Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-08-15

The Confederates knew the region thor
oughly. Many of their soldiers had worked
in that region, which is mineral one.
They knew where the roads led to, where
the water was, where the natural line OF
defense was. We knew nothing except
that the Army of the Potomac, under
Hooker, had once encountered dlreful
disaster ON the outskirts of this desolate
region. On all sides heard the murmurs
of the enlisted men as they expressed the
hope that they would not have to fight III
the Wilderness.
In the evening, after supper, l walked
with comrade to thespOt where General
Pleasanton had maSsed his guns and saved
the army under Hooker from destruction
by checking the impetuous onslaught OF
Stonewall Jackson's Yirginian infantry,
fresh from the pleasures of the chase of the
routed Eleventh Corps. We walked to and
fro over the old battlefield, looking at bull
let-scarred and canister-riven trees. The
men who had fallen in that fierce fight had
apparently been buried where they fell,
and buried hastily. Many polished skulls
Law on the ground. Leg-bones, arm-bones
and ribs could be found without trouble.
Toes of shoes and bits of faded, weather
worn uniforms, and occasionally grinnlng,
bony, feshless face peered through the low
mounds that had been hastily thrown over
those brave warriors. As we wandered to
and fro over the battle ground, looking at
the cleaning skull and whitish bones, and
examining the exposed clothing of the
dead to see if they had been Union or Con-
federate soldiers, many infantry men joined
us. 1t grew dark, and we built fire nj
which to light our pipes close to where we
thought JacksOn's men had formed for
charge, rs the graves were thickest there,
and then We talked of the battle OF the
preceding year. We sat on long, low
mounds. The dead were all around us.
Their eyeless skulls seemed to stare steadily
ut us. The smoke drifted to and fro among
us. The trees swayed and sighed gently
in the soft wind. Our veteran told the
story of the burning of some of the Union
soldiers who were wounded during Hook
er's fight around the Wilderness, rs they
lay helpless in the woods. II was a
CHASTITY AND AwE-INSPIRING TALE
rs he wildly told it to us rs we sat among
the dead This man finished his story by
saying, ShudQerlnSly;
This REGION indicating the woods be-
yond with wave of his arm, lis an awful
place to fight in. The utmost extent OF
vision is about 100 yards. Artillery can
not he used effectively The wounded are
liable to be burned to death. | am willing
to take nv chances of getting killed, but
dread to have leg broken and then to he
burned to death; and these woods will
surely lie huruedlif wo fight here. hope
we will get through this chapparal without
lighting" and he took off his cap and med
itatively rubbed the dust of OF the red
clover leaf which Indicated the division
and corps he belonged TO. As we sat
silently smoking and listening to the story
an infantry soldier who had, NnndServed
by us, been prying into The shallow grave
he sat on with his hayQnet, suddenly rolled
a skull on the ground bciare us, and Sard
in deem. low voice! That is what you
are all canning tn, and some Of you will
start toward it tomorrow, IL was growing
late, and this uucallcd remark broke up
the group, most of the men going to their
rcgmcntal camps. A few of us still sat by
the diving cmbcrS and smoked. As We
talked We heard picket firing, not brisk,
but at short intervals the faint report nj Il
rifle quickly answered. And W. reasoned
correctly that y Confederate skirmlSh line
was in The woods, and that the hattie would
be offered in the timhpr Tho intelligent
enlisted men Of the Second Corps, with
whom talked that night, listened atten-
lively 10 the firing, now rising, now sink
ing into silence To again break out in az
other place. All of them sid mat Lee
was going 10 face Grant IN the Wilderness,
and they based their opinion on the presence
Ola Confederate skirmish line IN ti,r woods.
And all ofthcm agrrph lhat theadNantageS
of nositivn We're with Lee, and that his
knowledge of the region would enable him
to face our greatly superior army, in point
of numbers, with Il fair prospect of success.
But every infantry soldier | talked with
was rcsolutc in his purpose TO fight drSEcr-
Sicily and aid to win Il victGrl mat would
end the war, i:,t were possible IN whit.
IL Was past midnight when lcreht under
the caisSon of my gun aud Wiiowcd my
head on my hpapS.ck. The distant rifle
shots on the picket line crew fainter and
fainter, then were lost IN the nearer noises
Of the clmlE, and | slept.