The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-04-14

GIartlN OcCIliibS C!AaHCCS. 1O iiiiu
-:..,ie was reported each new circusn-
stance. His snbordiuates knew bu'
tl,; partial truth. They relied on him
fer The initiative.
At p. m., then, the situation was
this: The iete amt centre lay as before.
Howard held the right, the ''kcv OF
the position" with 10000 ,uen, 4 halt
brigade Of Devens only astride the
pike, the rest OF of D-VeA>'s and
Sc:.urZ'< forces ;;,cin. s.utIi, and
Siei, wuer u.aS>ed at Dowdall's uo~-
ards best brigade Wa gone and ti.cTt
was not a man TO support him bctw,.:n
Dowdall's and charlottesville, lOr
this portion Of the line under Slcklc>
had been advanced into the woods
nearly two miles. On the right flank
of this little force lay Jacksen's corps
of ovel 10000 men, whose wide wings,
like the arms Of a gigantic cuttlefish,
were ready to clutch it in their fatal
embrace. To cover Jackson's march,
Lee at intervals during the day tapped
at the lines in front, principally where
Hancock lay.
During all this afternoon Hooker
had a chance handsomely 10 redeem
his Fridays error in retiring into the
Wilderness. Whatever the reason,
the fact that Lee had divided his army
remained clear. Lee, with the right
wing, had but $4,000 men. Hooker
knew that he could not have more than
25,000. He himself had 10000 splen-
did troops. He could have crushed
Lee like an egg shell, aud then have
turned on Jackson. But, with a
knowledge of Jackson's habit of mys-
terv, of his wonderful speed and fight
ing capacity, and of his presence On
our right, with all the means of knowl-
edge that this same right flank was
isolated by two miles of impenctrable
woods from any supporting force, he
sat still, folded his hands and patiently
waited events.
The 1lth corps was eating supper.
Arms were stacked as the breastWorks
looking south were but fairly sub
stan;ial. Facing east were none. Some
careleSsnesS was apparent, III that
ambuances, ammunition wagons, pack
mules, and even a drove Of beeves
were close behind the line. Every
one was at ease, though few were
not wanting in anxiety. Little Will
derncss Church, near by, endeavored
TO stamp IL peaceful air upon the war
like scene. The general feeling seemed
to be that it was too late TO get up
much of fight on that day.
TChnHaS
advance, Colston next and a. p. Hill
still coming up, lay close by. lie had
caught Hooker's right in taagraNte
delictu. AT 6 p. M, the order was
given, and $4,000 of the best infantry
in existence closed rapidly down upon
the flank Of 10000 of the least hard
ened of the troops Of the Potomac.
Not the Old Guard, not Fiedrich's
automata, could have changed front
under the staggering blow. The 6ghl
was short, sharp, deadly, but partial
only. All that man could do perias
did. Wounded, he kept the saddle
and commanded; but the force OF Tie
right was swept away like a cobweb
BY Jsckson's mighty besom. Some OF
Scnurz'S regiments made q gallant
| show of resistance under the terrible
ordeal OF friends and foes breaking
through their hastily formed !inc':
some melted away without burnin@ x
cartridge. Buschbeck'S brigade tire "
Itself into some breastworks co.'s.
strnctcd across the road of Dowdaii,s
ami made desperate resistance. Ii
was here that Howard had asked leave
t., place his line, but had been refu,ed.
! 4 ridge made the line we'll avalia6le
for defence The whole situation was
confusion worse contounded- ihe
attack had been so sudden that tho
stampede of the regiments. on The c1'
IRENE right swept away many of those
which were endeavoring to form near
the fork of the roads. The drove OF
beeves, the frightened teamsters and
ambulance drivers, officers, servants
and hundreds of camp follower. were
rushing blindlv, seeking an escape
from the murderous hail Of lead. The
enemy came OF with remorselcss stead
fastAess. Never was an army more
completely surprised, more absolutely
rwhelned. Few, even among the
old soldiers, preserved their calmness,
but many did their duty. The higher
officers were in the thi:kest Of the fray
An occasional stand would De maic
only to be again broken. Everywhere
appeared the evidence of unprepared'
ness.
It is small wonder that the corps
made no resistance worthy the name
Rather wonder that, under the Cir.
cumstanccs I have detailed, the onset
of Jackson was actually checked BY
this surprised and overmatched, this
telescoped force, considerably moro
than an hour, at q loss of one-third Its
effective strength. Could more have
been expected
The worthlcsSress of Hooker's dis
position now became apparent. Jack.
sons small rear guard had been play.
ing with Sickles, while his main body
had extinguished Howard. Nothing
now lay between Jackson and the
headquarters Of the army except Q
difficult forest, through which mass
of panic-Strickcn fugitives were rush.
ing in dire confusion out of range.
Happily night was approaching, aud
Jackson's troops had to- be halted and
rg-tormed, his three lines having be-
come inextricably mixed.
Anderson had made serious attack
on our centre so soon as the guns ot
.JackSon'- corps We're heard, So tina:
Hooker had nothing st hand to throw