The Portland daily press., 1891-07-27

Recently, on looking over the maps
showing the scenes of the war in the east
and In the west. was surprised at the
narrowness of the area in each section
where the heaviest fighting and the most
engagements took place. In the east the
Bloody Ground was between Gettysburg,
Pa, on the north and Suffolk, Va, on the
south, the western limit on line drawn
through Lynchburg, and the eastern
through Norfolk. In this district, about
150miles broad and 200 miles long, occurred
thirteen battles, where the Union loss in
killed outright numbered over 500, and the
aggregate of Union killed and wounded
was over 10000. In the lesser engage
ments and in siege operations probably
$4,000 more were numbered with the casu-
alties.
Here were fought the desperate strug-
giles of Gettysburg, Antietam, Malvern
Hill and Winchester, fields of glorious
memory to the veterans who conquered
there. Here the Monitor bore down the
Merrimac. and led off in a new era of naval
warfare. Here, too, was Appomattox.
Back and forth over this blood stained
arena the armies commended in the cam
paigns of the Rappahannock. the PENN
sula, the invasions Of Maryland and Penn
sylvauia. the Shenandoah and the Wilder
ness.
Here fell young Ellsworth, brave Phil
Kearney, gray haired Mansfield, grand old
"Uncle John" Secewick, gallant Reynolds
and the venerable and revered Wadsworth.
Here the thunder tones of Hancock led the
charge at Marye's Heights, the Bloody
Angle" and Cold Harbor, and rallied the
defenders of Cemetery Ridge. Here Little
Mac" rode along the serried line with ami
mating gesture by Antietam's REDEEMED
flood. Here Phil Sheridan dashed from
Winchester down to save the day at Cedar
Creek. Here the heroic sailor, Morris,
went down with the i'll starred Cumber-
land, shouting, when summoned to sur
render to the Merrimac. "Neverl Pill sink
alongsidep' Here rose and fell the battle
shouts of Hooker and Burnside. Here
Meade, with calm equipoise, guided the
hosts that flung back rebellion's foaming
tide. Here Grant baffied the exultant
hosts of Lee and Longstreet by his ever
memorable battle orders, Forward by the
left f1ankl"
The graves Of the Union dead in this
consecrated arena number over 10000, and
tens of thousands more, who there re-
ceived their death stroke, were borne north
to their last resting place. The plains of
Manassas, the wales through which the
Shenandoah rolls its placid streams, the
banks of the Potomac and the James, were
affairs whereon the rich blood of patriots
was shed as libations to the god of nation
atty. The men at Detroit will shake hands
heartily in memory of old times, but not
as Idaho and Oregon to New York and
Maine; rather because they were together
at Antietam, or Gettysburg or Appomat-
tox.
The Bloody Ground in the west is almost
identical with the state of Tennessee.
From Atlanta on the southern limit to
Knoxville on the northern is about 140
miles, and from Atlanta to Memphis on
the west about 300 miles. Within the
limits come Chickamauga, Stone River
and Shiloh, three of the desperate battles
Of the age. For three years the war ragged
back and forth across the state of Tennes-
see. Fort Donelson, Nashville, Murfrees-
boro, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Corinth
were scenes of repeated struggles, some
times the Union boys giving the blow and
sometimes calamity warding it off, Over