ongatrseta men. They were ON the Confederat
| right at Spottsyvania a. soon as the johnnie
70 mlssed the Second Corps from the battle line the
knew that We had been despatched on tankn
movement, and Lee started Longstreet toward Rlcl
mond to Intercept us. Now, we have been nghtin
LOngsireet'a oofps for two weeks and better, and
all know that he has not more than 10000 soldier
| The C0nfederates are not sufficiently numerous
dght us In the open. Longstreet willnot attack u
IN second C0rpa unless he IL heavily REINFORCED The
W. lies our only danger. Bee here. Frank" he said
he laid his hand on my shoulder TO call my aiteniit
away from the dust 00lHmn. ssee here. Listen
little common sense. Lee Knows that ths SpcoI
Corps has been detached from our main army. I
Knows that Grant has not more than as, 600 men
maining with him now, my boy" he solemnly sai
,ts If Lee had suhlalen plumber OF men In his enti
" army 10 enable HIN To whIn draDta az 900, he