Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-12-26
THE WILDERNESS.
A VISIT TO THE BATTLE GROUND IN RECENT
DAYS.
Vivid Scenes Of the Great Conflict Sill Fresh IN
MsmOry-Rude Shelter Tents Formed
with Canvas and A1skstS
Boston Globe.

The day left the village of Spottsylya-
MIA for visit to the Wilderness was per-
feet one. 1t was May, the very month in
the year Grant entered the country in 1864.
On our way we passed many fresh clear
ings and new houses, and my guide told
me that many Of them were the property
of the coIored people, who often had shown
signs of marked thrift.
| While there is much of the Wilderness
campaign that Is blank in my momCry,
some scenes and places stand out In my
minds eye full and complete.
l remember the march down a road to
reach Parker's store, and how, when the
narrow road was wedged full, the enemy
opened upon us with artillery, but, firing
the first few shots far above our heads, we
had tine to get to the woods on either
side; of how we reached out for the enemy,
but were received so hotly we were Obliged
to recoil; of the horrors of the night OF
May 5, when the dead and wounded could
not be cared for.
! We lay upon the field of battle and tried
to sleep. Some, more weary than others,
fell asleep My own eyes ached for needed
rest, and often did try to get it, but the
agonizing sounds from the wounded, who
could not be succored, were too much
The night passed, and when the first light
of morning appeared, the calls from the
wounded grew feebler, and many were, no
doubt, hushed in death.
The armies were so close together that
no movement was allowed by either side,
and any moving object was fired upon. So
the dead were unburied and the wounded
lay where they fell.
When Grant finally left the Wilderness
he had not time or means vt hand to bury
his dead or care for the wounded. This was
done, or supposed to have been done later,
when he was ut Spottsylvania.
| Much of the woods in the Wilderness
was burned over during the battles, and
once, when we were marching to Hancock,
our way was blocked by dense smoke. the
heat was intolerable, and cross-road had
to be cut through the timber around the
fire Over this ground battle had been
fought, and as we marched along the road
the unburied dead lay in all directions.
The flames respected neither the dead nor
wounded, and cared not which side they
fought on. Said lady to the writer:
"When your army went down to the Court
house returned to my home, where / was
born and always lived, until driven from
it by our own soldiers, who told me 1t was
not safe to remain. When the cavalry told
Us that Grant was crossing at the lords, we
thought of leaving, but changed our
minds; but when General Lee and his
army arrived, and we found there was to
be battle, we put few of our goods IN
our teams, and drove to Orange. We eX-
perienced great discomfort in getting even
there, for the roads were filled with SOL
diers, and our progress was slow. We
! finally got there, and then went to friends
in the vicinity of Waterloo. We got III
formation from whites and blacks, most of
the former being soldiers, who told rs OF
the progress of the battles, and on WedneS-
day after the Wilderness was left behind
by the armies, returned to my home.
But what a change The fences had all
been destroyed, together with some out
buildings, and in the front yard were the
graves of several of our dear soldiers.
"A guard had been placed OH the house,
and it was very well preserved, together
| with its contents Several of our negroes
returned the next day, who told me what
! they had seen on the battlementS, and |
accompanied them into the woods and clear
iDgs Through much OF it the fire had
| been and we found rows Of charred Skele-
tons right where they had fallen.
occasionally we found one who had es-
capped the fire, but they had the appear
ance of having died from suflocation."
| The conflict on the 9th was largely upon
Hancock. Lee had made fearful assaults
upon our columns, hoping thereby to drive
us across the river.
Early in the day few brigades-tO one
of which / belonged-were sent to Han
cock, on our left. The common soldier
generally knew little of what was going on
beyond few men on his right or left, and
this was particularly the case in the Will
derness, where the dense forestsand under
growth precluded the possibility.
Hancock had been assaulted, and ex-
pecting another attack on a grand scale,
had asked for assistance, and it was to
him we were marching. We halted on
the Brock road and. fell to intrenching
We faced southwest and the work we built
was at the edge of the road. To dig the
earth we used any implement that was at
hand, dipperS, knives, plates and sticks.
Spades were few and far between. but in
the course of an hour we managed to get
enough earth, rails and limbs Of trees put
together to he tOlerably good defence.
| Directly in our front was low and dense
growth of tangled woods. Out into this
jungle we sent our skirmishers to warn us
of the enemy. Soon after they had gone
a lull followed in the noise which had in
SpiIed us TO hasten our work. We were
somewhat crowded in the trench, which
extended on our right and left as far as
the eye could reach alongside the road. In
our rear was slight clearing, and there
we saw another line of troops preparing a
defence.
One OF the regiments, | think was the
Fourteenth Brooklyn, they being recog-
nized by their gaudy uniform. When the
earthwOrk was complete many of the men
threw themselves behind it upon the
ground and slept. The sun was intensely
hot, but the men inverted their muskets,
| by placing the bayonets in the ground and
| then placing their shelter tents across them,
got little shade We found the line we
built twenty-five years after. 1t is seen
alongside the road, but only in few
places. for the rains have washed it much,
and the wood underneath having rotted,
| the earth has fallen. Trees have grown
up in and around it, some twenty feet
high.
|, PATS LOVE EPISODE.